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THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONEMovie Reviews
Comedy about a superstar Las Vegas magician duo facing cutthroat competition from a guerilla street magician with a huge cult following. Cast:Olivia Wilde, Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Alan Arkin, Gillian Jacobs, James Gandolfini, Zachary Gordon, Brad Garrett, Tyler Langdon, Jay Mohr, Melissa Ordway, John Lewis, Mason Cook, Tate HanyokDirector:Don ScardinoRelease Date:March 15, 2013DVD Release:June 25, 2013From:Warner Bros.Rating:PG-13Length:1 hr. 40 min.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone opened to moderate reviews. • Mick LaSalle wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, "...would be a borderline case were it not for Jim Carrey, who is hysterically funny in the supporting role of a crazy, masochistic street magician." More Reviews Below...
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone Positive Reviews (47 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: VERY GOOD(cg) "...beneath the mockery is real affection for magic, and loads of solid jokes... an astute comedy that claims to have nothing up its sleeve but wears its magical heart proudly..."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 223 words, 03/14/13
Mary Pols, Time: MODERATE "...may be the kind of semi-bad, semi-inspired comedy that could not only stand repeated viewings but perhaps improve with them.... it invites the gaze."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 930 words, 03/15/13
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "The only incredible thing is that way it makes Steve Carell so thoroughly and irreparably unlikable... after it's over, poof! You'll forget you ever watched it..."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 665 words, 03/14/13
Mara Reinstein, Us Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "Jim Carrey takes a one-note supporting role -- a sneering Criss Angel-like illusionist -- and mines it into gold.... The yuks (and nifty stunts) land with aplomb..."(See all of Mara Reinstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 132 words, 03/14/13
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: WEAK(cg) "Don Scardino has no idea how to blend the sweet and the sleazy. So he keeps trotting out more tricks. You can smell the desperation."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 254 words, 03/15/13
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "...forgettable, formulaic... opts for pseudo-earnestness over movie magic... it just goes through the motions and conjures up clichés."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 524 words, 03/15/13
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: MODERATE(cg) "I'm all for bold experimentation in comedy.... But when you're throwing anything against the wall to see if it sticks, that's different.... the desperation shows."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 755 words, 03/13/13
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: MODERATE(cg) "...the material isn't sufficiently funny to allow me to forgive the film's feeble storyline and two-dimensional inhabitants.... forgettable..."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 604 words, 03/14/13
Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media: WEAK(cg) "Burt is so deeply unlikable that when he finally wins over Olivia Wilde, audiences will want to close their eyes or look away.... Age 14."(See all of Sandie Angulo Chen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 555 words, 03/13/13
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: MODERATE "...an agreeable if squishy fable... it can't transcend the fundamental problem built into movies about magic. It isn't really magic if you're watching it second hand."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 598 words, 03/15/13
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "There's so much promise here that you may spend most of the movie searching for hidden hilarity. Instead, do your best to appreciate its more obvious charms."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 407 words, 03/15/13
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "Part manic comedy, part would-be heart-warmer... its odd combination of tones and situations leads to as many awkward, uncertain moments as funny ones."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 731 words, 03/15/13
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: WEAK(cg) "...a veritable festival of bad toupees and repeated gags that just lie there... runs a bit more than an hour and a half but seems much longer..."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 588 words, 03/15/13
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: WEAK(cg) "...thin, weak and sour... typical gags involve burnt flesh and the sight of someone pretending to crush a puppy to death. It's not a comedy; it's a wince-edy."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 611 words, 03/15/13
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: MODERATE(cg) "The scattered script, a four-writer effort, is juggled adeptly by director Don Scardino (NBC's '30 Rock'), but it's a lost cause.... a botched illusion."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 315 words, 03/15/13
Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine: GOOD "...provides a welcome opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with a genuinely funny Jim Carrey. I won't lie: It felt like reuniting with an old friend."(See all of Bilge Ebiri's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 600 words, 03/15/13
Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "Welcome back, Hilarious Jim Carrey. We've missed you.... He's physical, he's intense, he's ridiculous.... It's a performance of sublime stupidity."(See all of Richard Roeper's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 647 words, 03/15/13
Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...fitfully inspired... after Wonderstone loses everything, we're expected to feel something besides impatience as he learns to become a better person..."(See all of Alan Scherstuhl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 251 words, 03/13/13
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: WEAK(cg) "...part comedy, part drama, part romance, part bromance, part comeuppance, part redemption, part nostalgia trip... a whole lot of nothing that really clicks."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 694 words, 03/15/13
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "In a live theatre, the rabbit pulled from the hat is a neat trick; on film, the dumb bunny is just camera trickery."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 582 words, 03/15/13
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...pleasantly dopey.... feels too enamoured of its own silliness. But the silliness is essential; without it, both Carell's and Carrey's characters would just be assholes."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 155 words, 03/14/13
KEY CITIES (12 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "Like the playing cards, scarves and other tricks up its protagonists' sleeves, this movie is momentarily diverting, but it's also destined to disappear quickly."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 491 words, 03/15/13
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: POOR(cg) "...crushingly unfunny.... Carell is backsliding in a hackneyed, overproduced comedy.... Carrey's spark of divine madness flickers here and there."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 532 words, 03/15/13
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: MODERATE(cg) "There's something a little off, and it's Carell. We want to like him in comedies. It's a big part of what's made him a star. The film never really gives us the chance."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 658 words, 03/15/13
