Was it time for a parody of Vegas magicians? Is it too predictable to do so? I don’t know, but here it is. Regardless of which side of that argument you happen to be on, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is actually funny enough to be worth a look. For much of that, you can thank Jim Carrey. Turns out, he’s still pretty hilarious when he wants to be.
Was it time for a parody of Vegas magicians? Is it too predictable to do so? I don’t know, but here it is. Regardless of which side of that argument you happen to be on, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is actually funny enough to be worth a look. For much of that, you can thank Jim Carrey. Turns out, he’s still pretty hilarious when he wants to be.
The film opens with a young Burt, after being picked on by the school bully, comes home and to his mom not there and leaving him a birthday cake – to make himself from the box, and a present: his first magic kit. Of course, having such a tough childhood gives us a reason to like adult Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carrrell) who is a pompous, rather sexist, and oblivious bag of wind. With his partner and long-time best friend, Anton (the awesome Steve Buscemi), he finds that after a 10 year run in a Vegas casino as a top magic act, he’s getting fired because of waning ticket sales. Burt and Anton need to find a way to make their act fresh again in light of the new wave of Illusionists a la David Blaine/Criss Angel.
Enter Jim Carrey’s character, Steve Gray, one of those said new wave of illusionists. This is the kind of guy Burt and Anton need to compete against. He’s long-haired, tattooed, intense, maschistic, intense, and also really funny. Perhaps the funniest he’s been in a while, in fact. He makes you want to punch him in the face and yet laugh at the same time. Like Criss Angel, minus the laughing part.
Alan Arkin is his usual wonderful self as Burt’s childhood idol, Rance Holloway. I know some people think Arkin has lately only done pretty much the same type of character the last numbe rof years, but I don’t think he can do much wrong. He’s just so good.
Olivia Wilde plays Jane, who becomes Burt and Anton’s lovely assistant, and does just fine as the required love interest that is exasperated but sees that our lead has a better man somewhere within. James Gandolfini is good as the showy casino owner Dave Munny, but perhaps even too stereotypical. Putting someone like George Clooney in the role might have been funnier. I think he would have the sense of humor for it, but then you know where all the budget would have gone, right?
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is a goofy, satirical comedy about magicians. Definitely goofy at times. Some of which is really funny, sometimes only mildly so. But there are enough scenes that made me laugh out loud to keep me entertained. And there is a darkness to some of this humor. Steve Gray’s “tricks” in a scene or two will affect the squeamish – they may need to cover their eyes, even though there’s a laugh to be had as well. And there’s a great moment in a scene where Anton has gone to visit a poverty-torn village in Africa to give children not much-needed food and water, but free magic kits.
Yeah, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone isn’t, well, incredible, but it is pretty funny. You could wait for DVD, but if you’re looking for a comedy in the theater, you wouldn’t be lighting your money on fire. It’s still worth three kittenhands.
~ Neil T. Weakley, your average movie-goer, pretty sure this is the funniest Jim Carrey has been in a while.