Movie Review Rewind: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013)

Brandon Vick flips the calendar back to 2013 for a look at Jim Carrey and Steve Carell in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone on this edition of Movie Review Rewind.

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The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is a deceiving title for a movie that is not only not incredible, but its main character is also far from it. Actually, he is the least interesting person in the entire movie. You would think a story about one’s deep love for magic, along with an A-list cast, would make the movie well….magical! Unfortunately, there is little fun to be had and the biggest problem of them all is the few laughs it provides. And that’s the real crime here considering comedy geniuses such as Jim Carrey and Steve Carell are in it. We all know they have the ability to get huge laughs out of their audience. They have been doing it for years, but this collaboration is not what I had in mind.

Carell stars as the titular character who falls in love with magic at a young age and finds his inspiration from a magic set from the legendary magician Rance Holloway (Alan Arkin). He befriends Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) who both use magic as an escape from the bullying they endure at school. But what starts out as a friendship turns into a partnership that takes over the Las Vegas strip. Their headlining show at Bally’s is the hottest, most dominant in the world of magic. And the owner of Bally’s, Doug Munny (James Gandolfini), is paying them millions. But, it’s gone to Wonderstone’s head. Fast forward ten years and Wonderstone hates the show and belittles Anton any chance he gets. All he cares about these days are himself and sex – in that order.

Everything comes crashing down for Burt and Anton when a new breed of magic appears and his name is Steve Gray (Carrey). The big productions and props are things of the past. Hurting yourself and surviving to tell about it is the future. When Burt and Anton try to one-up Gray and do their own death-defying stunt, it fails miserably. The longtime friends and successful partners call it quits and Wonderstone has to hit rock bottom before he can rediscover his passion for magic and why he enjoyed it in the first place.

Just like how Wonderstone was bored with his magic, Carell looks bored with this movie. Carell’s Wonderstone is full of cliches and doesn’t come off as funny or entertaining, but instead the exact opposite. The truth is Wonderstone is just as lame as the wigs and velvet suits he wears. The only time The Incredible Burt Wonderstone displays real wonder and enchantment is when Arkin and Carrey show up. Carrey mixes the Criss Angel and David Blaines of the world and brings the outrageousness and intensity that only he can bring. The best part is all of it can be welcomed and embraced because what he is spoofing is ridiculous in the first place.

Steve Gray represents the new face of magic where suffering is the magical force. Who wouldn’t want to see someone lay on scorching hot coals or turn themselves in to a human pinata? Is that magic or just an episode of Jackass? I’ll let you decide. Then there is Rance Holloway, who is a legend and represents the “old school” of magic. Unlike Wonderstone, when he became tired of his own act, he was able to walk away from it all. But no matter how old he gets, he is still a magician at heart. So who better to make Wonderstone humble again and put him in his place?

As you can tell, they play two very different characters, but Carrey and Arkin each take command of their scenes. It is the few times the movie shows glimpses of its true potential. Also, I’ll mention that Olivia Wilde is in it. She has her moments, but is not given enough material, which makes her almost disappear from the movie completely.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone relies on its actors to deliver even if what they say or do is outdated and predictable. Director Don Scardino lets his comedy drag on for too long and cannot find the balance between the jokes and the scarce, sincere moments. The movie suffers because of it. It’s rare when the magician comedy hits its mark, but I can think of a couple of things that made me laugh out loud. One of them is the last trick Burt and Anton perform and once the audience is shown how it occurred, it does not involve any kind of magic at all.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone feels like one big illusion, and once it comes to an end and the curtain is pulled back, we are left with nothing but the feeling of disappointment.

Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, The Southeastern Film Critics Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.

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