If you like Jim Carrey, you’ll probably get some yuks out of this formula comedy in which stuck-in-the-mud Carl, a bank loan agent, agrees to say yes to any and all requests after an encounter with a self-help guru.
It’s sort of a cousin to Carrey’s 1997 effort Liar, Liar, where he has to tell the truth. It’s a real mystery as to why everyone—the best friend he’s avoiding, his submisssive boss, the old lady next door, etc.—keep asking Carl to do things when he’s always said no. Nor is the setup very persuasive, but that’s the formula. There some fun to be had with the gimmick—in one scene, two people are asking him to do opposite things, which is amusing—but not enough for my taste. Instead, the humor is more about Carl suddenly becoming manic instead of depressed and agreeng to all sorts of things.
And then things take a turn toward romantic comedy. Zooey Deschanel is a game female lead, and a charmingly calm foil to Carrey’s mania, but I still have trouble with Carrey’s psycho vibe supposing to be enticing. For all but Carrey’s biggest fans, this is inessential.
IMDB link
viewed 12/11 (screening at Ritz Bourse) and reviewed 12/18/08
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