Conjuring up indifference
By Christy Lemire |
March 17, 2013, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE only incredible thing about "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" is that way it makes Steve Carell so thoroughly and irreparably unlikable. In a film about magic tricks, this is the most difficult feat of all.
Even when Carell is playing characters who are nerdy ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin") or needy ("Crazy, Stupid, Love") or clueless (TV's "The Office") or just plain odd ("Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy"), there's usually an inherent decency that shines through and makes him seem relatable, vulnerable, human.
None of those qualities exists within Burt Wonderstone, a selfish and flashy Las Vegas magician who once ruled the Strip alongside his longtime friend and partner, Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi), but now finds his act has grown outdated and unpopular. Even within the confines of a comedy sketch, Burt would seem one-dimensional and underdeveloped with his hacky jokes and tacky clothes. Stretched out to feature length, the shtick is nearly unbearable - until of course, the movie doles out its obligatory comeuppance, followed by redemption, and goes all soft and nice. By then it's too little, too late.
"Burt Wonderstone" comes to us from director Don Scardino, a television veteran who's a two-time Emmy-winner for his work on "30 Rock," and "Horrible Bosses" writers Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. It has some laughs, many courtesy of Jim Carrey as a gonzo, up-and-coming street performer with a taste for pain. And there is some spark to scenes between Carell and his "Little Miss Sunshine" co-star Alan Arkin as the master magician who inspired Burt as a lonely child and now lives anonymously at the nursing home where Burt is relegated to doing card tricks.
These small joys are few and far between in a comedy that's mostly reliant on repetitive sights gags and increasingly desperate one-upmanship.
In theory, we're supposed to feel for Burt because we see him being bullied in a flashback at the film's start. Burt turned to magic for self-esteem, and found friendship with the like-minded and equally geeky Anton.
Thirty years later, Burt and Anton are longtime headliners at Bally's, going through the same bit night after night with little inspiration. For unexplained reasons, they hate each other.
Burt and Anton find not just their friendship but their careers in jeopardy as Carrey's daring Steve Gray steals away the fans and attention with more and more outlandish acts: ridiculous stuff like sleeping on hot coals and holding his urine for several days.
But it's hard to care about how far the duo will fall or whether they can make a comeback because there's nothing for us to hold on to as an audience.
And after it's over, poof! You'll forget you ever watched it in the first place.
Even when Carell is playing characters who are nerdy ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin") or needy ("Crazy, Stupid, Love") or clueless (TV's "The Office") or just plain odd ("Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy"), there's usually an inherent decency that shines through and makes him seem relatable, vulnerable, human.
None of those qualities exists within Burt Wonderstone, a selfish and flashy Las Vegas magician who once ruled the Strip alongside his longtime friend and partner, Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi), but now finds his act has grown outdated and unpopular. Even within the confines of a comedy sketch, Burt would seem one-dimensional and underdeveloped with his hacky jokes and tacky clothes. Stretched out to feature length, the shtick is nearly unbearable - until of course, the movie doles out its obligatory comeuppance, followed by redemption, and goes all soft and nice. By then it's too little, too late.
"Burt Wonderstone" comes to us from director Don Scardino, a television veteran who's a two-time Emmy-winner for his work on "30 Rock," and "Horrible Bosses" writers Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. It has some laughs, many courtesy of Jim Carrey as a gonzo, up-and-coming street performer with a taste for pain. And there is some spark to scenes between Carell and his "Little Miss Sunshine" co-star Alan Arkin as the master magician who inspired Burt as a lonely child and now lives anonymously at the nursing home where Burt is relegated to doing card tricks.
These small joys are few and far between in a comedy that's mostly reliant on repetitive sights gags and increasingly desperate one-upmanship.
In theory, we're supposed to feel for Burt because we see him being bullied in a flashback at the film's start. Burt turned to magic for self-esteem, and found friendship with the like-minded and equally geeky Anton.
Thirty years later, Burt and Anton are longtime headliners at Bally's, going through the same bit night after night with little inspiration. For unexplained reasons, they hate each other.
Burt and Anton find not just their friendship but their careers in jeopardy as Carrey's daring Steve Gray steals away the fans and attention with more and more outlandish acts: ridiculous stuff like sleeping on hot coals and holding his urine for several days.
But it's hard to care about how far the duo will fall or whether they can make a comeback because there's nothing for us to hold on to as an audience.
And after it's over, poof! You'll forget you ever watched it in the first place.
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