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Published on Friday, December 19, 2008 - 10:06am |
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Capone says 'No, man' to YES MAN!!!
Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
Let me be clear right up front. I will always, always be grateful to director Peyton Reed for making BRING IT ON, one of the finest cheerleader tease films in recent memory. Reed also made the very funny Vince Vaughn/Jennifer Aniston work THE BREAK UP, but really, it's BRING IT ON that solidifies him as a filmmaker of quality and integrity. Ahem. So when I say that his latest work, the Jim Carrey vehicle YES MAN doesn't live up the high standards that Reed set for himself with his 2000 masterpiece, you understand what I'm saying. But even ignoring that comparison (and how could you, really?), YES MAN is largely a disappointment.
I won't lie and say I didn't laugh, because I did a few times. Carrey throws every silly voice, weird body contortion and goofy face he possesses into this performance as bank loan officer Carl Allen, who decides his passionless life is wrecking his friendships and sending his life spiraling toward a very dark and unhappy place. Since his divorce three years earlier, he has avoided as many forms of human contact as he can, even with his best friends. When he is dragged to a motivational speech delivered with hilarious flair by Terence Stamp, playing a positivity guru who believes his followers should say 'Yes' to every opportunity that comes their way, Carl takes this to heart and begins literally answering every request from anyone and everyone in the affirmative. If this is beginning to sound like a one-joke premise, you've noticed early on the film's deepest problem.
Despite a few missteps, saying yes to everything seems to work out pretty well for our hero. He meets a sweet, eccentric Allison (Zooey Deschanel), who falls for Carl's passion for life. He doesn't bother to tell her about his recently acquired philosophy of life, and of course, this comes back to haunt him when things start to get serious between the two. In fact, it's this little plot element that typifies the problems I had with this movie. Carl tells everyone about his "say yes" way of life except Allison. Why? Because if he did, the story couldn't move forward, and it sets up the inevitable conflict between them toward the end of the movie. The entire film is designed this way. Characters are introduced for the sole purpose of moving the story forward and not because they are particularly interesting or worth getting to know in any way.
Here's an example. Carl has a neighbor named Tillie, an older woman played by the great Irish actress Fionnula Flanagan, who has a bit of a libido. Prior to adopting his new 'Yes' philosophy, Carl easily rejects her advances without too much trouble. Guess what happens later in the film? It's bad enough that this great actress is reduced to the worst kind of cliché, but the character literally serves one purpose that is telescoped from the opening minutes of the story. The same can be said for the character of Carl's nerdy boss Norman (played by New Zealand actor Rhys Darby from "Flight of the Conchords"), whose awkward attempts at palling around with Carl are rejected initially. But once the transformation happens, hilarity ensues. The entire film is this mild form of torture, with every comic moment, conflict and plot turn so obviously predictable that it actually hurt my brain.
I know what you're thinking: It's a Jim Carrey movie; what the hell do you expect? The sad answer is: Not much. Let's be honest: with his comedies of late, Carrey has been coasting, building up a head of steam (and fistfuls of cash) so he can try something out of the ordinary (THE NUMBER 23; LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS; THE MAJESTIC; ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND). As you can see, most of these non-traditional efforts were not successful or even very good (ETERNAL SUNSHINE being the standout exception), and so Carrey gets pigeon holed into works like YES MAN. He knows he can be funny in these sort of vehicles, but that doesn't make them any less of a struggle to sit through. I don't mean to imply that this film is as torturous as FUN WITH DICK AND JANE; it's certainly not. And while I did laugh a few times at YES MAN, I just didn't find the experience of watching it all that fulfilling. If you are someone who doesn't mind shutting down your brain to watch a film, you could do worse, I suppose, but don't make it a habit.
-- Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com

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Reader Talkback
First! by hypnotron | Dec 19th, 2008 09:08:34 AM | Bruce Almighty was funny by Maxer | Dec 19th, 2008 09:10:34 AM | I'm sorry but... by red_weed | Dec 19th, 2008 09:11:00 AM | Liar Liar part 2 by Flyingcircus | Dec 19th, 2008 09:16:29 AM | Looks funny to me by Reckoner | Dec 19th, 2008 09:19:50 AM | I'm not seeing this in
