The Incredible Burt Wonderstone Reviews

In my opinion, "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" is a very underrated comedy filled with heart and some good humour. It may not be the hilarious comedy that it is advertised to be, but in the end, that doesn't matter, because the entire cast give fine performances and you really start to feel everyones chemistry coming together. The story is cliched and predictable, but that really didn't bother me, because the heart of the film really makes up for it. It really makes you appreciate the art of magic. This film is not great in any way, but it is very fun to watch. It's a harmless film that anyone can sit back, relax and enjoy, if you are not too critical. I had fun with his one.

Has Jim Carrey has had his big moment in the limelight? he's taking on ensemble roles lately, no pivotal lead star vehicles anymore?. As for Carell this could be his best film to date, a sweet sincere performance which is a change from his usual tomfoolery in various naff wasted projects.

This film is a mixture of two things really, on one hand we have yet another film about magic, this time a light hearted comedy. On the other hand, at times, it does ever so slightly cross over to that 'frat pack' type of comedy and you half expect Wilson or Farrell to pop up, luckily its not that outrageous.

A simple concept about two traditional razzle dazzle Vegas magicians that fall out after many years together. Then to add insult to injury a younger, tougher, edgier, high risk taking street magician steps into the fray and steals what their fame.

When I first started to watch this I defintely thought it was heading down the silly spoof route. There are moments that hint at that, but as the film progresses it turns out to be a really nice touching film that makes you smile. There are some great little funny touches dotted throughout which mainly come from Carell's character. Even though in the plot the character is from the 80's generation he seems to have been transported from the 50's. A complete male chauvinist and womaniser with little tact, yet he doesn't realise it and thinks he's a gentleman. Much of this is down to his Vegas bubble lifestyle which has transformed him into this spoilt makeup wearing lothario.

Naturally this makes for some great dialog and some hilarious pompous behaviour from Carell. Kudos to Carrey for his wholly annoying street magician who obviously is having a go at people like David Blane/Criss Angel. His nasty tricks aren't real magic of course, simply sick stunts that appease people's morbid curiosity. So the film does achieve something plot wise, you hate Carrey's character and see him for what he clearly is, whilst at the same time you are gradually warming to Carell's character and seeing he is actually a decent man.

I also loved Arkin's character and performance as the old classical, black tux magician with the pencil thin tash, almost Vincent Price-like. I also liked Gandolfini's Vegas hotel/casino owner, I loved his chic 70's-like fashions (well that's how it appeared to me) and how he still looks like a head honcho for the mob.

Some great hand trick work shown throughout, alongside various other more impressive tricks, being a film I'm sure many were assisted with movie effects. The only thing I didn't really like was the ending and how they win back their fame. It seemed a step too far and way too easy for something horrific to go wrong surely!. OK its a comedy and there's gonna be artistic license involved, its not suppose to be genuine but still...it just didn't quite feel right. Plus the idea seemed like a massive undertaking on a regular basis sheesh!.

Apart from that minor detail a very pleasant surprise, enjoyed the film, the glossy visuals and all the characters. Love the films title by the way, although I think 'The Amazing Burt Wonderstone' looks and sounds better.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is a far better comedy than it has any right to be. It's not perfect by any means, but it finds clever or darker angles to take that surprise, at least until it hits the next big marker on its jerk-learns-a-lesson plot playbook. The titular magician (Steve Carell) has a falling out with his longtime assistant and even longer-time (is this a word?) friend played by Steve Buscemi, who is disarmingly affable and warm. Their Vegas act is old hat in the face of younger, hipper, and more danger-seeking magicians, notably the Chris Angel-styled Steve Gray (Jim Carrey). While only a supporting character, Carrey's bits onscreen are easily the best thing he's done in a decade, comedy-wise. His physical comedy finds a perfect outlet. Gray's schtick is more Jackass than David Copperfield, and the movie does well to explore this division and why people gravitate to magic in the first place. It's ultimately a sweet film about the bonds of friendship, with Carell and Buscemi taking the bulk of the running time, and while it has plenty of silliness there's also sincerity there. It all builds up to a great climax and a conclusion that left me laughing so hard I was in stitches. Make sure to stay through the credits. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, from the writing team behind Horrible Bosses, is a charmingly broad comedy that has enough heart, committed comedic performances, takes enough clever turns to justify a viewing.

