User Score
6.3 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 62 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 62
  2. Negative: 7 out of 62

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  1. Mar 16, 2013
    10
    Definitely better than expected; I feel that the critics were a bit harsh on this one. There were quite a few laughs throughout the movie, the story was decent, and the characters were well cast. The movie isn't perfect by any means, but compared to most comedies that typically hit the big screen The Incredible Burt Wonderstone was entertaining and a success.
  2. Mar 16, 2013
    10
    Carrey and Carrell have good experimental vicious battles between them, which makes this movie special. Don Scardino has made a movie so funny you will roll down from your seat and still laugh, a very successful comedy in 2013 is very very rare because of people that make stupid crouched up films. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is incredible.
  3. Mar 23, 2013
    10
    This movie was a blast. Jim Carey's character was bizarre. We had low exepctations but were just wanting to see a funny movie. My family loved it and recommended it to my mother and she didn't think it was that great. I guess it is a movie that you either love or hate. I never want to see movies twice but I will be going to see it again.
  4. Mar 17, 2013
    9
    After seeing such a low score for the critics I thought this movie was going to suck. Turns out the critics just don't know a funny movie when they see one. I'm not saying this movie is perfect because it has several flaws but I still had a fun watching. The actors were funny. Honestly I have never liked Steve but he was really funny in this movie. If you pay more then $10 to see this movie you might be a little upset and would just want to rent it but it's definitely worth a watch. Expand
  5. Mar 17, 2013
    9
    My friend and I went to see the INCREDIBLE BURT WEATHERSTONE yesterday, and I roared with laughter right up to the end. She on the other hand got more and more pissed off as the movie went on, and came out calling it "vile."

    Well, some movies are like that, Especially the interesting ones. Very often comedies can use unspeakable cruel jokes to make the audience laugh. If anybody is old
    enough to remember, one of the classic moments of slapstick comedy is when an adorable little dog is squashed flat on a London sidewalk by a falling object in A FISH CALLED WANDA.

    It had the audience rolling in the aisles.

    The essential story is, without giving away the story is that there are two magicians who after a lifetime of working together as friends and hitting the big time in Vegas, see their audiences melting away, as a new totally evil magician becomes the hit of the town, mainly with jokes that feature self-laceration. You laugh at the good guys, when they are hitting it, and wince when the baddie does lhis act..as in Yeech!

    The good guys are washed up, and they have to come up with the biggest trick in history to save their act. It features Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde, Jim Carrey, James Gandolfini as the Casino owner. What they propose is simply impossible, and yet they pull it off.

    Here is where the movie suddenly runs into a HUGE problem. After performing the stunt, director Don
    Scrardino BREAKS THE FIRST LAW OF MAGIC. He shows you how it was done. To say that it was illegal, dangerous and done in a heartless manner is not putting too fine a line on it. All the good will that had built up
    over the past two hours toward the film is shattered in a few minutes.

    He could have solved the problem easily by just not showing you the mechanics involved.It's the old story of everybody likes sausages, but no one ever wants to see how they are made.

    It will be interesting to read your comments. I enjoyed myself thoroughly right up to the last four minutes, but wound up leaving the theatre with a bad taste in my mouth. REMEMBER Don, THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A COMEDY!
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  6. Mar 16, 2013
    8
    I came into this movie with low expectations. I figured.. with comedies nowadays, this will be boring and quite cheesy. Fortunately, I was mistaken. I really enjoyed this movie. Steve Carrell (as always) made me laugh, Jim Carrey was just utterly insane, and I just found it much funnier than I had hoped. So, cheers to you guys, you have made a successful comedy in 2013. That's a rare thing.
  7. Mar 18, 2013
    8
    Steve Buscemi is excellent in everything he does. Steve Carrel is great in lead in this film as he presents a little humility in his character for this film. Jim Carey is the comic relief for a change. If this movie were made 10 years ago he would of been in the lead role. This is a good to great movie that will entertain you without pounding you with morals or trying to shock or embarrass you. It is a nice sweet time and great to take a date on. Expand
  8. Mar 23, 2013
    8
    I thought this was a very funny, entertaining movie. I did have a few problems though. I didn't think that Jim Carrey was in it nearly as much as he should have been, but the times that he was in it he was hilarious. I did like the movie's premise of the two warring magicians because it was something I'd never seen before. I would really recommend this movie to someone who wants a good laugh.
  9. Apr 8, 2013
    8
    Why has this been so harshly reviewed? It´s a cute little comedy, that gave some original and new jokes, that made me laugh a lot. The laid back style reminded me of the movie "There is something about Mary". It has a part in the middle that gets a little thin, but other than that it has a good flow. The dynamic of the film is also a bit different, and it peaks at different points, which II found refreshing.
    The role of Jim Carrey was a nice surprise. It "dusted" him off a little as a comedy actor, and gave him a new and toned down angle, which I think really suited him.
    Don´t expect the 7th wonder of the world, but a nice little film that is light hearted and will make you chuckle and laugh, if you have the same humour as me. I think you should give it a shot
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  10. Apr 18, 2013
    8
    Taking it at face value its a great story with some of the powerhouse comedy actors of the last decade. Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, and Jim Carey all make appearances in a comedy about Magicians, probably the most original concept to come out of Hollywood in years. Throw in a touch of Olivia Wilde (remembered fondly as 13 from House), some Alan Arkin and a dash of James Gandolfini and you have yourself a ridiculous film that can't be taken too seriously and doesn't intend on being taken seriously.

