Watch The Incredible Burt Wonderstone Online | Download The Incredible Burt Wonderstone Movie
Watch The Incredible Burt Wonderstone Online of the edgier magician When Burt resorts to performing magic at a senior home outside of Vegas, he encounters his childhood idol, old-school magician Rance Holloway (Alan Arkin). Holloway helps Burt remember why he became a magician in the first place and the two set off to re-claim the traditional showmanship of magic from the destructive Steve Gray.
The
creepy-stroke-cheesy Vegas magician is in danger of becoming a
stereotype. Jeremy Piven played one in Joe Carnahan's Smokin' Aces
(2006), and Toby Kebbell was something similar in Jon Turteltaub's The
Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010). Now Steve Carell gets to play a
permatanned illusionist in this comedy written by Jonathan Goldstein and
John Francis Daley. It's funnier and more likable than their previous
script, Horrible Bosses. Carell is Burt Wonderstone, who has a
big-haired Las Vegas double act with his old friend, Anton Marvelton
(Steve Buscemi). His desperately old-school act and his self-belief are
put under extreme pressure by a fashionable badass street magician,
Steve Gray (Jim Carrey), and Wonderstone must reach down deep inside
himself to see if the magic is still there. As ever with comedies like
this, all the really funny stuff is in the opening 20 minutes. But it's
entertaining stuff, with a scene-stealer from Alan Arkin.
After a string of well-received dramas, funny-man Steve Carell returns to comedy with “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone,” a mixed-bag of tricks that parodies Las Vegas magic shows.
For
years, “magical friends” Burt Wonderstone and Anton Marvelton (Carell
and Steve Buscemi) were huge Vegas successes on stage. Off stage, the
two magicians despise each other. But when Steve Gray (Jim Carrey), a
violent and cutthroat street magician, gains popularity, Burt and Anton
see their ticket sales dwindle. When hotel owner and producer Doug Munny
(James Gandolfini) realizes Burt and Anton have become irrelevant, he
gives them the boot in favor
The main issue with this film is comedic timing. Some of the gags run longer than necessary, bringing attention to the fact that they aren’t all that great. The film works much better during the more subtle comedic moments. The more the comedy is forced, the weaker the film becomes.
With
“Wonderstone,” Carell runs his acting – and his brand of comedy --
across a wide spectrum. At first, he introduces the illusionist as a
diva; a stubborn, obnoxious, misogynist completely detached from
reality. His penthouse suite features a gigantic self-portrait, “the
biggest bed in Las Vegas” for his extracurricular activities and a
direct window view of a billboard for his act. Carell is anything but
natural when doing this shtick. Every annunciation, look and reaction is
such an excessive fabrication that it becomes irritating the longer it
continues. It’s as if for the first half of his performance we can see
the puppet master’s wires.
When
Burt loses Anton and realizes he’s a has-been, Carell partly sheds the
clown act and introduces his more dramatic side, which he has perfected
over the course of his previous films. This transition is where we
really see Carell’s craft. He effortlessly moves from a wacky caricature
to a self-deprecating victim. For fans of the comedian, you’ll find
both of Carell’s worlds here, though not necessarily the best.
Jim
Carrey, on the other hand, resorts to the brand of comedy that
initially made him a star. His Steve Gray is a cross between the beloved
Ace Ventura and the darker, more sinister Cable Guy. Gray’s brand of
magic is extreme, from slicing his cheek open and removing a card from
his flesh to drilling a hole through his head. Carrey is as odd as ever
and makes a decent antagonist.
The
real gem in ‘Wonderstone’ isn’t Carell or Carrey, but Steve Buscemi as
Burt’s level-headed partner Anton Marvelton. From his awkward dance
moves to perfect riffs off Carell’s performance, Anton is a nice
reminder that Buscemi is an underrated comedic actor.
Since
this is really the Jim Carrey and Steve Carell show, the supporting
cast, like James Gandolfini and Olivia Wilde, seem to be on standby,
waiting for something to do which never comes. Alan Arkin, though, is a
real magic act, making the most of his little screen time as the old
illusionist.
Overall,
‘The Incredible Burt Wonderstone’ isn’t breaking comedic ground, nor is
it ‘incredible,’ but there is something magical about seeing Carell,
Carrey, Buscemi and Arkin together.
MPAA rating: PG-13. Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes.
Watch The Incredible Burt Wonderstone Online of the edgier magician When Burt resorts to performing magic at a senior home outside of Vegas, he encounters his childhood idol, old-school magician Rance Holloway (Alan Arkin). Holloway helps Burt remember why he became a magician in the first place and the two set off to re-claim the traditional showmanship of magic from the destructive Steve Gray.
After a string of well-received dramas, funny-man Steve Carell returns to comedy with “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone,” a mixed-bag of tricks that parodies Las Vegas magic shows.
The main issue with this film is comedic timing. Some of the gags run longer than necessary, bringing attention to the fact that they aren’t all that great. The film works much better during the more subtle comedic moments. The more the comedy is forced, the weaker the film becomes.
