The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

2013 was not a great year for films about rival magicians, which is too bad because both The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and Now You See Me have fun premises and a lot of big-name talent on screen. Of the two films, I actually enjoyed this silly and disposable Steve Carell comedy the most. Carell and Steve Buscemi play childhood nerd friends who grow up to become the hottest magic act in Vegas, only to have their fame and friendship challenged by a radical, David-Blaine-style street “magician” played by Jim Carey. The conflict between guys who do “real magic” and guys like Blaine (whose acts are more about enduring pain than performing illusions) is inherently funny, and Carry delivers the performance you would expect from him in such a role. The problem with the film is that everything unfolds exactly as expected, with no surprises and several disappointments. Alan Arkin, Olivia Wilde and James Gandolfini are all underutilized.