At the Movies with Jesse: “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone”

“Welcome to the amazing world of magic!” The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, the latest film endeavor from director Don Scardino (30 Rock), takes its viewers on a nostalgic trip through the magic acts of Las Vegas.

Largely satirizing the work of street magicians such as Criss Angel and David Blaine, the film focuses on magic partners Burt Wonderstone and Anton Marvelton, played by Steve Carell (The Office, Despicable Me) and Steve Buscemi (The Big Lebowski; Monsters, Inc.) respectively. For years the “magical friendship” of Wonderstone and Marvelton has dominated the magic scene in Las Vegas, but everything begins to unravel when a cool new street performer, Steve Gray (Jim Carrey of Dumb and Dumber and Yes Man), threatens to steal their fan base. Fighting to remain the best at what they do, Wonderstone and Marvelton get to work on their biggest trick to date.

 

Burt Wonderstone also boasts the acting talents of Olivia Wilde (TRON: Legacy, In Time) and Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine, Argo). This star-studded cast is the driving force behind the film. Carell breaks out of his “everyman” shell and does a terrific job of portraying a sex-obsessed has-been. The film also sees Carrey’s return to slapstick absurdity, reminiscent of his early work in films such as Ace Ventura and The Mask. Buscemi and Arkin are hilarious in their roles, but neither receives adequate screen time. The beautiful Wilde toughs it out, unfortunately stuck with a completely disposable character.

 

Such incredible on-screen talent, however, brings downfalls of the script to light. Often, comedies are criticized for lame jokes. This is not the case with Burt Wonderstone. Not a single joke or punchline in this film falls flat. There just aren’t enough of them. The cast is held back by a script that does not capitalize on its comedic performers. Rather, it balances the humor with a heart-warming storyline. Is this a good or bad thing? Neither, really. It’s all a matter of personal preference.

 

Burt Wonderstone suffers from a few other minor flaws as well. Carell has great chemistry with Buscemi and Carrey, but these main characters are not given nearly enough time together on-screen. Pacing is also an issue, seen in the film’s slow beginning and abrupt ending. And alas, many have probably never heard of Burt Wonderstone and never will. Advance marketing for the film was pitiful, leading to its #3 opening at the box office. We can expect it to earn back its $30 million production budget, but a high profit is unlikely.

Nevertheless, Burt Wonderstone serves its purpose as a feel-good comedy, with a cast that cannot be topped. The film doesn’t quite live up to its potential (it’s about a decade late on the craze of street magic), but offers its fair share of laughs and nostalgia. Go see it with a group of friends or snag it at a Redbox in a few months.

 

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is now playing. Rated PG-13 for sexual content, dangerous stunts, a drug related incident and language. My rating: 6/10.

~Jesse Bontreger