The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

                     

         

       Everyone loves a magician, a statement that is a true as you will ever hear. What else would explain the popularity of magic shows in Las Vegas and the ratings when these magicians put a shot on TV. We know it is an illusion, but that doesn't stop us from being wowed. We want to believe it is true, because it gives us hope in something greater than ourselves. When it comes to movies, the last two weeks have been good for magicians. First we had “Oz the Great and Powerful”, and now we have “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone”.

       Now Burt (Steve Carell) does not travel to a far away land via a tornado. You see Burt was not very well liked as a child, but that all changed when he received a magic kit for his birthday. With his new found skills he develops a friendship with Anton (Steve Buscemi), who is amazed with the tricks Burt can perform. Together they decide to form a magic team and ascend their way to a nightly show in Vegas. Years pass, and Burt and Anton’s show just starts to go through the motions, losing the passion behind it. The audience notices and stops showing up for Burt and Anton’s show. There is a new breed of magicians, who does not follow by the same rules of normal magicians. Steve Gray (Jim Carey) is one of said magicians, who used violence to take his act to the next level.  When the owner of the newest hotel Doug (James Gandofini) decides to have a contest to decide his headliner, it starts a magic war, where there can be only one winner.

          Now it seems like you can’t go to the movie theater and not run into someone who can perform magic. From Harry Potter to Burt Wonderstone magic is in on the big screen. Now Burt doesn't have to save humanity from an evil wizard, but he does get battle a evil Jim Carey. The good thing about “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” it is funnier than it looks, the bad thing, it is not as funny as you like. The laughs come from not so much the main actors, but from what goes on around them. Written by the writing team of Jonathan A. Goldstein and John Francis, it doesn't bring the laughs like their last one “Horrible Bosses”. The cast works fine, and does provide some decent laughs; just not the laugh out loud moments you were hoping for. Just like magic you want to believe that this movie will amaze you, but in the end it just may not do the trick.

Brian Taylor