I have never seen any previews or trailers for this movie but by just seeing the poster and the cast, I knew I had to see it. It has been awhile since I've seen great comedians in one movie. Anyhoo, I was lucky enough to have catched it last weekend.
Short spoiler free short summary:
It starts simple and a bit cliche'd where a young Albert Wunderstein [played by Steve Carell] is bullied and finds an escape [and popularity] by studying and performing magic tricks thanks to a Magic Kit he got on his birthday. Whilst performing a simple trick during school lunch, he meets a sickly Anthony Mertz [played by Steve Buschemi] who was amazed at his trick. From then on, the two became best friends and spent time practicing and doing magic together.
Fast forward to the future and you see the duo as famous magicians in a casino in Las Vegas as The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and Anton Marvelton. But nothing is what it seems between the two and their chosen career.
Amidst their own troubles, in comes Steve Gray [played by Jim Carrey] who is a very edgy charismatic street magician who is getting alot of attention and fans with his new but often dangerous tricks.
With a new hotel/casino looking for entertainers, will Wonderstone and Marvelton be able to edge out Steve Gray or will they fall into obscurity?
The Review:
This is a very funny movie.
It has been awhile since I've laughed so hard and so loud watching a movie. From the obvious [the bright performances of Carell, Buschemi and Carrey] to the most subtle things [Jim Carrey's character has a show named "Brain Rapist"] it was certainly a funny movie from beginning to end.
It was also great to see Alan Arkin in a comedy movie again. He has this certain charisma that makes you love him and the characters that he plays. Olivia Wilde is also great but her performance [to me] seems lacking. Also, since Steve Buschemi is in the movie, I was kinda on the lookout for minor appearances of either Ben Stiller and/or Adam Sandler since Steve Buschemi also cameo's a bit in theirs.
The storyline is a bit cliched but the comedy and the execution of it brings a bit of freshness in it. Although it's your typical comedy, it's really not. Also it has its usual moral lesson and despite some of the edgy tricks Carrey performs, the whole movie can be enjoyed by all ages. Comedy AND magic are both universal and you don't need to be a genius to appreciate both.
Catch it if you can while it's still in theaters, it really is a funny movie.
