Good story, Not enough for a whole film

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Basically, this movie - about two warring magicians - got a lot of flack at the box office and was almost branded 'a flop.' Yes, it's no masterpiece. It's not even a comedy masterpiece. Perhaps people expected more because of the talent on display. They may have a point - the film does have a stellar cast and maybe it should have been better, or funnier than it actually is. However, just because it's no classic, doesn't mean that it's not worth watching.It's light-hearted and easy-going. The gags - while occasionally predictable - are still amusing. You may not have many 'belly laughs' but, if you're in the mood for something that isn't very serious and quite frothy, the film should maintain a little smile on your face all the way through.You may get a little more out of it if you're a fan of any or all of the actors. Steve Carell and Jim Carrey are top-billed and for a reason - they play their (kind of stupid) parts very well.My only gripe is that it ran for about ten minutes too long in my opinion. It probably could have been trimmed somewhere in the middle to make it just that little bit tighter. Still fun though.http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

I couldn't help but enjoy this movie. Everything was telling me that this was a stupid ridiculous comedy but it was still quite funny. Magicians are a special breed, what they can do can be shocking but when it comes down to it they will always be kinda weird and geeky : )Steve Carell and Steve Buscemi play the "old school" magicians i.e. Siegfried and Roy, and Jim Carrey plays the intense "too cool for school" magician i.e. Criss Angel. Their portrayals may be over the top but they are a completely accurate spoof of them. It was so pathetically funny watching their ego's destroy them.If you normally don't enjoy comedy from Steve Carell and Jim Carrey then you probably won't like this movie. This is classic them in every way. Silly, a little lame and completely over the top but nevertheless still enjoyable.

Better than I expected. The movie was panned by many critics and moviegoers, but it is really not that bad. Yes, was a bit silly at times and the plot is reasonably basic, but there are some incredibly hilarious scenes.Most of these scenes involve Jim Carrey. His role is only a supporting one, but he steals the show. His way-over-the-top portrayal of Steve Gray reminded me of his role of Fire Marshall Bill in In Living Colour, for me, still his funniest role. Anytime he is on screen in this movie, hilarity ensues.Steve Carrell and Steve Buscemi do okay in the lead roles. Olivia Wilde plays the straight role, and does it well, all while looking gorgeous.Alan Arkin is great as Rance Holloway. After Carrey's, his is probably the best performance of the movie. Good supporting performance from James Gandolfini and also good to see Jay Mohr, in a minor role.Worth watching.

There have been quirky movies about improbable subjects before and they could be very amusing. "Something About Mary" comes to mind. This is a quirky comedy about two childhood buddies who grow up and become a magic act. They play the big time for ten years, then split up, then come together again for a triumphant ending. It has competent actors, some, like Alan Arkin, positively lovable. But there is no pigeon beneath the handkerchief. Oh, maybe just an egg. Unfertilized.It's often hard to tell why a comedy fails but, to begin at the beginning, the jokes and outrageous situations really aren't very funny. The manager of the show is threatening to let them go because their act is stale, and newcomers like Jim Carrey have shed their blood along with their show-biz costumes and props. A chronicle of the times. If it bleeds, it leads.Having made that point, I'm now beginning to wonder if I made a big mistake. Maybe the movie isn't about magic acts at all, but a subtle critique of America's moral, aesthetic, intellectual, and cultural decline. A celebrity's DUI arrest gets more hits than a Supreme Court decision.Well, never mind that. Steve Carrell has some good moments as an amateur magician grown materialistic and pompous. Before he permits a beautiful groupie to join him in a bed the size of an Olympic swimming pool he has her sign an agreement that she is free of disease, will not sue him, will make no claim on any future pregnancy, and is over eighteen.But when he and his fellow magician, Steve Buscemi, as weird as ever, try to out-do their competition by being hoisted over Las Vegas in a plexiglass cage and holding their water for three days, the plexiglass room falls apart piece by piece. The audience on screen gasps with horror. The audience in the theater nods out. It sounds funny. It SHOULD be funny. But it's not original and not well done. The dialog, which might have looked good on the page, doesn't help much either.Steve Carell hits his marks and says his lines. Buscemi is there to aid him but disappears from the screen for a longish period. Jim Carrey stands out as the evil competitor. Olivia Wilde, as the Magician's Assistant, isn't given much to do but she's so stunningly beautiful in a modelesque way that she gets a pass. The most memorable moment in the movie is when she appears on stage for the first time and I got a glimpse of her sublime figure. Alan Arkin is marvelous as the old professional, now in a home for the aged. He flubs the trick of his final departure but the onlookers are cool with it and pretend they don't notice him scuttling under the hospital bed.