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "Because Carell is both a comedian and a dramatic actor, he gets his signals crossed. He makes Burt genuinely hateful at times, which is at least interesting..."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 638 words, 03/15/13
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: MODERATE(cg) "Steve Carell is the real star here, and his strutting character is so charmlessly one-note for so long it's difficult to care about him at all."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 465 words, 03/15/13
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...would be a borderline case were it not for Jim Carrey, who is hysterically funny in the supporting role of a crazy, masochistic street magician."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 609 words, 03/15/13
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...you watch it thinking that it should be smarter and funnier, but you have a pretty good time anyway.... enjoyable... finds magic in its casting."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 490 words, 03/15/13
Mike Russell, Portland Oregonian: MODERATE(cg) "...feels compromised on many levels.... intermittently funny... suggests a half-finished draft full of half-used characters."(See all of Mike Russell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 549 words, 03/15/13
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...resurrects two funny fellows who were left for dead: Jim Carrey and Steve Carell. It's too cheesy and predictable to be a real miracle, but by Vegas standards, it's a winner."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 365 words, 03/15/13
Steve Persall, Tampa Bay Times: GOOD(cg) "The genius is Jim Carrey, dropping the serious actor pose and again letting loose the rubber face and implausible physicality that made him a star."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 467 words, 03/14/13
Tom Long, Detroit News: GOOD(cg) "...hardly a masterwork, but it has some decent laughs. And many of those laughs come from Jim Carrey in a return to absurdist-physical comedy..."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 520 words, 03/15/13
Cary Darling, Miami Herald: MODERATE(cg) "...a succession of scenes in search of a laugh track. There are moments when Carrey transcends these barriers through sheer energy and force of will."(See all of Cary Darling's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 355 words, 03/15/13
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (8 Reviews)
Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...fitfully inspired... after Wonderstone loses everything, we're expected to feel something besides impatience as he learns to become a better person..."(See all of Alan Scherstuhl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 251 words, 03/13/13
Nathan Rabin, AV Club: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...has its cornball charm, thanks largely to the confident work of old pros Carell, Arkin, and Buscemi, but it's ultimately a big, gaudy, predictable show..."(See all of Nathan Rabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 473 words, 03/14/13
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: POOR(cg) "That all this plot takes nearly two hours to transpire is only one indication of the movie's abject old-fashionedness, its backwardsness."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 670 words, 03/15/13
Chris Cabin, Slant: WEAK(cg) "...the jokes feel like they're only good enough to elicit an ending, and director Don Scardino eventually obliges in a flutter of hurried loose end-tying..."(See all of Chris Cabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 499 words, 03/13/13
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...pleasantly dopey.... feels too enamoured of its own silliness. But the silliness is essential; without it, both Carell's and Carrey's characters would just be assholes."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 155 words, 03/14/13
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: EXCELLENT(cg) "I laughed so damn hard... takes things that are ridiculous and just lets them be their own sort of ridiculous, with hardly any inflating required at all."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 725 words, 03/13/13
Stephen Holden, New York Times: MODERATE "...an agreeable if squishy fable... it can't transcend the fundamental problem built into movies about magic. It isn't really magic if you're watching it second hand."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 598 words, 03/15/13
Mark Jenkins, NPR: FAIR "There are some funny bits and characters around the edges, but its core is empty of humor... a three-void circus: the script, the central character, the main performance."(See all of Mark Jenkins's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 588 words, 03/14/13
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "Part manic comedy, part would-be heart-warmer... its odd combination of tones and situations leads to as many awkward, uncertain moments as funny ones."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 731 words, 03/15/13
Dana Stevens, Slate: FAIR "...under-ambitious... it would be impossible to call this a successful comedy. All the same, it did make me laugh -- sporadically, yes, but sometimes loudly..."(See all of Dana Stevens's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 823 words, 03/14/13
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: WEAK "This is a really lively, fun and high-spirited comedy. If you leave after half an hour. Stay a full hour, though, and you're stuck in a death spiral of unfunniness..."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,071 words, 03/14/13
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Joe Leydon, Variety: VERY GOOD "...pulls off the impressive trick of generating laughs on a consistent basis while spinning a clever scenario about rival magicians... Carell is at the top of his form..."(See all of Joe Leydon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 736 words, 03/09/13
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: MODERATE "Some laughter but little magic... by-the-book... enjoyable but as familiar as the old-school routines its magician heroes dish out."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 491 words, 03/09/13
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "Part manic comedy, part would-be heart-warmer... its odd combination of tones and situations leads to as many awkward, uncertain moments as funny ones."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 731 words, 03/15/13
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: MODERATE(cg) "...sharply uneven... The comedy is yet another variation of the 'Odd Couple'... there are too many repeitions of ideas and recyclings of similar jokes..."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 433 words, 03/11/13
Stephen Holden, New York Times: MODERATE "...an agreeable if squishy fable... it can't transcend the fundamental problem built into movies about magic. It isn't really magic if you're watching it second hand."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 598 words, 03/15/13
16.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone's reviews are separated by an average 16.8 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (47 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Incredible Burt Wonderstone's reviews cover 92.8% of potential readers (average is 68.0%). Volume:The film's reviews total 25,083 words involume (average is 20,200 words). Length:The film's reviews average 534 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 13.4 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone's reviews on average broke 13.4 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Incredible Burt Wonderstone's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (47 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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