    There is solid acting from your main characters, with Jim Carey again going over the top with his portrayal of masochistic street magician Steve Gray (roughly analogous to modern day Chris Angel) and Olivia Wilde as the reluctant love interest who also happens to be a skilled magician herself.

    The plot is fresh, original and in some ways makes sense. It strikes a tone asking the question why would any person devote their life to the art of illusion and magic. They really aren't doing it for themselves, but for the joy of others. While it glosses over the deeper meaning of such a question it does at least give the audience something to think about.

    In all I can't help but think of this as a more toned down and slightly more serious version of something like Talladega Nights or something similar. It's just all around good entertainment with a fresh new plot and a great cast.
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  11. Apr 26, 2013
    8
    This movie was awesome! Jim Carrey was hilarious, just like the old Carrey. Steve Carell also give a decent amount laughs and does a good job. The story is no masterpiece, and may even be considered stupid, but for silly comedies like this the story isn't really as important as the comedy. Olivia Wilde does a good job, and is sexy as usual.

    Overall the movie was actually very funny, an
    d it's a movie you can't take too seriously. I think it has got some pretty hateful reviews and comments, and it makes me think that some people are losing their sense of humor, or maybe people think their sense of humor is too "sophisticated" for movies like this.

    Either way, very funny movie. If you like Carrey and Carell type of comedy, then don't let the bad reviews turn u away. There's definitely laughs to be had in this one.
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  12. Mar 15, 2013
    7
    If you are a fan of Steve Carell then you will enjoy this film. It's got some heart and a decent amount of chuckles. I wish Carrey was funnier and in it more than he was but compared to other 2013 "comedies" like Identity Thief, Wonderstone delivers solid fun.
  13. Mar 20, 2013
    6
    Steve Carell plays the title character, a flashy Vegas magician. His career crashes after he splits with his partner (Steve Buscemi). That means he must struggle to make the predictable rebirth. Although Carell is sometimes funny, his character isn't likable, which makes it hard to care about him. Buscemi adds nothing and Jim Carrey (as the hot new competition) is uncomfortably weird. No matter how much you want to like this movie, it's trying too hard to be over-the-top funny and only rarely succeeds. Expand
  14. Mar 16, 2013
    6
    First of all Jim Carrey saved this movie big time. If he wasn't in it it probably wouldn't have been that good at all. Jim Carrey had me laughing the whole time he was in it. Steve Carrell was a little funny but not hilarious. The main problem is that Carrey should have had a bigger part. But overall it was pretty good.
  15. Apr 5, 2013
    6
    Now this movie does not get the credit it deserves. It is funny, touching, and you know what, it even teaches us something. "What? A movie trying to teach us a lesson about doing something because you love it not because you are getting paid, all while at the same time making us laugh, with a plot about magic?! Absurd!" Ok. So maybe that comes off as a little cynical but I get that sort of argument a lot from people. I guess it can sometimes come off as a little cheesy but it isn't as if the movie just screams the message at you. And this movie is freaking hilarious. Seriously, I don't think I have laughed in a theater so hard in a while. The jokes in this movie, when they work, land hard and strong. Not to say there are jokes that don't kinda fall flat. But you know that sometimes is going to happen. I think that this movie did what it needed to do well. It isn't perfect by any means, but it is worth seeing. So I give it a final verdict of 6/10. Expand
  16. Mar 31, 2013
    5
    I expected little so I was pleasantly surprised. There are a number of humorous lines and scenes. There also is a lame pseudo love story jammed in. It isn't as good as anchorman but has a similar appeal.
  17. Mar 16, 2013
    5
    Corny story, pretty good acting, especially the cameo performance of Alan Arkin. The writing could have been better. Carrey was definitely "off the wall". It was sometimes hard to watch his masochistic "magic" attempts which were bizarre and not funny.
  18. Mar 16, 2013
    5
