Film review - Yes Man starring Jim Carrey (12A)

Dec 23 2008 by Michael Green, Chester Chronicle

JIM Carrey lives up to his usual comedic reputation in his new filmYes Man.

Finding himself at the crossroads, this time, not just as a character but an older funny man deep into midlife crisis territory with pressing identity reinvention issues, Carrey makes a winning bid to pull off sweet, sexy, serious and outrageous all at the same time.

Sourpuss LA loan officer, Carl (Carrey) spends his time avoiding his friends, brooding at his job, and spending every evening slumped on his sofa watching DVDs. Not exactly depressed, Carl just greets the world with either a sigh or a wince.

Then an old acquaintance Nick, the embodiment of the word “gusto”, pushes Carl to attend a self-help seminar led by motivational guru, Terrence Stamp. He ends up signing up for a self help programme based on one simple principle: say ‘yes’ to everything…and anything.

The life-changing mantra turns his life around – the problem is that he then swings in the opposite direction and becomes incapable of ever saying no, landing him in serious situations that require just backing off for his own good.

This plot gimmick veers suspiciously close to the 1997 Carrey film Liar Liar, in which his character compulsively tells the truth, even though supernatural intervention is the cause in that case.

In contrast, Yes Man believes in free will, with Carl at first struggling to agree to requests small and large, whether it be friends getting him to pick up the bar tab or a homeless person asking for a ride, but soon he’s showered with rewards.

In between battling his own assorted daffy demons, Carl encounters and falls in love with Allison (Zooey Deschanel), a ditzy outdoor health trainer, who’s wide-eyed and good-hearted, and shares the limelight with her own funny and quirky scenes.

As the good results roll in and Carl starts uttering “yes” without hesitation, Yes Man becomes less a story and more a collection of set-pieces, with everything from bungee-jumping to learning to play guitar, flying lessons and racing a motorbike.

A pattern sets in of Carl learning random skills, such as Korean lessons, which a few scenes later turns out to be precisely what he needs to solve a problem.

Carrey does his usual job here, but it’s not enough. Yes Man proves utterly formulaic. There a feel-good gathering of everyone Carl has helped, a trumped-up romantic crisis and a mad crosstown dash to round things off.

It’s a typical Jim Carrey movie, a silly, comedic mass of mishaps and unexpected turns and admittedly there are times when you can’t help but laugh.

STAR RATING: **