I’m not really a Steve Carell fan. Never really liked The Office. But damn, is he funny in this movie!
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone follows the leading partner in a Las Vegas magic act. Wonderstone and his partner Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) are soon upstaged by a newcomer to the magic scene—a street-illusionist named Steve Gray whose cable TV show, “Brain Rapist,” will stop at nothing to whitewash traditional magic and repaint it with his own gross-out tricks that repulse more than amaze. As Wonderstone’s popularity wanes, he realizes that he needs to rediscover his love for magic and update his image for the present day.
This movie’s funny as hell. It’s got James Gandolfini in a role that proves that he’s more than just a tough guy (he has really good comic timing). Olivia Wilde and Alan Arkin are also really great players in this comedy, amping up a funny script and helping it go the extra mile. Jim Carrey, however, steals the show as the bad guy. He’s funny without being overtly confrontational, which was my only negative marking for the film: There really isn’t a huge conflict between Carell and Carrey, and this feels like a missed opportunity. This was a good movie that could have been amazing, but still remains a solid effort.
