The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

Not off to a good start (42%, 33% from top critics) on Rottentomatoes.com: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_incredible_burt_wonderstone/

 

That so many talented people were willing to take a cut in pay (or upfront pay) to do this, to me, is a bad sign. Because that means there was no creative tension, because they were all so damn happy to work with each other that they were congratulating themselves and everyone else for how wonderful they are.

 

Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant, the Reno 911 guys who I would say qualify for funny as fuck status, have had writing credits on many horrible movies. They wrote a book about screenwriting and the various ways movies get fucked up. Basically, writers are continually hired, fired, rehired and fired again by producers and studio execs who are in a similar revolving door. There are way too many hands in the kitchen, way too many people trying to put their own stamp on projects because it justifies their salaries. It takes somebody with major clout to make a big studio movie that keeps a consistent vision from the script writing process all the way through getting the film in the can.

When somebody you know is funny makes a stinker comedy, well it probably was a funny movie at one point, until some studio vice president started giving "notes."

 

Feel the same way.

More likely a flop.

 

Any movie with Olivia Wilde is worth a look. To Mizzou ... I thought Change Up was stupid first time I saw it, but it seemed to get better the next few times I stumbled on it. Really stupid stuff, but some really good stuff, too.
And, Olivia, the best looking woman in the world playing the perfect girlfriend, what could be better?

 

Heard Carell on "Mike & Mike" this morning stumping for the film.

Of more interest, he said they had the first table read for "Anchorman 2" recently, it was outrageous how good the script is, and that filming begins next week.

 

Dinner for Schmucks was pretty good. Carell nailed it.

 

Whew.

I'm sure if the script wasn't any good, he would totally say so.

 

Looks like its headed for a crash.


http://www.showbiz411.com/2013/03/16/box-office-calamity-no-magic-as-burt-wonderstone-crashes-with-carrell-carey-arkin-gandolfini

 

Box Office Calamity: No Magic as “Burt Wonderstone” Crashes with Carrell-Carey-Arkin-Gandolfini

Is that Drew Carey or Mariah Carey?

 

craptastic

 

It's certainly not a hit, but it's kind of hard to call a movie opening with $10 million (a third of the budget) a flop.

Disappointing? Absolutely. I thought it would make $15-$17 million.

But, it will almost certainly make money, even based on domestic gross. I guess it's a good thing Carell's production company got everyone to work cheap...