Steve Carell and Jim Carrey are two of Hollywood’s funniest actors. And they’ve worked together in some big films – “Bruce Almighty” and the animated “Horton Hears a Who”. They’ve teamed-up once again as rival magicians in the comedy, “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone”.
Carell plays the title character who, as a boy back in the early 80’s, becomes interested in magic after receiving a “Rance Holloway Magic Kit” for his birthday. Another boy from school named Anton is amazed by Burt’s magic abilities and they become partners and best friends. Flash-forward several years and Burt and Anton are headliners at Bally’s Casino in Las Vegas, and the top magic act in the world.
But after doing the show with the same tricks for ten years, Burt and Anton (played by Steve Buscemi) start to get sick of the act – and each other. Their boss at Bally’s (James Gandolfini) wants something fresh. Steve Gray, a Criss Angel-type “performance magician” (played to perfection by Carrey) is becoming the “New Face of Magic”, thanks to his dangerous and wacky physical stunts shown on his weekly cable TV show. Soon it’s “Old School vs. New School”. Plus, the friendship between Burt and Anton is put to the test, there’s an assistant who gets involved (Olivia Wilde) and even Rance Holloway (the terrific Alan Arkin) makes a comeback appearance. All these characters play a role in trying to help Burt rekindle the magic in his life – and in his magic.
“The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” is a genuinely funny film. The script, by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (who also wrote the upcoming “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2”) is smart. They take the subject matter seriously, while poking-fun at practically everything involved in this high-stakes world of big-time magic. Some of the humor is subtle, other times it’s laugh-out-loud hilarious. Most of the tricks and illusions are authentic and, yes, even on film, some are pretty amazing. The great David Copperfield was a consultant on the movie and he has a cameo as well.
Carell is one of the best in the business at delivering laughs with dialogue, mannerisms and facial expressions. All his talents are on display here. Carrey embraces this quite different role (even for him). Wilde gets a surprising amount of screen time, and Arkin shares some nice scenes with Carell. The two also worked together on both “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Get Smart”. Gandolfini also has some good moments as the egotistical casino owner and Buscemi’s storyline takes a weird but hysterical turn.
There aren’t a lot of surprises and, thankfully, director Don Scardino avoids adding any dramatic or emotional elements – going simply for laughs. And it works, as the film never gets sidetracked.
“The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” is rated PG-13 for some language, adult content, dangerous stunts, and drug use – which plays a key role in the film’s climactic scene. And this movie features the best final scene of any film in years.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” gets a B.
Sure, not everything works, but overall “Burt Wonderstone”, much like a good magic show, is solid entertainment.