The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

This is a great return of the hilarious Jim Carrey everyone has missed.

Roger Ebert described in his review, “In "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone," a predictable but often terrific absurdist comedy, Carrey plays Steve Gray, a long-haired, tattoo-spangled, masochistic performance artist/illusionist from the Criss Angel/David Blaine school. Forget about walking on hot coals; this guy sleeps overnight on hot coals and asks for a wake-up call.”

Ebert continued, “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" is a Will Ferrell sports comedy without Will Ferrell and without the sports. In plot and tone, in a screenplay recipe that's two parts lunatic comedy and one part shameless sentimentality with a dash of romance thrown in, this magic-themed buddy movie isn't so different from "Blades of Glory" or "Kicking and Screaming" or "Semi-Pro" or "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." (And gosh, Will Ferrell's made a lot of sports comedies, hasn't he?)”

Ebert went on, “Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carell) is a pompous, clueless, sexist blowhard who somehow comes across as at least somewhat sympathetic, perhaps because we've seen the abuse and the hard knocks he endured as a child. It's as if Michael Scott from "The Office" had actually pursued his lifelong love of magic and had managed to become a successful albeit old-fashioned and cheesy act headlining his own theater at Bally's in Las Vegas.”

Anton, played by Steve Buscemi, Burt’s childhood friend, bravely joins his friend onstage each night to the sounds of Steve Miller’s Abracadabra, starting off yet another night of magic that hasn’t changed once in the last 10 years. Ebert noted, “Their routines are so dated they look as if they've been lifted from a 1950s TV extravaganza.”

Here is the problem with their so-called magical friendship. The late James Gandolfini’s stormy casino owner, the not-so-subtly named Doug Munny, tells the boys their time has passed and it’s time to make way for the new generation of magicians, as shown by the viral video, cable-TV sensation Steve Gray, a man not afraid to injure himself, hammer a nail into a table with his forehead or go a week without urinating – all shown from multiple camera angles.

As Steve Gray grows to the height of stardom, Burt struggles to find work in supermarkets and retirement homes. It’s the latter job that brings him face-to-face with the legendary magician Rance Holloway, played by Alan Arkin, Burt’s childhood hero.

Could a comeback for Burt Wonderstone be happening? Can he pull off his greatest trick of all – making himself relevant again?

Ebert noted, “A movie satirizing magicians — even rock 'n' roll hipster magicians — is only slightly more cutting edge than a movie mocking mimes or carnies. At times "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" seems as creaky as old Rance Holloway.”

However, this is also one dark and teasingly funny comedy. When Anton pays a visit to a very poor village in Africa and hands out magic kits instead of the usual foot and clean water, there’s a great visual punch line. Steve Gray’s tricks are so horrible, that audience members switch between applause and projectile vomit. Ebert said, “Even Rance Holloway has a bit of the sadist in him, as we learn when he explains how he pulled off one nifty little trick.”

As the old, slightly insane veteran with a few tricks up his sleeve, Arkin is a genius. Olivia Wilde does fine as the necessary love interest we always see standing on the sidelines in movies such as this, hovering over the silly lead because she believes he’s capable of being a better man. Ebert admitted, “Gandolfini, always interesting on the screen, is a bit miscast as a Steve Wynn-like mogul building a self-named casino. (One can picture a Brad Pitt or a George Clooney adding extra layers of charm and oil to the role.)”

Then we have Carrey, going deep into the trick bag that turned him into a star over 20 years prior. Ebert admitted, “He's physical, he's intense, he's ridiculous — and he made me laugh more than any comedic character in recent memory.”

It’s a performance of inspiring stupidity.

This 2013 comedy is not as bad as people made it out to be. I found myself enjoying it while I watched it a few years back. Don’t listen to the critics and check this out. It’s a nice return to form for Carrey, and Carrell and Buscemi really make a believable buddy duo of magicians who have strained their friendship and try to make amends. You should see this movie and judge for yourself. I think if people see this, they will find a lot of enjoyment and laughter that will make them at least happy they saw this.

Thank you for joining in on “Steve Carell Month.” I hope everyone enjoyed this month and has seen the films I recommended. I apologize for posting this really late as I was really tired from work today. Look out next month for a very busy month of film reviews that I will end the year off with.