Nate's Grade: B

'The Incredible Burt Wonderstone' doesn't try to be anything it isn't. It's a light-hearted, mindless comedy, with some jokes that hit and others that miss. Jim Carrey gives a great performance as Steve Grey, and Carrell does typical Carrell things. Overall, a fun but forgettable film. Grade: C

"The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" is the funniest thing Steve Carell has done since "The 40 Year Old Virgin". And, even though I thought "I Love You Phillip Morris" (a film nobody saw) was an excellent movie, this particular comedy about a silly little magician rivalry contains the funniest (and most watchable) performance Jim Carrey has given in over a decade.

The premise surrounds nerdy boyhood best friends, who grow up to become the infamous stage magicians Burt Wonderstone (Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi); sort of an American version of Siegfried and Roy without the tiger. They advertize themselves as having "a magical friendship", as their outdated act stands as the featured attraction on the Vegas strip. But when a Criss Angel-esque street magician named Steve Gray begins to take the duo's fan base away by performing a myriad of gruesome and outlandish "magic tricks", Wonderstone and Marvelton must find a way to freshen up their act before their style of magic is left in the past.

The Acting: Yes this film also stars Olivia Wilde and Alan Arkin. And yes, Wilde doesn't really do anything but participate as the very weak love interest, and Arkin continues his long standing decision to play himself (as long as the Oscar nominations keep rolling in) BUT the overwhelming reason this film works so well is due to a few perfectly realized characters. Jim Carrey does such a spot on Criss Angel (from the title of his show, to the gross-out factor of his act) that every time he is on screen, the comedic bar is raised substantially. As for Carell, he portrayals a pompous headliner with such egotistical verve, that his performance can only be described as Michael Scott-esque. Even Buscemi, who is not at all a comedic actor, is used strategically well, as a sort of comedic voice of reason.

Final Thought: While I understand that a majority of critics have called this film a "hit and miss", focusing on the simplistic storyline rather than the hilarious performances, or hiding behind the vastly overused "all comedy is subjective" theory, which some critics fall back on in order to undersell funny movies, it is my opinion that many of these "rotten tomato" opinions are unfairly misguided. The writing team of John Francis Daley (known best for his role on "Freaks and Geeks") and Jonathan Goldstein have manufactured a script that is as smart and witty as last year's "21 Jump Street", and more importantly, worthy of two of the best comedic actors of this generation. OK, so this film is not perfect by any means. There is an unnecessary love story jammed in the middle of this thing, and I can understand how the initial twenty minutes may bore some audiences, especially if you aren't a fan of magic or wouldn't be caught dead watching an episode of "Mind Freak". BUT, I will say that after its initial bumpiness, the rest of "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" is consistently entertaining, delivering a multitude of well formulated (early Apatow-esque) laughs. And what more could you ask for from a comedy in March?

Written by Markus Robinson, Edited by Nicole I. Ashland

Follow me on Twitter @moviesmarkus

Now I'll just say I'm not a huge fan of magicians and never really had a big interest in magic and most comedies nowadays, but this film did peak my interest when I first heard about it. Not just because I really like Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, and Alan Arkin, but the fact that this looked like this would be the triumphant comedic return of Jim Carrey since he really hasn't been funny for about 10 years. But sadly the actors and magic can't really help this film.

Now, this is one of those movies that has a fantastic comedic cast, Steve Carrell, Steve Buscemi, Jim Carrey, James Gandolfini, and Jay Mohr, but even then, they aren't given a lot to work with. Carrell is really just an arrogant jerk most of the film which doesn't lead to a lot of jokes that aren't extremely predictable that we haven't seen with this type of character. Carrell does get some real good lines at some points in the movie and some of his actions also do get a few laughs but it leaves more to be desired from such a funny man. Buscemi is really just there for most of the film and I guess the joke with him is that he's just the nice guy that sits in the corner and doesn't get much of a say. Again, this has been done before many times before and done better, and again, like Carrell, gets some good funny lines at times, I just wish that the writers and Buscemi could've brought more jokes to the table with this character, because the 2nd half of the film he's gone almost all of it. Gandolfini is terribly unfunny in this film with little to no funny lines at all and when he does say something funny, it doesn't come off as funny it just comes off as just mean spirited. Mohr is really not that funny at all and really just more awkward then he is funny which I feel like was intentional but his performance and actions just come off as strange and really weird. Olivia Wilde, while not known for comedy, does get some good lines like Carrell and Buscemi but again, I wish they could've given her more jokes to work with because she, like Buscemi, will disappear from the film for about 15 minutes at times. Thankfully the film has three saving graces in terms of comedy. One is Alan Arkin, who not only does a very funny and memorable performance here, but is very likable in the role and gets a lot of great scenes in the film. Second is the scenes at the nursing home and the ending joke but I won't dare ruin that joke. And Third is anything involving Jim Carrey, Carrey is hands down the one thing that keeps this film watchable. Carrey is not only funny, this is how Carrey was back in the 90s funny, and this is how Carrey should've been acting these past few years. The delivery Carrey gives, the parody of Criss Angel, and the amount of pain that Carrey endures in this film is beyond hilarious. The only problem, he really isn't in the film enough to completely save the film. Some jokes mainly will fall incredibly flat, weren't that funny to begin with, or just straight up mean or low (Alan Arkins character at the hospital is a good example of that, you'll see why in the movie) and the film really prefers drama more than it does prefer humor which is false advertising in my book for a film that looked like and was marketed as a straight up comedy.

