Some topics will always be ripe for comedy – to name a few: rock bands, sports and politics. Add to this list the world of magic and magicians. It’s an inherently silly art form with a million elements to mock, but there has not been a truly great comedy on the subject, a SPINAL TAP of magic if you will. Mitchell and Webb’s MAGICIANS could generously be described as ‘alright’, and Woody Allen’s SCOOP was decent but not especially funny or focused on magicians. Perhaps that film is on its way, though, in the form of the upcoming BURT WONDERSTONE.
The film stars Steve Carell (THE OFFICE) and Jim Carrey (EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY). These two are undoubtedly funny actors, but have been known to have a problem with quality control, Carrey especially (though DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS might be up there with Carrey’s worst). BURT WONDERSTONE, however, boasts an impressive comedy pedigree in the crew alone. Don Scardino, the director, has helmed a multitude of 30 ROCK episodes. The screenplay is co-written by John Francis Daley, who played Sam Weir in FREAKS AND GEEKS. I have no idea if Daley is a decent writer, but it doesn’t matter because he was in FREAKS AND GEEKS. And IMDb reports that the script is currently getting a once-over from Oscar nominated and funny director Jason Reitman (THANK YOU FOR SMOKING).
Carell and Carrey have proved their comedy chops separately, but Carell’s first big movie role was opposite Carrey in the fairly bad BRUCE ALMIGHTY. In BURT WONDERSTONE Carell plays ‘a Las Vegas magician who breaks with his longtime stage partner and finds himself upstaged by a rival hip street magician who is stealing his thunder’. It is unclear what role Carrey will take, but with a top notch troupe already assembled, the film could be a real winner; perhaps not the SPINAL TAP of magician films, but hopefully a solid SCHOOL OF ROCK. It’s scheduled for a 2013 release.
