The far?from?incredible "Incredible Burt Wonderstone" features Steve Carell in a role that seems better suited - maybe even perfect - for Will Ferrell instead. It is, after all, the story of a man?child who, after losing his money and fame, must learn to become more responsible in order to regain his fame, and also get the girl. Consider "Elf"(2003), "Talladega Nights" (2006) and "Anchorman" (2004) as background. It simply isn't Carell's type of character or humor, and the film suffers for that.
The story is fresh, to be sure. A comedy about magicians isn't something we have seen much of before. Still, after being lured in by the premise, the film's all?star cast and a rather promising trailer, viewers were all the more disappointed after watching the film itself. The few comedic scenes in this movie are presented in its trailer, and the story is so generic that there really is no point for the audience to stay and watch it unfold.
The film follows Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carell) and his sidekick Anton (Steve Buscemi) as they rise to fame in the business of magic, only to become outshined by street magician Steve Gray (Jim Carrey). Jim Carrey's over?the?top slapstick and physical humor suits this style of comedy better than Carell does his character. Carrey's character is also more recognizable as a David Blaine or Criss Angel type - two street magicians who became famous through crazy stunts like the ones made fun of in the film. Carell, on the other hand, plays a very generic magician isn't very recognizable and is not as relatable.
The duo of Burt and Anton breaks up following an argument over whether they should update their act - something that Burt stubbornly refuses to do. Burt then goes to perform in retirement homes, where he meets his childhood hero Rance Holloway (Alan Arkin). Despite the cheesy lines and poorly written character, Alan Arkin manages to deliver his lines in way that creates a thing unheard of through the rest of the film: laughter. Here, Burt learns to grow up, and patches things up with Anton as they agree to perform a new trick in a competition held by their previous employer (James Gandolfini).
Somewhere along this generic storyline, of course, a woman is introduced. The woman, Jane (Olivia Wilde), serves no other purpose other than being the one that the protagonist must end up with.
Where the film could have been a general feel?good movie and perhaps succeeded with a clear moral, however, it ended up settling for cheap laughs. In one scene, Burt and Jane share their first kiss with Anton still in the room. This scene is very funny in its uncomfortable length, but the message the film was trying to convey about the importance of friendship is substituted for a few laughs while Buscemi fumbles around awkwardly in the background.
The talent of the hilariously bubbly Gillian Jacobs ("Community") is wasted in the movie - she's only on screen for five minutes. Carrell's confident and ridiculous character just doesn't suit him and the deadpan, awkward humor he is so famous for on "The Office."
A miscast leading man, a hackneyed plot and mostly unfunny gags make for an awful and forgettable film. Worst of all, the actors - except for maybe Carrey - just didn't seem to be having much fun on screen. The humor seems forced and seems to be the result of careful memorization. The actors appeared to be working with a script they didn't really like and seemed to just want to get it over with. It all looked like it was put together in a last minute rush, by directors who threw money and stars at a poor script and plot with little concern for critical acclaim in, all in hopes of attaining some financial success.