Overall, while the magic elements in the film do look very cool, and some characters are likable in their own right, the comedy ranges from good to non existent, and the film really prefers to use drama more than comedy at many points in the film for a film that was marketed as a straight up comedy. Some jokes are straight up cringe-worthy, the hairstyles are just as over the top as most of the actors in this film, and the film is either too mean at points, adds unnecessary scenes and jokes, or it just loses interest in where the plot is going at points. I'd say I wouldn't see it again and I wouldn't really recommend it to people who don't like over the top comedy, but I'd say maybe if you're a fan of magic you can get into it and if you really like Jim Carrey you won't be happy he isn't in it as much as the film marketed it. The film really just left me with a desire for a lot more jokes, and I do understand why they add drama, but you could add a little more comedy to the film when you market like a straight up comedy.

a few decent laughs, the film is entertaining and the cast is very good but there were so many things i could think of that would have improved the story. worth seeing.

'The Incredible Burt Wonderstone'. Carrey and Carell greatly elevate the relatively weak writing. I laughed a lot, but cringed more often than not.

I expected much worse. It still plays like an SNL movie, but a decent cast delivers many more genuine laughs than I would have thought. It's forgettable, but if you're in the mood for a comedy you can do much worse.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is funny, has a talented cast, and has some great moments, but it's hard to ignore the fact that the film is very predictable and lacks imagination. I enjoy comedies that really give us a great time and uses its cast to its advantages, and luckily Burt Wonderstone pulls that off very well. You rarely see films that focus on magicians, and I don't believe there has ever been a film that has dared to make it into a comedy with some of the best comedians in Hollywood. Once I discovered Steve Carell and Jim Carrey would both be in this film I instantly said "Yes, I am going to see this." Now that I have seen it, I will say that despite its flaws, this film was overall a very good comedy. I was laughing consistently through and it felt like that good natured silliness that we would get from a Will Ferrell comedy. I enjoyed the films use of magic in the film, and the story never forgets to focus on the illusions and how magicians are some of the best tricksters in the world. Every loves to watch a magician do magic, and director Don Scardino puts in the perfect amount in the film. Scardino is a good director and makes good use of a mediocre screenplay. If somebody asked me what my main complaint was about this film, it's that it really isn't any game changer in the world of comedy. It's just a good comedy film that doesn't try anything new and has a story we have seen a thousand times before. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it just stops it from being the comedy it could've been. This is a comedy that many people will love and many people will think is stupid, but if you enjoy good natured silliness than this magic movie is right for you.



The story follows Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carell) a Las Vegas magician who works with his partner and best friend Anton Marvleton (Steve Buscemi). When a new and exciting street magician named Steve Gray (Jim Carrey) comes to the scene it makes Wonderstone's repetitive act look lame. Burt must figure out how to become the top magician in Vegas once again.

