The Incredible Burt Wonderstone: The confusion of a dream-reality

Magic has a sense of appeal that can amaze even the staunchest critics. Many people claim that magic employs deceit and should not be praised but, all the same, a magician does use unique skills that have been practised and acquired over years to dazzle his audience. Most often we can’t help but be in awe of the magic tricks that we see. While The Incredible Burt Wonderstone has magic as a key component in the film, it relies on magic solely as a medium to establish a passion and friendship which is what the film is truly about.

Burt Wonderstone was a lanky child with nearly no friends. He was constantly bullied by kids who had a physical superiority over him and, to add to this, he received no particular support from his parents who seem to be absent from the key moments in his life. To his joy however, his mother leaves him a magic set as a birthday gift which has been compiled by his hero, magician Rance Holloway. Burt begins to practise the tricks in the set and manages to make a friend in school when he demonstrates a trick to Anton Marvelton. Burt and Anton grow up to become famous magicians in Las Vegas but their friendship eventually gets strained because of their disagreements over performing the same mundane magic tricks for 15 years. In this spell, street magician Steve Gray tries to dethrone them as the best magician in all the land with his new shock-value tricks that manage to captivate the younger audiences leaving Burt and Anton struggling to keep themselves relevant.

While magic appears to be the focus in the plot, it is actually just a vessel for director Don Scardino to bring out the underlying points of friendship and passion that are subtly highlighted in the film. While the protagonist has lost his passion for his art, which is established in the backstory, it is also evident that his friendship with his best friend has taken a hit because of his expanding ego on account of his success. As the film progresses, he is revealed to have a sensitive side as he is stripped away from certain privileges and left vulnerable. Steve Carell plays the role of the protagonist to no great amazement; he is amiable as the fool in the spotlight who suffers personally for the benefit of others. Jim Carrey does a credible job as antagonist Steve Gray, particularly playing the comedic moments to his advantage.

Overall, the film seemed to lack focus as it shifted from being a story about a successful man with a wounded ego to transform into a mix between a family-oriented friendship story and a raunchy romantic affair. There seemed to be more of a focus on debunking the art of street magic by highlighting one world famous magician in particular. The film critiqued his style of performing painful aberrations and portraying them as a demonstration of superhuman capabilities. The use of comedy in the film is sparse and very untimely. The film does have a pleasant soundtrack which can be heard occasionally during certain scenes.

It is not a great film by any definition. It is passable for a comedy film but the humour is rare and underplayed.

Crazy, Stupid, Love: A funny new way of looking at love

Over the past few years, the number of divorces that have ripped families apart has been on the rise. A view of family life has shifted from the necessity of the husband and wife to stick together towards a belief that everyone should do whatever it takes to be happy. Divorce was always looked at with a scorn that is reserved for something that is hated. It has always been a matter of serious consequence; but what if it triggers the start of many comical incidents?

Cal and Emily were a happily married couple, or at least that seemed to be the case until Emily decided to ask for a divorce while Cal was deciding what to have for dessert when they were enjoying dinner in a restaurant. Evidently Cal is in shock but decides to move out of the house where he lived with his wife and children as he mops in private by drinking heavily at a local bar. As Cal proceeds to recite to anyone who will listen about his wife’s affair and request for a divorce, Jacob, a suave and handsome young man, overhears his willowing and pities him. Jacob decides to teach Cal his ways and help him pick up women at the bar so Cal can get over his wife and move on with his life. The ensuing training brings out many hilarious moments as Jacob teaches Cal the ways of bachelorhood while he himself falls in love with a young woman who he wants to settle down with. At the same time, Cal and Emily struggle with getting their children to accept their impending divorce and how to deal with their beloved Nana.

By taking a serious topic like divorce and twisting it around in a hilarious way, directors Glen Ficarra and John Requa have allowed the audience an opportunity to laugh at some of life’s miserable moments. Although it can be quite serious at instances, divorce isn’t as grave a subject as death, murder, genocide and the like which fall under the genre of dark humour.

The plot itself stems from quite an original idea where a to-be-divorced husband is befriended by a younger man who has to initiate him into bachelorhood, something that the husband has never really experienced previously. Writer Dan Fogelman has put in some great ideas and parallel stories in the plot which makes it fresh and interesting when watching the film. The small twist in the plot and the minor confusion that it creates is a great addition that brings the stories together. In addition, the film provides a slightly askew but unique view of what love has become in the modern age.

The film has Steve Carell’s unique style of comedy balanced with Ryan Gosling’s smouldering good looks. It is a very good film that balances comedy, drama and romance.