theaters BUT by MJDeViant | Dec 19th, 2008 09:20:18 AM | And Capone... by geraldbeans | Dec 19th, 2008 09:28:48 AM | In a previous thread someone
describe the premise for by Big Jim | Dec 19th, 2008 09:29:15 AM | geraldbeans, I think Capone's
problem was the clumsy by Big Jim | Dec 19th, 2008 09:34:45 AM | The Break Up was terrible. by Elemeno Pee | Dec 19th, 2008 09:41:44 AM | Don't you mean "telegraphed"
from the opening... by FlickaPoo | Dec 19th, 2008 09:49:59 AM | Anger Management, The Love
Guru, now this by Spandau Belly | Dec 19th, 2008 09:50:06 AM | Completley shit trailer by wash | Dec 19th, 2008 10:05:15 AM | Looks good by Mr Slippy Fist | Dec 19th, 2008 10:07:19 AM | I didn't see this when it was
Liar, Liar by GrandMuffTarkin | Dec 19th, 2008 10:08:33 AM | Review in less than 100 words by Roberts | Dec 19th, 2008 10:12:14 AM | This movie could have been
good by OBSD | Dec 19th, 2008 10:14:52 AM | Spotless Mind and Lemony
Sniket were great by Stormwatcher | Dec 19th, 2008 10:20:28 AM | Zooey Deschanel = I will at
least watch on cable by FluffyUnbound | Dec 19th, 2008 10:28:09 AM | Not as funny as Paul Blart:
Mall Cop by Nasty In The Pasty | Dec 19th, 2008 10:55:35 AM | jiminy by Series7 | Dec 19th, 2008 11:08:46 AM | Rhys Darby is brilliant. I'm
glad he's getting bigger gigs. by Mr Nicholas | Dec 19th, 2008 11:09:12 AM | Also on Kimmel he was just by Series7 | Dec 19th, 2008 11:09:48 AM | Did anyone else by Series7 | Dec 19th, 2008 11:17:07 AM | Bring it on was the hottest
non-porno ever by I Dunno | Dec 19th, 2008 11:27:15 AM | DEAR JIM CARREY by ArcadianDS | Dec 19th, 2008 11:59:02 AM | Zooey Deschanel needs better
work... by RockLobster800 | Dec 19th, 2008 12:08:20 PM | Slapstick concept comedies by Sometimes I Guess | Dec 19th, 2008 12:13:20 PM | I'm in the minority also by skimn | Dec 19th, 2008 12:20:10 PM | Peyton Reed..didn't he do Down
With Love? by skimn | Dec 19th, 2008 12:23:32 PM | Capone, Majestic and Lemony
Snicket were wonderful by cyrent | Dec 19th, 2008 12:25:26 PM | I will never see a movie thats
'Kinda O.K.' by uberman | Dec 19th, 2008 12:30:04 PM | DerLanghaarige by BadMrWonka | Dec 19th, 2008 12:40:56 PM | Restraunt at the End of the
Universe? by enderandrew | Dec 19th, 2008 12:45:04 PM | Eternal Sunshine still a
masterpiece by oisin5199 | Dec 19th, 2008 12:46:34 PM | Is Carrey so one-dimensional? by Sithtastic | Dec 19th, 2008 12:46:53 PM | Carrey hasn't been funny for
years. by AllPowerfulWizardOfOz | Dec 19th, 2008 01:01:18 PM | Eternal Bore by BackwardGalaxy | Dec 19th, 2008 01:15:43 PM | Peaks by mos6507 | Dec 19th, 2008 01:53:28 PM | Restaurant at the End of the
Universe. by Tin Snoman | Dec 19th, 2008 01:56:26 PM | Yes Man = Liar Liar by SomaShine | Dec 19th, 2008 02:07:31 PM | DerLanghaarige by BadMrWonka | Dec 19th, 2008 02:24:02 PM | Carrey should have been the
NICHOLSON by David Cloverfield | Dec 19th, 2008 02:26:07 PM | ACTUALLY, THE MOVIE IS PRETTY
FUNNY... by Executor | Dec 19th, 2008 02:39:43 PM | The funniest I have ever seen
Jim Carey by Alkeoholic77 | Dec 19th, 2008 03:52:55 PM | The Truman Show by TheHumanBeingAndFish | Dec 19th, 2008 03:53:52 PM | Funniest Jim Carrey? by Tin Snoman | Dec 19th, 2008 04:30:15 PM | by worldofwarcraft | Dec 19th, 2008 04:30:19 PM | Der Lang, I'm with you on
that... by worldofwarcraft | Dec 19th, 2008 04:43:18 PM | This is lazy work for Carrey,
and I say this as a former
fan. by Orbots Commander | Dec 19th, 2008 04:59:31 PM | I liked Dick and Jane, Breakup
sucked by Chuck_Chuckwalla | Dec 19th, 2008 05:52:38 PM | As shitty as this movie
looks... by wash | Dec 19th, 2008 06:17:51 PM | Agree with cyrent's post by SlyAndTheFamilyStallone | Dec 19th, 2008 06:25:25 PM | Wash, agreed--Number 23 is
pretty wretched. by Orbots Commander | Dec 19th, 2008 06:32:22 PM | I wasn't gonna see it anyway by Aeghast | Dec 19th, 2008 06:39:39 PM | I despair for Zooey Deschanel. by MaxTheSilent | Dec 19th, 2008 07:02:23 PM | He's great in the Lemony
Snicket flick. by Dingbatty | Dec 19th, 2008 07:02:37 PM | LAUGHED the WHOLE movie!! by antonphd | Dec 19th, 2008 07:59:29 PM | Stupidest Jim Carrey moment by Grammaton Cleric Binks | Dec 19th, 2008 08:57:32 PM | How appropriate... by Rocco Curioso | Dec 20th, 2008 03:26:15 AM | Rhys Darby is a genius. by Kid Idioteque | Dec 20th, 2008 07:58:29 AM | Rubber-Faced Fartsmith... by Aquatarkusman | Dec 20th, 2008 08:43:53 AM | Munchasen by Proxy by terry1978 | Dec 20th, 2008 09:36:30 AM | "it's BRING IT ON that
solidifies him as a filmmaker
of quality by mayorofsmpleton | Dec 20th, 2008 02:14:03 PM | After reading that I
realize... by palpeedude | Dec 21st, 2008 03:26:32 AM | Von Iva by cgh123 | Dec 21st, 2008 03:52:52 AM | I just realized... by palpeedude | Dec 21st, 2008 10:37:24 AM | by Napolean Solo | Feb 4th, 2009 04:43:05 AM |
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