Review: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013)
Cast: Steve Carell, Luke Vanek, Steve Buscemi
Director: Don Scardino
Country: USA
Genre: Comedy
Official Trailer: Here
Editor’s Note: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone opens today, March 15th. If you’ve already seen the film we’d love to hear your thoughts on it, or if you’re looking forward to seeing it this weekend, please tell us in the comments section below or in our new Next Projection Forums.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone would’ve been the funniest movie of the year in 1996. It’s chock full of the playfully dirty giggles that populated many wannabe-risqué films of the mid-‘90s. Y’know, movies like Liar Liar or Tommy Boy that were occasionally raucous but ultimately earnest in their emotion, right down to their gentle piano scoring. There’s gentle piano scoring in Burt Wonderstone, too, paired with a flashback that tells a story of childhood friendship that sets the stage for the meat of the film’s story. Childhood flashbacks were prevalent in mid-‘90s comedies as well… I guess there was no simpler way to develop a thin backstory against which all the silly jokes could lean.
There’s a sense of tonal confusion at play, like the jokes are modern but the targets are of another era. There’s a certain innocence to the material, even if it is occasionally horny like a teenage boy, because there’s nothing hateful in its spoofy context.
I crack wise, but the truth of it is, I enjoyed many of those mid-90s comedies… and to a certain extent, I enjoyed The Incredible Burt Wonderstone too. It just feels misplaced, like it was pulled from a dusty shelf after a decade and a half and released to theaters in order to capitalize on the current success of its cast. There’s a sense of tonal confusion at play, like the jokes are modern but the targets are of another era. There’s a certain innocence to the material, even if it is occasionally horny like a teenage boy, because there’s nothing hateful in its spoofy context. The humor is gentle and non-invasive, which is pleasant from a humane perspective, but it also means that its satiric edges are rounded when they should be razor-sharp. And it is possible to be humane and razor-sharp at the same time; just look at Tina Fey’s writing.
“Old fashioned” almost functions as a leitmotif in the film, since the term not only describes the screenplay’s sense of humor, but also the form of glitzy, lugubrious stage magic that the story celebrates. Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carell) is a Las Vegas magician for whom the term “has-been” is an understatement: this guy opens his show with the classic ‘80s vibe of Steve Miller Band’s “Abracadabra”, employs the kind of double-entendre jokes that could be pulled from any decades-old lounge club act, and puts on a silly, over-the-top magic show with lifelong friend Anton (Steve Buscemi) that is Siegfried and Roy-tastic… right down to the fake hair and sparkly costumes. There is nothing fresh and unexpected about Burt, but since Vegas is a city that prides itself on glitzy retreads, the guy has sustained a successful presence for decades. The only thing that could derail the success of such a mainstay would be a modern twist of the old-fashioned magic act. Enter Steve Gray (Jim Carrey), an upstart street magician who specializes in shock factor; in other words, his “magic” consists of inflicting severe pain on himself and impressing audiences by enduring it. Suddenly, Steve Gray is attracting massive crowds and filming TV specials, leaving Burt and Anton with dwindling crowds of unimpressed Vegas tourists.
The film’s most effective sequences allow Carrey to apply his manic energy—still effective after all these years—to very pointed satire on the inherent masochism of many self-proclaimed “street magicians” (among Gray’s stunts: holding his urine for 48 hours and sleeping on a bed of hot coals).
Funny how the dueling styles of the magicians reflect the variance of the film’s comedic methods. Wonderstone, played by Carell as equal parts arrogant and pathetic, is treated with kid gloves, goofy but cuddly. On the other hand, the Steve Gray character is sharply skewered for his ridiculousness. The film’s most effective sequences allow Carrey to apply his manic energy—still effective after all these years—to very pointed satire on the inherent masochism of many self-proclaimed “street magicians” (among Gray’s stunts: holding his urine for 48 hours and sleeping on a bed of hot coals). Since the screenplay is capable of that kind of edge, it’s curious why the remainder of the film is filled with the sort of aww-shucks, winky-wink, faux-dirty jokes that make immature adolescents giggle with wannabe-adult delight. It is the preponderance on those jokes—rather than the more barbed satire of the Carrey material—that makes The Incredible Burt Wonderstone feel like a replica of a bygone era. Not as thickly cynical or cruel as many recent comedies, but not nearly as sharp and savvy as it needs to be.
And yet, the movie is watchable, sometimes even compulsively funny. Credit that to the actors, all of whom are on board to embarrass themselves as necessary for the sake of the audience. Carell plays to the combination of sly wit and overt silliness that made him a star. Carrey has been out of the game for so long he’s like a revelation. Buscemi is always game for goofball roles like this. James Gandolfini as a sleazy casino owner and Alan Arkin as Burt’s childhood idol wring every sly laugh out of their limited screen time. And Olivia Wilde is a real standout here, with flawless comic timing and sly intelligence. It’s a wonderful cast whose combined talents deliver more laughs than the screenplay they are saddled with. Magicians, they are.
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