Although the film has an ornate title that is set in the infamously flashy city of Los Vegas, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone does not live up to the “incredible” standard it set itself up for.
The first third of the film lays out the formulaic plot of two kids who were outcasts, nerdy, and bullied, who became friends because of a shared interest (magic), and then went on to become an extremely successful duo act in Vegas over the next 30 years. The audience learns that Burt (Steve Carell) became an egotistical and sexist magician who constantly butts heads with his partner Anton (Steve Buscemi). The two cycle through female assistants quickly due to their poor management, but are able to round up a new assistant, Jane (Olivia Wilde) after one quit in the middle of a show.
After 10 years of performing the same show and declining ticket sales, their boss, Doug (James Gandolfini), orders the duo to perform something more exciting. Doug convinces Burt and Anton to do an act comparable to the up and coming street magician Steve Gray (Jim Carrey – his character is reminiscent of David Blaine, but more intense), who held his bladder for a week and slept for a night on hot coals. After a failed attempt at street magic and a huge falling out, Burt and Anton part ways, are unemployed, and struggle to find their way in life without each other.
It’s a little confusing to specifically pinpoint the type of story it is – there’s some (bad) jokes, heartfelt moments, and suspense. Because of conflicting themes, the writing is jumbled, formulaic, and bounces much too quickly back and forth between the different subjects of the story. Jonathan M. Goldstein and John Francis Daley (both penned Horrible Bosses) wrote the script, and as their resume proves, I’m sure they’ll both go on to write more unique and structured scripts.
Carrey’s eccentric personality and acting style nicely complimented his character of Steve Gray, so no complaints there. Carrell, Buscemi, Wilde, and Alan Arkin are all seasoned actors: they’ve all appeared in better movies than Burt Wonderstone, and they’ll be cast in better roles in the future. Having less experienced actors in these roles may have been a better casting decision to further launch someone’s career, rather than having experienced actors appear in these roles to somewhat diminish their career.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is a cute film to get on Redbox on a rainy day, but not worth a trip to the theaters. The jumbled writing and wide array of tones create characters that are too immature for the actors that were cast in them.
Grade: C-
Rated: PG-13 (for sexual content, dangerous stunts, a drug-related incident and language)
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone opens in theaters on March 15, 2013.
We want to hear your thoughts on this topic!
Write a comment below or submit an article to Hypable.