I am left with one question...just what in the HELL is The Incredible Burt Wonderstone?
I was hoping it would be about warring Las Vegas magicians, certainly a niche group worth plucking with some good humor. It's KIND of about that.....
Jim Carrey is Steve Gray and Steve Carrell is Burt Wonderstone, two generations of magicians in a battle like a hilarious Copperfield v. Criss Angel war. Fun concept, right?
Well, I guess if you painted them both as semi likable or funny that could work, but Carrell's tone is all over the board and Carrey is just so mean spirited, his character is impossible to like.
It's a great supporting cast including Steve Buscemi as Burt's loyal sidekick Anton Marvelton, who Burt treats like crap and James Gandolfini as the casino owner who watches Burt and Anton go from kings of the strip to has beens over a decade long contract.
Through a very goofy series of circumstances that only make sense in a bad screenplay, Burt and Anton break up, Burt discovers a lot about himself and then it comes together for a clever last ten minutes, that sadly again only makes sense in a desperate screenplay.
What an odd movie.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone wants to be hilarious, sad, heartwarming, dramatic and fun.
It touches on each of those, but never for long and never very deeply. It certainly is NOT incredible.
The only thing these boys made disappear for me is my goodwill toward the movie that I went in with....
Abracadabra, we'll give it a D.
