If "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" proves anything, it's that having two great comedians in your cast doesn't guarantee a great comedy. Everything seems to be in place for some screwball magic - the over-the-top costumes, the goofy Jim Carrey antics, the outrageous plot developments that have no bearing on reality. But in relying on the typical mainstream comedy trends, following in the footsteps of "Dodgeball" and to an extent even "Anchorman," "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" turns out to be a fairly innocent and lackluster comedy that falls short because it's so rigidly tied to the formula. What could have been a hilarious spoof on Saturday Night Live ends up being a fairly forgettable comedy, though that doesn't stop Carrey and Steve Carell from finding a few laughs in spite of an uninspired screenplay.
While many boys play sports and get into mischief during their early adolescent years, Burt (Steve Carell) is quite a bit different. Idealizing magicians from an early age, Burt envisions becoming one of the titans of magic, which is a career choice not meant for those lacking in courage. After a rough childhood, Burt turns into an arrogant but very successful magician who gets his own show in Las Vegas, aided by close friend Anton (Steve Buscemi). As one of the great screen chameleons - one who can play a dunce, a genius and everything in between - Buscemi once again seems content to be in the background and let the big stars do the heavy lifting.
But even with a long-running, popular show in Sin City, Burt's luck can't hold out forever. When casino owner Doug Munny (James Gandolfini) sees how truly dated Burt's act has become, he points to YouTube friendly new acts that are heavy on the masochism and low on the charm. Enter Jim Carrey, who plays an outlandish gimmick artist named Steve Gray so willing to endure pain that audiences can't help but watch. Burt may have figured out the basics in charming an audience long ago, but these days audience members have better things to watch - like seeing a man sleep on hot coals or hold his urine for more than a week. Sure, Burt may literally have a few slick tricks up his sleeve, but he doesn't stand a chance against a guy who is consistently willing to torture himself for the enjoyment of his paying audience.
With Burt clinging to relevance as a magician, he's basically taken out to pasture as he's forced to do his routine at nursing homes filled with patrons who couldn't follow his act if they tried. For Burt, this is sort of like signing up for beer league softball after playing centerfield for the Yankees. All he has time to do is think about how great he used to have it and watch bitterly as audiences flock to see the latest antics from Steve Gray. Burt may think Steve Gray is a charlatan, but it's tough to make that argument while you're trying to coax laughs from nursing home patrons more interested in what's on the menu for dinner.
Given the established formula for comedies, it's not hard to imagine where this one will go. When Burt needs a mentor, he stumbles directly into his childhood idol, Rance Holloway (Alan Arkin), sending him on the comeback trail.
Though the plot is obvious and slow-witted, it does find time to let Carrey be Carrey, and there still isn't a single actor around who can evoke comedy out of nothing but his expression and energy. Much the same way he did many years ago with "Ace Ventura," Carrey takes an absurd, poorly sketched character and goes so far over-the-top you'd have to be made of stone to be completely immune to his charms.
Carell, by comparison, also has some funny moments - particularly when he's shuffling through magician purgatory - but Carrey is clearly meant to be the show-stopper. Alan Arkin also has a couple funny moments as a former great magician and Olivia Wilde can play the love interest in her sleep, though the screenplay doesn't require her to do much of anything but stand there and look pretty.
When R-rated comedies run out of ideas these days, they tend to automatically resort to the familiar array of gross-out laughs, typically revolving around bodily functions. Though there is a tinge of that as well in "Burt Wonderstone," it's mainly rescued by its PG-13 rating and we're saved the lowest of the low when the screenplay starts to scrape the barrel for laughs. While "American Pie" and Carell's "40-Year-Old Virgin" proved that you can pull off the gross-out, adult-geared laughs with intelligence, "Burt Wonderstone" wisely keeps it a little cleaner and isn't likely to cause audience members to cringe in disbelief at what they're seeing. Those unfortunate enough to see recent comedies like "Hall Pass" and "Hot Tub Time Machine" were not nearly as lucky, and "Wonderstone" ends up being a flawed but innocent attempt at making mainstream audiences laugh. In many ways, this alone is refreshing.
For all its limitations and flat jokes, "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" is not a bad movie as much as it's a simple one. You can say that it wastes its talented cast, but Carrel and Carrey, not to mention Buscemi and Arkin, do just enough to remind us why we thought they were funny in the first place. "Burt Wonderstone" may be pretty far away from the comedy event of the year, but it could have been a whole lot worse. For Carell and Carrey fans, there should be just enough laughs to make you wonder what could have happened if they weren't forced to play by the rules.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.