The plot has some very funny moments and even some moments where I was screaming with laughter, but it's almost impossible to ignore the truth that I could see where this story was going within 10 minutes. I hate predictable stories, but luckily this films humor and talented cast keep me entertained so that I can ignore it. We have seen many comeback films in which the protagonist starts out on top, hits rock bottom, and then slowly make his way back to the top while learning a life lesson on the way. It's not a bad formula, but is just overused in my opinion. As for the characters, Burt Wonderstone starts off as one of the most unlikable protagonists in a comedy I can think of since an Adam Sandler comedy. He is egotistical, mean, womanizing, and just treats absolutely nobody with any respect. But as the film goes on he grows more kind and likable, I am guessing in part thanks to Carell's brilliant skills as a comedian. Anton Marvelton is a likable sidekick, and actually has one of the funniest scenes in the film which involves him giving magic kits to children in third-world countries who just want food and clean water. Steve Gray is a mean but hilarious villain in the film, and his magic tricks (which would likely considered more like stunts) use Carrey's talents as a comedian perfectly. The problem is that these are characters that we have seen before, so it kind of felt like anyone really could've played these parts. I enjoy when an actor is given a role that feels like it was meant for him to play, and this film didn't have that. However, I want to give the writers credit for giving the film some heart and caring about the characters, which many comedies forget to do nowadays. Overall this had a predictable story and some familiar characters, but luckily the good jokes and talented cast rise above all that and give us a good time.

The cast is what really had me excited to see this film, and luckily Don Scardio perfectly uses each actor to their talents. Steve Carell has had a few good films since his departure from "The Office," and from what I have seen so far he is doing very well for himself. He plays the role of a jerk turned nice guy very well and he always manages to make me smile whenever he is on screen. He doesn't give his usual character and I was happy to see him in a role that changes things up for him. Steve Buscemi always manages to be great just by having low-key performances like this. He doesn't try to outdo any of the other actors which makes him moments some of the best in the film, using his own brand of dry humor that we love from him. Jim Carrey hasn't been in his top form in many years, but I believe his performance in this film could give him his comeback. I have missed his crazy and wild style of humor that we saw back in the 90's, and this film brought back all those great memories. If you enjoy classic Carrey, you will need to see him in this film. Olivia Wilde makes good use of her screen time and I enjoyed her character as Carrell's conscience and love interest. I hope to see her in more comedies that make good use of her talent like this. Alan Arkin had some very good and heartfelt moments that made me laugh and feel sympathy for his character, and whenever Carell and Arkin team up for a film its usually good. James Gandolfini really had no purpose in this film and didn't do anything really memorable, but the fact that Tony Soprano is in a role like this is just funny in retrospect. Overall a fun and talented cast that use all their talents to make this one of the best comedies so far this year.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone never forgets to focus on magic and fun, which is really all I had hoped to see when watching this film. How you feel about a comedy can be determined in a many number of ways, it can depend if you had a good day or a bad day, if you only enjoy potty humor or dark humor, or even if you just don't like the comedians that are part of the cast. I believe this can interfere with many critics and audience members' views on a film like this, and I must've been having a good day because I really enjoyed this film. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone mixes many genres of humor together, there is character comedy, blue comedy, physical comedy, prop comedy, alternative comedy, and even surreal comedy. I believed it mixed all these different brands of humor very nicely and created a memorable comedy with an unmemorable story. I am aware that many people didn't enjoy this film and I can understand why, but I believe this is aimed for audience member who enjoy silly humor that Steve Carell and Jim Carrey are masters at delivering, and if you don't enjoy that kind of humor then you won't enjoy this kind of film. Many comedies never try to go the distance and try anything special or new, and sadly this film doesn't really stand out among some of the best comedies I have seen in recent years. However, I would be lying if I said I wasn't really entertained by this fun film that managed to keep me laughing until the end. If you need a comedy that will lift your spirits and show you a great time, I recommend The Incredible Burt Wonderstone.

Childhood friends Burt (Carell) and Anton (Buscemi) have been performing their magic show successfully in Vegas for ten years until a hip street magician (Carrey) comes on the scene.
The central theme of 'The Incredible Burt Wonderstone', magic being replaced by crassness and bad taste, could easily be viewed as an allegory for Hollywood itself. Unfortunately this film is symptomatic of the problem. The magic tricks use awfully blatant CG effects which negate the point the film is trying to make. In 2013, Hollywood is happy to let us see behind the curtain, the magic is dead. The cynics have won.
One wonders how a comedy script can make it to the screen without at least one person somewhere along the production chain pointing out it's lack of laughs. Save for an end credit sequence, 'TIBW' didn't raise even a minor smirk, let alone anything as exuberant as a guffaw. Kudos for avoiding crude and offensive toilet humor but humor of any kind would have been welcomed. Carrey apart, every actor in this charmless affair seems bored out of their skull. You will be too.

