Going into this movie I had very low expectations based on the movies entirely kept afloat by well-known comedians. They lean on this star presence to boost publicity as well as compensate for the other lack luster elements in the film. I’m happy to say that while “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” is nothing to geek over, it delivers enough laughs to make me not regret seeing it.
The story of two magicians from childhood tricks to the Vegas strip is entertaining but a theme that’s been visited before: the complacent stars that lose track of what they love amongst the fame and riches and have to start from nothing to remember why they did it in the first place. To say the least, the story is not what you will remember a few months from now.
Steve Carell, Olivia Wilde, and Steve Buscemi give good performances, but the real star here is Jim Carrey, who plays a masochist magician that is putting Burt Wonderstone out of business. The chosen camera angles are a clear poke at real life magician David Blaine, and the satire is mostly directed to an entertainment industry that is geared towards shock and awe through gore and danger rather than talent or creativity.
The many small stars put into the film including Community’s Gillian Jacobs, Everybody Loves Raymond’s Brad Garrett, and John Mohr to name a few, were nice editions that weren’t over played or given too much emphasis beyond what the story needed.
No, “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” is not the classic you will be dying to own on DVD. It has a forgettable story, but a good cast that delivers its’ share of humor. I’ve seen worse, and I wouldn’t mind seeing this again on Comedy Central in a year.
7.8/10
As AJ Thinks 