The Film
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone should be funny enough to make your face hurt. It's got a stellar cast, which includes Steve Carell, Jim Carrey, Olivia Wilde, Steve Buscemi, Alan Arkin and James Gandolfini. Also, it has writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein trying to work in the same magic that they used on the 2011 hit Horrible Bosses. Instead, this comedy is about as entertaining as watching a guy in a penguin suit pull plastic flowers out of his sleeve. Tah-dah!
Ok, it's not that horrible. However, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is just really disappointing, even with all of its tricks.
Albert Weinselstein (Mason Cook) is a neglected, wimpy kid -- so much so that he spends a lot of his childhood being bullied by Diary of a Wimpy Kid star Zachary Gordon. One day, he's gifted a magic set and makes friends with an equally awkward classmate named Anthony Mertz (Luke Vanek). The two grow up to become Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi), a successful Vegas magic act.
After 10 years of tanning and Steve Miller's "Abracadabra," the act is looking sort of stale, especially next to Steve Gray (Carrey). The "hip" street performer is part Criss Angel, part David Blaine, and host of the cable access show Brain Rapist. Soon, his edgy (and sometimes disgusting) brand of magic snags a lot of attention, as well as most of Burt and Anton's audience.
In case the costumes aren't enough of a clue, this comedy is like an on-screen catfight between Siegfried and Roy and David Blaine. However, those similarities really aren't enough to mystify the audience for 100 minutes. It needs more spark, more laughs, and more magic. Instead, there's a predicatable friendship and a romantic plot point thrown in to crap up the movie. That said, Burt Wonderstone does have its share of over-the-top and outrageous moments, which would be great if most of those were funny as well.
Want to see something truly magical? Check out Chris Boylan's theatrical review of The Incredible Burt Wonderstone.
The Picture
Despite all of the illusions, the image on Burt Wonderstone isn't as magical as you'd expect. The 2.40:1 image is just fine, with some decent detail and bold colors. The image looks best during outdoor scenes. For instance, that moment when the action transitions from inside the magician's bar to when we first meet Steve Gray shows how much better the film looks in the light. That said, most magic doesn't happen in bright, perky settings, you know? The colors are pretty of cool, but lean towards a bronze -- or maybe it's just the fake glow on Steve Carell's glistening face and body.
The Sound
The film's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track could definitely pack some more punch. This is a comedy, and traditionally, comedies don't have crazy, immersive soundtracks. However, Burt Wonderstone has enough magic tricks and hijinks where it should have sounded a lot better. That said, the dialogue is clear. It just doesn't have anything up its sleeve to keep the viewer interested.
The Extras
Final Thoughts
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone should have been one of the greatest comedies of all time. It should have made best-of lists! It has the cast, a great writing team and subject matter that screams to be, well... not this. It will leave you astonished all right -- at the loss of such a great opportunity.
Product Details
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