The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

Name: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
Genre: Comedy
Released: March 15, 2013
Duration: 100 min
Rating: 44
Cast: Alan Arkin, James Gandolfini, Jay Mohr, Jim Carrey, Luke Vanek

2013

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Mixed or average reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 167 Ratings

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5.8	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 167 Ratings

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The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

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Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: March 15, 2013 | PG-13

Starring: Alan Arkin, James Gandolfini, Jay Mohr, Jim Carrey, Luke Vanek, Mason Cook, Michael Herbig, Olivia Wilde, Steve Buscemi, Steve Carell

Summary: After breaking up with his longtime stage partner, a famous but jaded Vegas magician fights for relevance when a new, "hip" street magician appears on the scene.

Director: Don Scardino

Genre(s): Comedy

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 100 min

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Critic Reviews

Mick LaSalle

Mar 14, 2013

The movie is pleasant. It's reasonably funny. But the one who gets the real laughs here, the hard laughs, is Carrey, who plays the kind of role he should be playing - a complete lunatic. Read full review

Steve Persall

Mar 13, 2013

The third act of Scardino's movie is very funny, and its finale featuring the exposure of an impossibly successful illusion is flat-out brilliant. It's just too bad that the movie's opening act is so sleight of humor, damaging the movie's potential. Now you see it. Then you don't. Read full review

Matthew Leyland

Mar 11, 2013

Carell and Carrey shine like sequinned suits in a comedy that allows them endless fun with the dressing-up box. More narrative verve and it could’ve been The Prestige in a big-cat wig. Read full review

James Berardinelli

Mar 14, 2013

The material isn't sufficiently funny to allow me to forgive the film's feeble storyline and two-dimensional inhabitants. Read full review

Bill Goodykoontz

Mar 14, 2013

Overall the film never finds its footing, with its awkward shifts in tone accentuating the unease. There’s something a little off, and it’s Carell. We want to like him in comedies. It’s a big part of what’s made him a star. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone never really gives us the chance. Read full review

Dana Stevens

Mar 14, 2013

The best thing in Burt Wonderstone, besides that final gag, is the second-sickest: Jim Carrey's performance as a David Blaine-esque street magician named Steve Gray. Read full review

The Playlist Drew Taylor

Mar 10, 2013

It's a comedy so out of touch that jokes disappear before they're even delivered, as if by magic. Read full review

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User Reviews

Fennlt

Mar 16, 2013

Definitely better than expected; I feel that the critics were a bit harsh on this one. There were quite a few laughs throughout the movie, the story was decent, and the characters were well cast. The movie isn't perfect by any means, but compared to most comedies that typically hit the bigDefinitely better than expected; I feel that the critics were a bit harsh on this one. There were quite a few laughs throughout the movie, the story was decent, and the characters were well cast. The movie isn't perfect by any means, but compared to most comedies that typically hit the big screen The Incredible Burt Wonderstone was entertaining and a success.… Expand

9 of 10 users found this helpful91

dirckh

Mar 17, 2013

My friend and I went to see the INCREDIBLE BURT WEATHERSTONE yesterday, and I roared with laughter right up to the end. She on the other hand got more and more pissed off as the movie went on, and came out calling it "vile."

Well, some movies are like that, Especially the interestingMy friend and I went to see the INCREDIBLE BURT WEATHERSTONE yesterday, and I roared with laughter right up to the end. She on the other hand got more and more pissed off as the movie went on, and came out calling it "vile."

Well, some movies are like that, Especially the interesting ones. Very often comedies can use unspeakable cruel jokes to make the audience laugh. If anybody is old enough to remember, one of the classic moments of slapstick comedy is when an adorable little dog is squashed flat on a London sidewalk by a falling object in A FISH CALLED WANDA.

It had the audience rolling in the aisles.

The essential story is, without giving away the story is that there are two magicians who after a lifetime of working together as friends and hitting the big time in Vegas, see their audiences melting away, as a new totally evil magician becomes the hit of the town, mainly with jokes that feature self-laceration. You laugh at the good guys, when they are hitting it, and wince when the baddie does lhis act..as in Yeech!

The good guys are washed up, and they have to come up with the biggest trick in history to save their act. It features Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde, Jim Carrey, James Gandolfini as the Casino owner. What they propose is simply impossible, and yet they pull it off.

Here is where the movie suddenly runs into a HUGE problem. After performing the stunt, director Don
Scrardino BREAKS THE FIRST LAW OF MAGIC. He shows you how it was done. To say that it was illegal, dangerous and done in a heartless manner is not putting too fine a line on it. All the good will that had built up
over the past two hours toward the film is shattered in a few minutes.

He could have solved the problem easily by just not showing you the mechanics involved.It's the old story of everybody likes sausages, but no one ever wants to see how they are made.

