THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE – The Review

Time for a twisted take on a very special subset of the business they call show (which is like no business I know). Yup it’s another flick about (exploding hand gesture)…magic! Very hot on the heels of last week’s box office behemoth OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, comes another story of an illusionist. This is a more modern and comic take on this entertainment staple that certainly pre-dates the wagons and caravans of OZ. Magicians soon went from those carnival side shows and became sensations of live theatre with Harry Houdini, perhaps achieving the greatest fame (folks still gather every Halloween awaiting his return from the great beyond). They even inspired a long-running newspaper comic strip, Phil Davis and Lee Falk’s “Mandrake the Magician”. When television began in the late 1940’s they immediately snapped up these performers for their visual appeal. A few hosted their own childrens’ shows while others became fixtures of the popular variety show format established by ED Sullivan’s Sunday night staple. The TV variety show is almost extinct now (swallowed up by the late night talk shows), but a few could pack arenas and headline TV specials like David Copperfield. And illusionist Doug Henning had his own Broadway show in the 1970’s. But where did most of the other magicians flock to in order to ply their trade? Well, that 24-hour entertainment mecca of Las Vegas, of course! And this is the setting for the delightful new movie farce THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (cymbal crash, horn flourish)!

When we meet young Burt, he’s on the run from a pack of bullies. Finally returning home, his spirits are lifted by the best birthday present this ten year-old could ever want. It’s a deluxe junior magic kit created by his TV idol, Rance Holloway!. Burt immediately pops in the VHS tape and is dazzled by the amazing feats performed by the master (played by Alan Arkin complete with “Mandrake” pencil mustache, tux, and cape). Soon, through their mutual love of magic, Burt becomes best pals with another outcast, Anton Marvelton. They hone their skills over the years (even performing on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show”) and eventually the adult Burt (Steve Carell) and Anton (Steve Buscemi) are signed by Doug Munny (James Gandolfini) to be the Las Vegas Bally’s Hotel and Casino’s house headliners, complete with their own theatre. Here’s the poster that would entice the tourists:

But unrivaled success has turned Burt into a diva. After the act’s latest buxom blonde assistant quits in the middle of the show, the duo hastily enlists a nervous stage hand, Jane (Olivia Wilde) to take her place. All seems to go well, until the appearance of a new type of magic man on the strip causes a sensation. Street performer and cable/internet phenom (the star of  “Mi..”, aww, I won’t spoil it) Steve Gray (Jim Carrey), whose act mostly consists of physical endurance stunts, which make the boys’ tricks look tired. When an attempt to do a live outdoor stunt in the same vein goes horribly wrong, the childhood pals split. Burt attempts to carry on, but his career goes into a nose dive. Soon he imposes on the hospitality of Jane, who turns out to be quite the illusionist herself (seems magic’s in her blood). Eventually Burt is relegated to entertain at a retirement home for Vegas performers. Will a chance encounter with a boyhood hero along with a young fan’s devotion finally put him back in the big show rooms?

Seems like it’s been a long time since we’ve seen Carell in this type of comedic role. I mean he scored some laughs last year in HOPE SPRINGS and SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD, but he was basically being the straight man for Streep, Jones, and Knightly (hid Dodge in WORLD was very low-energy). This is the silly Steve from ANCHORMAN and THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN (and is woefully missed on NBC Thursday nights). Burt is arrogant, preening, and pompous spouting a lion’s-mane wig, too much mascera, whitened choppers, and a ludicrous spray-tan, but Carell still has us rooting for him as his life spirals downward. It helps that he has a terrific ensemble to play with in this show-biz sandbox. Buscemi brings a great sad-sack quality to his role as the tad less garish, and more in touch with reality, stage partner to Carell. It’s great that he can bounce from ruthless gangster on HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” to this funny sloe-eyed schlub. Their other partner on stage is played by the stunning Wilde who brings some great comic timing to what could’ve been the standard supportive girl friend role. Her exasperated expressions as she deals with the clueless Carell (“It’s Jane!”) are priceless. Her stunning good looks may have kept producers from considering her for great comic roles. Let’s hope she gets more work that showcases her skills. Usually with action flicks we say that the hero is only as good as the villain, well Burt has a great adversary in Steve played superbly by comedy kingpin Carrey. His Chris Angel/David Blaine parody energizes the film. Steve Gray is a strutting peacock like Burt, but with a cooler-than-thou rock star attitude. He’s truly his own worst enemy. Another comic pro that gives the flick a real jolt is Arkin as the old magic legend Rance. In their third film together (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE and GET SMART) Arkin has a great rapport with Carell, as he helps Burt tap into his lost sense of wonder. Gandolfini’s  also terrific in the role of the casino mogul/ showman who still has a touch of a street thug (harkening back to those days when Vegas was ruled by “the boys”). Also scoring big laughs in a small role is SNL vet Jay Mohr as an admirer of Burt, Anton, and Steve, “Rick the Implausible”, who works the casino longue show at 2 AM. This is quite the comedy dream team.

The supervisor of said comedy sandbox is TV vet Don Scardino (most recently from the much missed “30 Rock”, so long Liz Lemon ‘sniff’). He’s got some clever scene transitions up his sleeves (viola’!) and a real knack for clever sight gags (Burt pulling up to the Lady Luck to seek a job is inspired). Of course he’s bringing to life a clever script that includes work from the HORRIBLE BOSSES team of Jonathan Goldstein and TV star John Francis Daley (currently co-starring on “Bones”, but for me he’ll always be Sam Weir in Judd Apatow’s one-season wonder “Freaks and Geeks”). The guys know about Vegas entertainers and make wonder use of the Nevada locations (and that final sequence will have you chuckling as you head out the exit doors). Kudos to the art direction crew, particularly  on the opening 80’s flashback (never heard of a top-loading VCR getting a warm round of applause). If your movie comedy appetite was revved up by last month’s IDENTITY THIEF, then head to the multiplex and feast on THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (love the cast of THIEF, but BURT has more than twice the laughs). If you’re in a good silly mood, then (to paraphrase the stage show’s theme music) ” Abra, abra-cadabra. It’s gonna’ reach out and grab ya’!”

4 Out of 5 Stars