The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

Ratings: 6.6/10
Film Class: B
Genre: Slapstick Comedy

Thanks to Jim Carrey, this movie became a slapstick comedy. By definition, slapstick means a broad comedy characterized by boisterous actions, farce, violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense (wikipedia). 

Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) are superstar magic duos whose popularity took a plunge when daredevil street magician, Steve Gray (Jim Carrey) performs out-of-the-norm tolerance stunts and does some really disgustingly graphic "magic" effects. 

I believe this film indirectly mocks David Blaine and Criss Angel's publicity stunts, though I'm in full support of the former (he was what Rance Holloway was to Burt Wonderstone as what he was to me). In a weird way, it truthfully portrays the magic scene at present and yet reminds us about the true wonder of magic. 

Love the minute-long cameo by David Copperfield, and getting back to Jim Carrey, I love and hate his role.. he brought his SNL performance to the big screens, with a 50% spike of lameness. Miss his good ol' days as Ace Ventura and the Mask. Still, when he first came on screen, just his image alone was enough to spark chuckles in the audience... evident of a true comedy legend. 

Because Jim Carrey's scenes were so lame, it kinda removed any seriousness left in the movie. Doubt it's a huge coincidence that both Jim Carrey and Steve Carell were cast in this, as they were both individually cast in the "Almighty" franchise. However, putting 2 comedians together (I'm not a fan of Steve Carell, he was never that funny to me) does not make a movie even funnier, though it may be true at times, but not this one. It just magnifies the level of difference in their funny meter. 

Put 3 funny guys together and what do you get? Overshadowed 2, and a cranky champion. 

*spoilers ahead* There was a scene where Rance Holloway (the magician who inspired Burt Wonderstone) was criticising his sleights, and for those of you who are unfamiliar, might not be aware that there were 2 actual terms used in the movie... Zarrow Shuffle and Elmsey Count. In fact, I heard zarrow shuffle where I could have heard wrong, when he actually said Faro Shuffle, also an actual sleight (which would have made more sense). However, those 2 sleights were not executed by Burt Wonderstone, not even the faro shuffle... which kinda made it unnecessarily flashy. 

Also didn't like how they "exposed" basic tricks/sleights but in this time of age, like the director, I'm assuming majority of the audience already knows how some effects are done. Still, that put a frown to my face.

It was a fun movie to watch, not laughing-out-loud funny, but the kinda funny that relaxes a stressed soul. It's far from the elegance of The Prestige, but I'm sure it'll be enough to tease most fellow magicians.