Review: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

MANILA, Philippines - With a triumvirate of Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, and Jim Carrey playing the role of magicians, one has every reason to expect for “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” to be the mind-blowing comedy of the year, right?

Sadly, except for a few giggles here and there (and a must-see finale), “Wonderstone” might not have enough tricks up its sleeve to draw a sold-out crowd.

During their heydays, Burt Wonderstone and Anton Marvelton were selling out shows—in a theatre named after them, mind you—at the Las Vegas Strip. But theirs is a story that follows most of those who have been in the spotlight far too long. Behind the curtains, Burt and Anton, bullied during their childhood, bonded by magic, seem to have lost the passion for their craft. If you’ve seen douchebag Michael Scott at his worst, then that is what you’ll get more or less from Carell’s Wonderstone in the way he treats his staff and even his friend Anton.

Things start to get worse for the two when street magician Steve Gray (a very ripped Carrey) bursts into the scene.  With his show “Mind Rape”, Gray has become magic’s hottest act and Burt and Anton’s employer, casino mogul Doug Munny (James Gandolfini) takes notice.

As Gray’s following increases, attendance at the Burt and Anton Theatre dwindle. Doug tells the two that they should come up with something new and in Anton’s narrow-minded logic, he proposes that he will hold in his poop to counter Gray’s latest act of holding in his pee.

Anton decides that they should do a stunt called “The Hot Box”, where they will stay for one week in a Plexiglas cage suspended via a crane. That, however, doesn’t end up well for the two and Anton walks away, leaving Burt to continue the show at the theatre by himself.

Eventually, Burt loses the gig and he ends up doing a gig at a retirement home where he meets childhood hero and once-famous magician Rance Holloway (Alan Arkin). Here, and with the help of their assistant Jane (Olivia Wilde), Burt begins to regain his passion as he tries to climb his way back into the spotlight and restore his friendship with Anton.

The magic acts performed by Burt and Anton lose its awe factor as naturally, it doesn’t translate in film as well as when one is seeing it live. Even Gray’s over the top antics, clearly a ludicrous take on the acts of David Blaine and Criss Angel, are only good for its intended purpose.

“The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” opens across the Philippines tomorrow, March 20.