It will be interesting to read your comments. I enjoyed myself thoroughly right up to the last four minutes, but wound up leaving the theatre with a bad taste in my mouth. REMEMBER Don, THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A COMEDY!… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Rox22

Sep 26, 2013

A bit of a slow start, and Carell odes play his role a bit too over the top at first. But the deeper into the movie you, the more fun and endearing it gets. Acting is decent. Kind of funny to see Carrey playing the antagonist., but he does go a little too far at times, even for him.A bit of a slow start, and Carell odes play his role a bit too over the top at first. But the deeper into the movie you, the more fun and endearing it gets. Acting is decent. Kind of funny to see Carrey playing the antagonist., but he does go a little too far at times, even for him.

Overall:
If anything the major flaw of this movie is that everyone is trying too hard most of the time, and it makes many of the scenes feel a little forced. Regardless, it's still a very entertaining film, with a few decent laughs and left me with a smile at the end.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

TheBossboy

Apr 5, 2013

Now this movie does not get the credit it deserves. It is funny, touching, and you know what, it even teaches us something. "What? A movie trying to teach us a lesson about doing something because you love it not because you are getting paid, all while at the same time making us laugh, withNow this movie does not get the credit it deserves. It is funny, touching, and you know what, it even teaches us something. "What? A movie trying to teach us a lesson about doing something because you love it not because you are getting paid, all while at the same time making us laugh, with a plot about magic?! Absurd!" Ok. So maybe that comes off as a little cynical but I get that sort of argument a lot from people. I guess it can sometimes come off as a little cheesy but it isn't as if the movie just screams the message at you. And this movie is freaking hilarious. Seriously, I don't think I have laughed in a theater so hard in a while. The jokes in this movie, when they work, land hard and strong. Not to say there are jokes that don't kinda fall flat. But you know that sometimes is going to happen. I think that this movie did what it needed to do well. It isn't perfect by any means, but it is worth seeing. So I give it a final verdict of 6/10.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

hoops2448

Aug 26, 2013

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone feels like one big in joke and it really doesn't help involve you in the proceedings making the film a futile effort in powerful storytelling. Stupid and occasionally hilarious storytelling though is right in this films wheelhouse. The film follows whatThe Incredible Burt Wonderstone feels like one big in joke and it really doesn't help involve you in the proceedings making the film a futile effort in powerful storytelling. Stupid and occasionally hilarious storytelling though is right in this films wheelhouse. The film follows what happens when Burt (Steve Carell) is left by his long time magic partner Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi). Burt must struggle to create a new act as an insane newcomer (Jim Carrey) threatens to ruin not only Burt's career but the future of magic itself.
Understandably surreal, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is really a film about lost childhood's and the never changing feeling of wonder. Burt is a child at heart and at times he is a child in reality. The film tells a decent story that loses its way towards the end as it begins to trip into the valley of formula and gets lost. The film is at its best when its a story of friendship as the dynamics between Burt and Anton as well as Burt and aspiring magician Jane (Olivia Wilde) are what really work in this picture. Carell is terrific as usual and Carrey has returned to the kind of character he was made for but the film lacks any real emotional conclusion as the film takes a turn for the zany. Even the absolutely hilarious credits sequence doesn't help as the film leaves you wanting a little bit more magic.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

VinceM

Mar 16, 2013

Corny story, pretty good acting, especially the cameo performance of Alan Arkin. The writing could have been better. Carrey was definitely "off the wall". It was sometimes hard to watch his masochistic "magic" attempts which were bizarre and not funny.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

seancriswell

Mar 18, 2013

Full disclosure, I'm a Carell fan-boy, otherwise I wouldn't have gone anywhere near this movie. I should have stayed away. This is the type of comedy that has no appeal to my funny bone whatsoever. This film is trying desperately to be Anchorman but falls flat in every way. The first 20Full disclosure, I'm a Carell fan-boy, otherwise I wouldn't have gone anywhere near this movie. I should have stayed away. This is the type of comedy that has no appeal to my funny bone whatsoever. This film is trying desperately to be Anchorman but falls flat in every way. The first 20 minutes gives us a glimpse into the two main stars childhood. Presumably to give us some insight into the characters motivation, and to help us connect with them. Strike 1 and strike 2. Why would you spend 20 minutes of a comedy setting up your hero to be sympathetic to the audience if in the very next scene you plan on making him an unsympathetic egomaniac, inexplicable. Every single character in this movie except for Olivia Wilde's is played completely over the top. Correct that. Apparently they were told to play the character over the top, and then crank it up another notch.

Of course all of this is forgiveable in a comedy if it does the one thing that everyone expects, make us laugh. As you can probably already tell Wonderstone fails here as well. Two jokes landed for me in an hour and a half. When the name of Carrey's characters television show is revealed and the scene after the credits start rolling. Except for those not even a chuckle. It's the same way as I feel about The Office post Carell (in case your wondering why I'm a fan-boy).… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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