As they plod through lazy, obvious references in reviews of The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, watch these critics make their credibility disappear! ---

You didn't have to look up your sleeve to find the word "magic" used in a whole bunch of reviews:

“ … you may walk away not feeling any of the magic.” – Amy Curtis, We Got This Covered

“Though not exactly magic, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is certainly no cinematic disappearing act either.” – Katerina Sakkas, FILMLINK (Australia)

“Not particularly magical.” – Joanna Langfield, The Movie Minute

“… not exactly magical, but it does have enough tricks up its sleeve to make it worth the price of admission.” – Matthew DeKinder, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“What this movie is missing is -- magic.” – Nell Minow, Beliefnet

“Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi and Jim Carrey find that magic touch. … Yes, it’s silly and goofy, but it does the trick if you’re looking for a laugh.” – Jeffrey Lyles, Lyles Movie Files

“You would think that a film about magicians would have some magic to it … if you are looking for something truly magical, you will come away disappointed.” – Charlie McCollum, San Jose Mercury News

A few more at least reached for a more specific reference than mere "magic":

“The Incredible Burt Wonderstone works hard to create the illusion that it’s hilarious.” – Chris Hewitt, Pioneer Press

“Perhaps it’s a magical disappearing-humor act that afflicts this throwaway.” – Claudia Puig, USA Today

“I wish I could make it disappear. Forever.” – Drew Taylor, The Playlist

For many, the obvious choice was poking at the title's choice of adjectives:

“The Incredible Burt Wonderstone isn’t incredible …” – Tom Long, Detroit News

“The Incredible Burt Wonderstone just isn’t.” – Gary Wolcott, Tri-City Herald

But special congratulations to those who went for the "magic" gag and the "incredible" gag:

“…leans on its stars to conjure laughs out of thin air …[E]nough comic haymakers land to make Burt Wonderstone credible, if not exactly ‘incredible.’” – Roger Moore, Movie Nation

“There’s not much cinematic magic in this tale. … It may be more The Merely Okay Burt Wonderstone…” – Frank Swietek, One Guy’s Opinion

“For my first trick, allow me to write off an entire picture by merely affixing to the title a one-word contraction: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone isn’t.” – Rick Groen, The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

“The only incredible thing about The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is that way it makes Steve Carell so thoroughly and irreparably unlikable. … And after it's over, poof! You'll forget you ever watched it in the first place.” – Christy Lemire, Associated Press