The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, starring Steve Carell, Jim Carrey, Olivia Wilde, and Steve Buscemi as goofy magicians, hits theaters today, and it’s one of the first big mainstream comedies of the year. Wonderstone isn’t faring so well with critics, though, with every other movie reviewer making it a point to mention that the movie is “not incredible.”
Wonderstone earned a 41% and a 44/100 on review aggregators Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, respectively. Critics generally felt that Carell was miscast and that the film was somewhat amusing but not funny enough, with Boston Globe calling it “a lazy, underwritten imitation Will Ferrell movie.” Many critics praised the supporting performances and the third act. The AV Club’s Nathan Rabin puts it best, writing “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone 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, strictly for the rubes and tourists.”
And here’s a collection of every reviewer who made a cheesy joke about how the movie has the word “incredible” in its title, but - get this - it’s not incredible:
“‘The Incredible Burt Wonderstone’ not so incredible” - Washington Post
“The Incredible Burt Wonderstone: So. Not. Incredible.” - Globe and Mail
“The Incredible Burt Wonderstone isn’t.” - Globe and Mail
“…the not-so incredible ‘Burt Wonderstone.’” - Boston Herald
“All-star cast in ‘Burt Wonderstone’ Not so incredible” - Youngstown Vindicator
“‘Wonderstone’ not ‘incredible’” - The Lawton Constitution
“Not incredible, ‘Burt Wonderstone’ has its moments” - Sea Coast Online
“The only incredible thing about “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” is that way it makes Steve Carell so thoroughly and irreparably unlikable.” - Associated Press
“‘Burt Wonderstone’ is incredible waste of a talented cast” - Daily Gazette
“Magician comedy The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is incredible in name only” - The Diamondback
“The Incredible Burt Wonderstone just isn’t.” - Tri-City Herald
“‘The Incredible Burt Wonderstone’s’ title oversells movie” - LA Times
“‘Burt Wonderstone’ not so incredible” - Daily Chronicle
“‘The Incredible Burt Wonderstone’ Unfortunately Isn’t All That Incredible” - Starpulse
“‘The Incredible Burt Wonderstone’ unfortunately is not all that…incredible” - Examiner
“…but Burt Wonderstone is, unfortunately, not that incredible.” - Bellmore Patch
“… not exactly ‘incredible.’” - Zap2It
“… but”incredible” it is not.” - Austin Chronicle
“‘Incredible Burt Wonderstone’ Isn’t Incredible but Is Entertaining” - Backstage
“‘The Incredible Burt Wonderstone’ isn’t breaking comedic ground, nor is it ‘incredible’ …” - Fox News
Looking at how many reviewers wrote about how the movie has “no magic” is also heartbreaking.