More of a coin behind the ear than outright incredible, Burt Wonderstone is far from an unending handkerchief of comedy but it does have a few laughs up its sequined sleeve. In the immortal words of '70s easy listening sensation America, "You can do magic." Warner Bros., however, can't conjure the cinematic equivalent of AM Gold. Oh, this movie often pulls funny out of a hat but such feats prove to be simple sleights of hands--not a grand illusion. It's not that the premise comes out of a standard-issue kid-friendly magic kit. Moviegoers haven't seen a comedy about Las Vegas Strip illusionists before, but they have seen the ego-borne-burnout-followed-by-a-triumphant-comeback formula used by screenwriters by John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein. And Alakazam, it kills most of the magic.

In this PG-13-rated comedy, superstar magician Burt Wonderstone (Carell) calls it quits from partner Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) after years and raking in millions with illusions, only to have the cult following of a guerilla street magician (Carrey) force him to get his ego in check and rediscover what made him love magic in the first place.

Playing against Everyman type, Steve Carell goes big...sometimes too scenery-chewing big. On the other hand, Jim Carrey plays against scenery-chewing big and is supposed to go understated...but goes overblown anyway. Rather than commit to one end of the comedy fulcrum or the other (absurdist Anchorman yuk-Fest versus reality-anchored Crazy Stupid Love laugh getter), it awkwardly straddles a brittle tightrope between both. But Abracadabra, it still manages some chuckles from each extreme.

Bottom line: Abuse Your Illusion.

So far, this is one of my favorite comedies of the year and it is only March. The only other major comedy that came out, Identity Thief, was a disappointment, in my opinion. This one is very funny and entertaining and has heart. Congrats to director Don Scardino for pulling off this funny film. He gives the film a Farrley Bros type of style to it. There is a bunch of hilarious moments in the film. It kind of reminded me a little of a comedy version of Chris Nolan's The Prestige. It also reminded me a little of the film, Blades of Glory.

Steve Carell shines as Burt Wonderstone. He does a great job making him a David Copperfield type of magician with a big ego and small heart and makes him go through a lot that by the end of the film, he is the magician with a big heart that we wan to see win. He has a great on screen chemistry with Steve Buscemi as his magic partner Anton. I love that they come out to the 80's song, Abracadabra, before beginning their magic show. Jim Carrey is hilarious as the David Blaine type of magician here. It is great seeing this Bruce Almighty reunion here. In that film, Carrey was the protagonist and Carrell the antagonist. This film, they switch. It is Carrey as the antagonist and Carrell the protagonist. It is also a Little Miss Sunshine reunion between Carell and Alan Arkin, who is great in the film as Rance Holloway. Olivia Wilde, James Gandolfini, and Jay Mohr are great in their supporting roles.

The film should have done better at the box office. It is really funny. I definitely recommend it.

Definitely nails the Will Ferrell movie not starring Will Ferrell, which is unfortunate, "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" provides mixed feelings in most regards. Had Will Ferrell taken the leading role instead of Steve Carell (whom I do not really care for anyhow), this would have been a much more tolerable film, as Ferrell's dead pan delivery and on the mark expressions (or lack thereof) are what makes these ridiculous comedies the bread and butter that they are. However, Carell's performance comes off as mere imitation rather than genuine and controlled. Most of the film, you dislike Mr. Wonderstone, and even in the final acts of the film, you still hold a bit of resentment. Jim Carey steals the show in this one, as does his character. His return to physical comedy roots are what make the film the gem that it is and though this will never reach classic comedy levels, it will remain one of Carey's best performances to come out of the last decade or so. Never overly funny, never completely lacking, this film falls smack in the middle of mediocrity, having had huge potential and instead decided to cast Steve Carell in a Will Farrell film.

Let's face it. Did you walk into this movie expecting anything other than Jim Carrey stealing the show? Steve Carell may be the headline and Steve Muscemi the number two with Olivia Wilde as the eye candy, but Carrey is by far the meat of this average movie. I felt like a few jokes were second-hat; reused jokes worded differently from films I've seen before like Ricky Bobby. It wasn't a bad film by any means, but it just never felt like it lived up to the potential comedy wise. With this talented crew, I was expecting a raunchy comedy filmed with over-the-top tricks and maybe a cameo or two here and there. Unfortunately, it's pretty simple and stale. Safe.

Not bad, had some good laughs. For its size and intentions it did very well.

Few smiles, nice performances Steve Carell and Jim Carrey, cool trick finale.