    It has its moments Arkin was great, Carrey was funny most of the time, and the magic was humorously entertaining. Carrell felt miscast through most of the film, and the plot was forced and contrived like most Hollywood comedies. It didn't need to be clever but it certainly had the opportunity to do a little more than what it ended up doing. If anything, I would give it a few points for reminding me of "the Prestige" and how I really need to sit down and watch that wonderful film again. Expand
  19. May 2, 2013
    5
    There are some funny moments (That will happen when you have the momentous talents of Steve Carrell and Jim Carrey) but overall this movie just felt forced. It reminded me of some of the later Adam Sandler movies, a bunch of talented comedic actors phoning it in with a poorly scripted premise. In summation it is a fine movie to catch on cable if your dvr is empty, but I wouldn't recommend it otherwise. Expand
  20. Apr 26, 2013
    4
    Steve Carrel's latest effort, "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone", is a weak and painful effort most of the time, but has it's giggles and laughs here and there. The film is exactly what you would expect from the trailer, a mediocre comedy that won't ever really be considered one of the greats. What really drags down the film's score for me is Jim Carrey in this film. This performance may be the worst he has done. Almost every time he does a comedy, it seems like "Ace Ventura" every performance, doing nothing but poop and pee jokes while being hyper and energetic. Steve Carrel and Steve Buscemi are the strong points of the film, being the only ones who will make you laugh. Expand
  21. May 6, 2013
    4
    Most of the jokes are in the trailers. I expected a much funnier movie after viewing the trailer than the one showed in theater. If i were you, i would just wait for it to make it to dvd and rent it instead
  22. Mar 18, 2013
    0
    Full disclosure, I'm a Carell fan-boy, otherwise I wouldn't have gone anywhere near this movie. I should have stayed away. This is the type of comedy that has no appeal to my funny bone whatsoever. This film is trying desperately to be Anchorman but falls flat in every way. The first 20 minutes gives us a glimpse into the two main stars childhood. Presumably to give us some insight into the characters motivation, and to help us connect with them. Strike 1 and strike 2. Why would you spend 20 minutes of a comedy setting up your hero to be sympathetic to the audience if in the very next scene you plan on making him an unsympathetic egomaniac, inexplicable. Every single character in this movie except for Olivia Wilde's is played completely over the top. Correct that. Apparently they were told to play the character over the top, and then crank it up another notch.

    Of course all of this is forgiveable in a comedy if it does the one thing that everyone expects, make us laugh. As you can probably already tell Wonderstone fails here as well. Two jokes landed for me in an hour and a half. When the name of Carrey's characters television show is revealed and the scene after the credits start rolling. Except for those not even a chuckle. It's the same way as I feel about The Office post Carell (in case your wondering why I'm a fan-boy).
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  23. Mar 26, 2013
    0
    Where do I begin as the song goes. To tell a story of a movie so poorly written and so poorly acted that finding even a minimal positive characteristic or feature is virtually impossible. I'm starting to feel badly for Jim Carrey, a middle aged man, still doing the same shtick type comedy he did in his twenty's. was sad. I've always liked Jim's movies because they brought out and showcased his talent of which he had a lot of. I agree with the Wall Street Journal's review, sadly, about this exceptional unfunny movie. Not worth the price unless you're the type who unconditionally likes Jim. Save your money for a movie I understand he has coming out this August. Expand
Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 35 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 35
  2. Negative: 7 out of 35
  1. Reviewed by: Peter Bradshaw
    Mar 15, 2013
    60
    As ever with comedies like this, all the really funny stuff is in the opening 20 minutes. But it's entertaining stuff, with a scene-stealer from Alan Arkin.
  2. Reviewed by: Rick Groen
    Mar 14, 2013
    50
    For my first trick, allow me to write off an entire picture by merely affixing to the title a one-word contraction: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone isn’t. Please hold your applause.
  3. Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    Mar 14, 2013
    38
    Steve Carell is fatally miscast as an arrogant, flamboyant third-rate magician in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, which by all rights should have been a second-rate Will Ferrell vehicle.