The Incredible Burt Wonderstone Directed by: Don Scardino Starring: Steve Carell, Jim Carrey, Olivia Wilde Rating: Not Yet Rated Release Date: March 15, 2013
Trailer Score: 7/10
Thoughts by TSR: This trailer wasn’t quite as funny as I hoped it would be considering the cast and premise. Steve Carell and Steve Buscemi are sort of nonfactors here, which is highly disappointing. Sure, they look fantastic in their wigs and flashy costumes, but the use of the chirping crickets was the only time I chuckled at something directly related to their magic show (and that was only because the sound effect confirmed that their magic show was as bad as it looked). Thankfully Jim Carrey, Alan Arkin, and Olivia Wilde provide a laugh or two each, so all things considered, I’m still looking forward to seeing The Incredible Burt Wonderstone when it hits theaters in March.
Jim Carrey as a Criss Angel-type performer is funny in and of itself – especially when performing a riff on the Joker’s disappearing pencil trick – so I look forward to seeing more of him in the film. Alan Arkin as an old-school magician is something I was more skeptical about when he first popped up in the trailer. Surprisingly, he ended up being my favorite part. It’s not that I dislike Arkin, I just don’t love him as much as others generally do. Here, however, the look Arkin gives after saying the bird has been partially deboned resulted in my biggest laugh. A close second is his final disappearing act (though that is mostly because of the way Olivia Wilde quietly says, “He’s under the bed”). It may not have been quite as funny as I wanted it to be, but new year optimism is getting an early start and leaving me hopeful that there will be plenty of funny moments left to discover in the theater.