CliqueClackThe Incredible Burt Wonderstone provides mild entertainment on Blu-ray
‘The Incredible Burt Wonderstone’ offer some laughs and a little magic on home video.
Ah, how I like to laugh. When it comes to motion pictures, comedy seems to be my preferred type of genre. With that being said, I’m still a little surprised at missing out on seeing The Incredible Burt Wonderstone during its original theatrical run. Critics hailed it as comedic magic and wickedly funny – axioms that practically beseech a person to drop a few dollars in order to see a movie. Nevertheless, despite my neglect, I was certainly excited to catch it on Blu-ray. I’m pleased to say that I was amused.
And why wouldn’t I be? After all, the film does feature the tag team comedy duo of Steve Carell and an aging (yet still formidable) Jim Carrey. Surprisingly, the two haven’t appeared together on screen since 2003’s Bruce Almighty. Joining them this time are Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin and the late James Gandolfini. In The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Carell portrays the title character, a haughty magician whose friendship with a fellow magician is falling apart. To add insult to injury, his fame is also being threatened by the arrival of Carrey, who plays an extreme street magician of sorts. That’s a rather cheesy anecdote if you ask me. Fortunately, I like cheese.
Unlike the adjective in the film’s title, the movie isn’t all that incredible, but it is enjoyable which definitely counts for something. Warner Brothers opted to reward buyers with quite a combo pack including Blu-ray, DVD and Ultraviolet. Their Blu-ray disc comes in vibrant 1080p high definition providing an image that is both crystal clear and captivating. Furthermore, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is a nice touch as well. Accompanying the 100 minute-long film are a few special features including:
- Deleted & Alternate Scenes (26:23) – Funny scenes featuring several cast members that were cut from the motion picture.
- Steve Gray Uncut (8:33) – An amusing featurette with Jim Carrey in character.
- Making Move Magic with David Copperfield (8:03) – The master magician reveals how he got his start and explains just how one of the amazing key stunts was created exclusively for the film.
- Gag Reel (4:08) – Hilarious outtakes featuring Steve Carell and the cast.
While these extras certainly aren’t bad, they are rather conventional for a Blu-Ray release. Sadly, the DVD only features the Gag Reel. I was hoping that both discs would have an audio commentary for the film featuring Carell and Carrey. I think that would have been fun. It would also have been nice to have a making-of featurette to see how the cast got into character, but I won’t complain. Language selection includes English, Spanish and French. The same applies to the subtitles. Not bad.
Individuals looking for a fun way to kill a couple of hours could do a lot worse than The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. While the movie may be a little predictable, it does deliver on the laughs and sight gags, and while that may not make it incredible per se, its Blu-ray pack does offer small doses of pure magic.
And we could all use a little magic every now and again.
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There were 2 movies out this summer with Magic as their main anchor. Both with David Copperfield as consultant. The better of the two was, “Now You See Me”.
For me, a movie with Magic in it increases my desire to see by 82.59%. So, inversely, my disappointment with something that has all the “right equipment” fails by the same percentage.
Suffice to say… uhm… not amused, didn’t fine it funny, a waste of an hour and 40 minutes.
Why waste all that time with young actors to establish a motivation for Burt and Anton when it could have been done with just a few lines of dialogue? Scenes that go on after the “punch-line” has been delivered as if the director is waiting for something/anything else funny to happen?
When asked about this movie by friends my response is, “Don’t, just don’t.”
To cleanse yourself of “TIBW” watch “Now You See Me”. Watch it twice. You’ll thank me.
Otto, thank you for always taking the time to comment on what I write. I took a break from CliqueClack because I got a little busy with some things. To be honest, I didn’t think any of the readers really missed me, but it’s nice to know you’re still interested. That means a lot, buddy.
I did see Now You See Me. It’s enjoyable. I like Burt Wonderstone though. I thought it was pretty funny. I didn’t mind the first few scenes with the kids. They were nice. All in all, not a bad movie.
Jaylen, no thanks needed. You post and if you stir me to comment, I will. Although there are vast differences between us, we agree on the important things. Like how Dexter lost it’s best character when Doaks died. Like the best mode of time travel is in something Doc Brown built. Like how Royal Pains can be watched and enjoyed (you taught me that).
Good to hear you’ve been busy and nice to know that I could supply some trivia for ya about Power Rangers.