The most incredible thing about Burt Wonderstone is how few
people went to see it
Steve! What are you doing to me Steve? I don’t know how much
more of this I can take. I am a pretty solid fan of Steve Carell. I loved him
in The Office, Seeking a Friend for the
End of the World, Get Smart, and pretty much anything else he has put his name
on. His most recognizable role as Andy in The
40 Year Old Virgin seems like a thing of the past these days. I seem to remember
him more for movies like Dan in Real Life,
Evan Almighty, and Dinner with Schmucks than anything else
lately. While this movie isn’t as bad as some of those mentioned above, it’s
not much better either.
Storyline: Burt Wonderstone (Carell) and Anton Marvelton
(Buscemi) have been best friends since they were young . They grew up to be
famous magicians that headlined their own Vegas show for years. But with new
acts like Steven Gray (Carey) taking their audience, Burt becomes hard to work
with and drives Anton away…which leads to the cancelation of their show. Burt
now finds himself with no friends, no money, and no career. If he is to ever become
the great magician that he once was he must find a way to fall in love with
magic again before his last chance passes him by.
I feel that it would be dishonest to say that I didn’t laugh
at some of this movie. It was ok at times. Funny even. But the overall product
was somewhat of a letdown. There were times that I thought that the story was
going to go to a really funny place, especially after Wonderstone hit “rock
bottom”, but it turns into this gooey montage of ways that Burt is trying to
improve himself. Sure, it was needed, but it takes up too much of the movie.
And even with it taking up a lot of screen time it still somehow feels like a
rushed turnaround when it finally happens.
Worth the admission? It pains me to say it, but no. It falls
short on a bunch of levels. While it had the potential to be a huge hit for
Carell it ultimately turns out to be a humdrum comedy that lays on a thick
layer of a self improvement message. Was it terrible? No. Will I watch it
again? No.
If you are looking for a few good Steven Carell movies, rent
Crazy, Stupid, Love, (2011) or, and
many will disagree with me, Seeking a
Friend for the End of the Wold (2012). I enjoyed both of them much more
than The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
and I bet you will too.
PS. Who in the world thought Steve Buscemi was a good casting
choice. He looks like an Albino Bush Baby (look it up) and added very little to
the movie.
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