OK for kids 14+
Not enough magic to mostly unfunny Carell-Carrey comedy.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is heavy on scatological and sex humor, as well as cringe-inducing scenes of some Jackass-style stunts, but it doesn't veer completely into over-the-top raunch. Language includes one use of "f--k" and several of "s--t" and "a--hole." Main character Burt is known to bed a different woman from the audience every night; two humorous sex scenes feature bra-clad women and jokes about condom size. The violence is mostly self-inflicted by Burt's rival, a street magician who sleeps on burning coals, cuts his skin, asks to be punched, douses himself with pepper spray, and drills a hole in head -- among other things. And early scenes show a kid being bullied. If you dig under the Vegas-style humor, the two big takeaways are that friendship should be forever, and your career should be your passion, not just what you do for money.
- Families can talk about why the dueling-magicians premise of The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is funny. Have wild stunts taken away from the entertainment value of old-school magic?
- Why do you think there aren't too many female magicians? Is Burt right that women aren't cut out to be magicians? Is Jane intended to be a role model? What about the male characters?
- What does the difference between Burt's and Steve's styles say about the nature of entertainment? Is it inevitable that humor and magic are generational and not universal? Kids: Do you think things are funny that your parents don't like, and vice-versa?
The good stuff
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Messages: Buried underneath the over-the-top Vegas humor are a couple of positive messages. One is that unconditional friendship should be just that -- unconditional, not based on fame or popularity. The other is that whatever you decide to do with your life should come from a sense of joy and passion, not because of the things it will buy you. Jane's love of magic also shows that women are capable of performing traditionally male-dominated forms of entertainment. And the movie promotes the joy of enjoying the childlike wonder of magic tricks.
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Role models: Jane isn't interested in simply being a magician's assistant; she wants to be a full magician. Rance Holloway explains that being a magician is about providing a sense of awe and wonderment, not going through the motions for a big paycheck. Anton is a great (and in many ways, only) friend to Burt, but Burt is a jerk to him until he realizes the error of his ways.
What to watch for
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Violence: The violence is mostly self-inflicted by magician Steve Gray, whose "street magic" includes dangerous, don't-try-this-at-home stunts like burning himself with a lighter, forcing someone to punch him in the face, cutting open the swelling from a wound, sleeping on burning coals, and drilling a hole in his skull. An early scene includes a child being bullied and punched. A couple of scenes of animals in peril.
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Sex: Two comedic sex scenes in which women are shown wearing bras and underwear and making out with Burt in bed. Burt has a tradition of picking a woman out of the audience (based on how attractive she is) to help with a trick and then taking her back to his suite to have sex. Burt brags about his quadruple-king bed which can fit "at least" a dozen people. In one of the two sex scenes, Burt and Jane do magic tricks and joke about condoms (she makes a bag of Trojans appear out of nowhere, and he replaces it with Magnum XLs).
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Language: One "f--k," as well as several uses of "s--t," "a--hole," "hell," "ass," "crap," "bitch," "damn," "oh my God," "goddamn," and the possibly offensive (faux) TV show title Brain Rapist. Other insulting/demeaning language.
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Consumerism: Many Las Vegas hotels are featured or mentioned, as are Big Lots, Bounty, and Trojan and Magnum XL condoms.
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: Adults drink in a few scenes; in one, Burt gets visibly drunk.
Fan Reviews provided by
4
You have to like their type of humor by shehadinetwork
If you have watched Bruce Almighty or the 40 Year Old Virgin more than once and laugh at the same jokes every time, this movie is for you. Otherwise, I am sure it will be entertaining for the rest of you, just not as funny to the people that do not understand their humor.
3
Had potential. by dogrek
Good premise, good potential, and great cast... but it just didn't measure up to what it could have been. The comedic and satirical timing were off, and the story had several directions it could have pursued and been really good. Seemed to be indecisive on direction... ironic since it's about magic and misdirection.
5
Hillarious!! by natman2000
I have to say I expected much less. It was hillarious the entire time and with all star cast like that how could it not be! The ending was fantastic and especially the scene before the credits where it shows how they pulled off the grand illusion I laughed my butt off!! I think it had a great story line and great turn of events. The only thing I was slightly disappointed in was the length and Jim Carreys parts. They could have made it longer with more laughs and more tricks. And Jim Carrey should have been more in the movie. It is not a movie for young kids with a few sex scenes and a few gross violent scenes with Jim Carrey. Overall I think it was a great movie with many laughs, and all star cast, great story line and turn of events, great acting, and amazingly made!
Worth your time
Worth your money
Worth your laughs!!!
4
Wonderful Burt Wonderstone by MedRed
Steve Carell +Steve Buscemi + Jim Carrey = Great Chemistry
Fresh ideas in comedy movies often devolve into potty humor and cursing to make up for the lack of plot development. This isn't one of those movies.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone takes its fresh idea and completely fleshes it out from beginning to end. The acting is good and the audience will feel like they are actually watching magic be performed.
Wonderful and delightful are great adjectives to describe this movie. I chuckled, I laughed, but I realized that especially towards the end of the movie, I had a perma-smile on my face.
This movie is a solid go. It will put you into a good mood!
There are no scenes during or after the credits.
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3
Perfect comedy casting, yet not what you would think! by m3trooper
Wow! Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Jim Carey, Alan Arkin. Powerhouse comedic actors. This will be the funniest movie ever, right? Wrong!
It certainly has its moments where you chuckle, but overall, this movie falls short. It's almost as if this movie was written in a few days without a whole lot of thought put into it. The ending was horrible, and you feel like the director ran out of time, and needed to make a final cut quickly.
Oh, James Gandolfini is really trying to break into mainstream acting roles, but his attempts at trying to speak nothing like Tony Soprano are futile. Wackin people, and being an organized crime boss is where he seems most organic.
It's good for a rental once it comes out on DVD or On-Demand, but not worth the $14 to see it in the movie.
3
It was OK by mtyler0728
The movie was OK but I was a little disappointed. I'm big fans of Steve Carell and Jim Carrey, so I expected it to be very funny. Carrey did very well and he should have had a bigger part in the movie. I thought Carell's performance was mediocre at best. I'm still glad I saw it, just thought it could have been better.
3
Not magical by travelbear1231
Alan Arkin really shines. The movie could use a better script and better direction. Not suitable for young kids. Lots of tasteless segments that did nothing to promote the story. Not magical.
3
Worth seeing I guess by dannypants
Very funny in parts. As a whole it was sorta weak. But I was entertained. I just wish I'd either gone to the half-price early movie or watched it on cable. There are some good laughs and inspired performances but I wish it were a bit funnier.
3
Oy! Had potential by Entertainme123
But missed the mark. Laughed more at my friends who were laughing at the ridiculous attempts at humor. Not as crude as some recent comedies so i give them cudos for that!
5
Hilarious from Start to End !!!! by anthony_c
wife and I went to see it opening night and can only hope they make a sequal !!!! you will not be disappointed because you will laugh from beginning to end !!!!