The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. Rated M (comedic violence and sexual references). 100 minutes. Directed by Don Scardino. Screenplay by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley.
Verdict: A big-hearted entertainment about the value of
childhood wonder.
Having bonded as young
outcasts over a Rance Holloway (Alan Arkin) magic kit, the now adult Burt
Wonderstone (Steve Carell) and Anton Marvelton’s (Steve Buscemi) magic show has
ruled Las Vegas for years – bringing them great wealth and fame. But when the
death-defying stunts of the notorious Steve Gray (Jim Carrey) begin to make
their act look dated and unadventurous by comparison, they find themselves
dumped by their casino-owning boss Doug Munny (James Gandolfini) and in search
of work. While Anton goes abroad to bring the joys of magic to the developing
world, the bankrupt and homeless Wonderstone goes it alone – determined to find
a way to reclaim his wealth and fame.
As a moral tale of the
foibles of fame and a contemporary audience’s ever-inceasing hunger for
dangerous, death-defying spectacle, Goldstein and Daley’s (Horrible Bosses) screenplay ticks all the boxes. The lashings of
nostalgia lend the film a big heart, and anyone who ever played with a magic
kit will be instantly captivated.
Carell (Crazy, Stupid, Love., Date Night) is great fun as the egotistical Wonderstone, and
is especially endearing as he charts the course of his collapsing career before
finally reverting to a whimpering child unable to articulate his adult need for
support and validation. Even though he is cast as the fall guy to Carell’s more
showy member of the partnership, Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire, Interview) is equally good as Marvelton, and his attempts at transplanting his
gifts as a magician into the starving and thirsty developing world are an
hilariously ironic take on the nature of modern celebrity.
Carrey (Mr Popper's Penguins, Fun with Dick and
Jane, Liar Liar, The Mask) brings his character to life in fine form, and it is refreshing to
enjoy him in a supporting role, without the responsibility of having to carry
the film in his own right. He pulls back from the over-the-top Carrey we have
come to know (and occasionally love) from his previous big screen outings,
ensuring that his character’s need to be as grotesquely attention-seeking as
possible is constantly at odds with the more traditional magician’s artform,
which is beautifully represented by Alan Arkin’s (Argo) Rance Holloway.
The Incredible Burt
Wonderstone marks Scardino’s (30
Rock) departure from directing for
television, and what his film lacks in cinematic scale, it more than makes up
for with its soulful honesty. The result is a charming entertainment that
reminds us that sometimes those harmless joys we adored as children do not
necessarily need to be replaced by something bigger and better.
This review was
commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.
No comments:
Post a Comment