4/10
Remember the mid-‘90s?
Jim Carrey was the most famous comedic actor in Hollywood. There was Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and
Dumber. I remember when we were all
shocked to learn he would play a villain in The Cable Guy. Now, he is a supporting actor, just as Steve
Carell was to him in Bruce Almighty.
Their careers are going in two different directions right
now. Carrey’s is still on the decline
after a long run on top and Carell’s has plateaued near the top. Will Ferrell most likely still owns the top
rung. However, Carrey got lucky
here. In The Incredible Burt Wonderstone,
his character, Steve Gray, is the funniest and most memorable take away from
this very forgettable non-event. Think Blades
of Glory, but with magicians instead of figure skaters.
Burt Wonderstone (Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Steve
Buscemi) are a stale magician act at the Balley’s Casino in Vegas. Their jokes are old, their illusions are old,
and their spray-tanned wrinkling skin is old.
They still have an audience because that’s what older folks do in Vegas;
they see shows. How else do the Osmonds,
Celine Dion, Blue Man Group, and Siegfried and Roy stay employed? However, there is a new guy on the circuit,
Steve Gray.
Gray is not technically a magician, more of a stunt
performer. He will hold his urine in for
12 days, sleep on hot coals, and hammer a nail into a table with his
forehead. He is a cross between David
Blaine and Criss Angel, but with a much better TV show name, The Brain
Rapist. Gray has no time for the likes
of Wonderstone and Marvelton. He knows
his career will easily eclipse the aging in-fighting magical duo.
Burt and Anton have grown so bored and insulated from life,
that when their show comes literally crashing down around them, reality takes
some time to seep back in. Carell plays
Wonderstone just as he did Michael Scott in The Office, oblivious and
obnoxious. His assistant, Jane (Olivia
Wilde), is his only friend left on Earth and all he does is ridicule and
verbally abuse her. James Gandolfini and
Alan Arkin also show up in forgettable supporting roles.
There is nothing unique, special, or remotely intriguing to
recommend about Burt Wonderstone. Its
story is as stale as Burt & Anton’s magical theatre act. Even the best part of the movie, Jim Carrey’s
Steve Gray, unravels in the end in a ridiculous final act. Perhaps everything feels so muted and bland
because there were too many chefs in the kitchen. The credits list four names as story creators
and two on screenplay duty. If Burt
Wonderstone ever had an edge on it or witty creativity, it was duly removed to
make room for more cliché and old stand-by gimmicks.
Stay away from Burt Wonderstone. You won’t laugh, you’ll barely chuckle, and
you’ll start drifting off remembering those funnier Jim Carrey movies from the
mid-‘90s.
Blades of glory with magicians, that's a good take on this. I liked it better than you did but I can't go to the mattresses for it. Pssst, by the way, Ferrel is about three degrees lower than Carrey and Carell at this point. He has been done for four years now.
ReplyDeleteI thought about that sentence for an extra minute because I could not come up with today's #1 comedy star. It's not Carell even though I am pretty sure it he close to the top and it certainly isn't Carrey. Who do you think it is? Jason Segal or Paul Rudd maybe?
ReplyDeleteSegal for the moment, Rudd is sliding, Rogan is sliding. Carell is right about there but you nailed it I think he has peaked. Tina Fey? I'll have to ponder.
ReplyDelete