Directed By: Don Scardino
Starring: Steve Carrel, Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde, Jim Carrey and Alan Arkin
What It’s About: A popular magician loses his popularity when street magic rises to the scene.
Rated PG-13 (for sexual content, dangerous stunts, a drug-related incident and language)
Runtime: 100 minutes
By Cole Nelson, Staff Writer
Is it any surprise that Steve Carell is back on the big screen playing the typical naïve, idiotic and self-indulgent character that he mastered as Michael Scott? Time and time again, Carell supplies comic relief with this recurring role in nearly every film he stars in (ex. “I love lamp!”). Only this time, he does so as an experienced stage magician.
Burt Wonderstone (Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) have been friends ever since they met in elementary school, when the two outcasts bonded over magic and illusion. This connection would soon (if you consider 30 years to be soon) lead to a world-renowned show in Vegas for the pair of magical misfits and an unfortunately fading friendship.
After doing the same song and dance on stage for years on end, night after night, the two would open their show with a synchronized dance to the Steve Miller Band’s appropriately titled song “Abracadabra” wearing matching scarlet studded suits; it would be an understatement to say one would get bored. Wonderstone, used to the fame and fortune of his once popular magic show, is surprised to learn that the ticket sales are plummeting, largely due to the rising trend of street magic and its head practitioner Steve Grey (Jim Carrey).
With the introduction of street magic and the absurdity of those who practice it (Steve Grey decides to sleep on a bed of burning coals just to prove he can endure the pain), it is made clear that the classic magic of illusion is fading, resulting in Wonderstone and Marvelton enduring a receding popularity. Anton suggests, to Burt’s disagreement, that the two tweak their act so it coincides more with street magic, stemming in their falling out.
The two, now individually competing with Steve Grey, have little to no success. By chance, Burt Wonderstone comes across his childhood hero, the great (and also retired) magician Rance Holloway (Alan Arkin). Rance pushes Wonderstone to realize that the futility of teaching an old dog—magician—new tricks certainly exists; however it is possible, and indeed probable, to improve an old trick to suit a new audience. Holloway and his ex-assistant Jane (Olivia Wilde) provide Wonderstone a chance to return to the stage with his friend Marvelton to perform for a live Vegas audience once again. And of course, Steve Grey must interfere with their plans.
An easy connection can be made between the contemporary street magicians—David Blaine and Chris Angel with Steve Grey; classic stage performers—David Copperfield with Wonderstone. Jim Carrey as the pain-pleasured street magician is suitable to the role to add to his typically out-of-whack, not-so-normal characters that largely rely on physical comedy (ex. Ace Ventura). It caught me by surprise that Steve Grey is much more bearable, pleasing and hilarious than the “classic” Carrey.
In fact, the entire cast was hilarious. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone may be a terribly absurd and wonderfully cheesy movie, but it does contain a laugh for anyone despite the formulaic Hollywood plot—man has fame, man loses fame, man is too stubborn to change and man comes to his senses. (Sounds familiar? Try applying it to any popular comedy movie of the past few years: Anchorman for example.)
Burt Wonderstone falls under a category of movie that I like to call “Carell Comedy.” While the name should be self explanatory, the majority of movies on this list star Steve Carell as the redundant, yet always entertaining narcissistic, mindless ignoramus we have come to love. “Carell Comedies” thrive on dialogue that has hearty punch lines and innocent one-liners, such as Wonderstone.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is one of those movies, if exposed to a large enough audience, which will be seen only a few times but quoted for years to come.
Courtesy of www.aceshowbiz.com