Whoever pulled this film out of their hat should have just left it in. Before I get too far into this review, I’m just to going to tell you that this movie is really just a waste of time. There, I just saved you the trouble of actually reading about the movie. You can thank me later.
It’s actually not as bad as I make it sound, it’s just boring. “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” tells the story about the fall and the rise of Las Vegas magician, Burt Wonderstone. Burt headlines a magic act with his longtime friend and partner in magic, Anton Marvelton. (Think Siegfried and Roy but without the face-eating tigers.) They decide they need to breathe new life into their stale act when street magician, Steve Gray, begins stealing their thunder. Although after a botched magic stunt, Burt and Anton call it quits and Burt must work his way back to the top with some help from his elderly magician mentor/spirit-guide, Rance Holloway. Can Burt reclaim his throne of top Las Vegas magician? Does he really have the magic in him? Do you believe in magic in a young girls heart? Does anyone really care about this movie? (No.)
The movie is directed by Don Scardino, who has had directing credits in various TV shows over the years. Starring Steve Carell as Burt Wonderstone, Steve Buscemi as Anton Marvelton, Jim Carrey as Steve Gray, Olivia Wilde as Jane the assistant, and Alan Arkin as Rance Holloway. Carell seems miscast as the thoroughly stupid and unlikeable Burt Wonderstone and doesn’t bring much energy to the role at all. Even Jim Carrey seems underused as the over-the-top street performer/general d-bag, Steve Gray.
My advice? Pretend this movie did a vanishing act and skip it.
