"Yes Man" (2008) - Movie Review

Jim Carrey would hurt himself and embarrass to maximum extent unknown to the human kind to get a laugh. In his earlier film career it fell short and later he matured and embraced the art of careful consideration unlike the lead character role Carl he takes on in “Yes Man”. It is a film we have seen before in “Liar Liar” and “Bruce Almighty” wherein a average joe would do abnormal things. Here he begins to say Yes whenever an opportunity presents itself regardless of its sanity and stupidity. Good news is Carrey makes it work, bad news though is the predictable end you afraid would happen.

It would be futile to summate the film as the title and promos says it all. When we meet the lifeless Carl avoiding phone calls from his friend Peter (Bradley Cooper) and pretty much saying No to every single thing put up on his face, we see a character. The minute he comes out of the seminar of self improvement, Carrey is born. The Carrey we have seen in the previous films I mentioned emerges doing the things he does best. The thing is we like that Carrey and when he clicks, it is good and the casual comedy we would like to relax. In “Yes Man” it is better because of a likable romance with the known stereotypic spontaneous girl Allison (Zooey Deschanel). The trend of the society and cinema has exhausted so many characters that the outcast are becoming common.

Anyways the film is an easy ride. The mindless comedy as that of the block buster mindless action in its churning redundancy of clock work. I would not deny that I had fun in the times when Carrey does his drunk man and the unbelievable cinematic matching talk between him and Deschanel. The nudge I have is how many times we are going to see this? And the final crazy stunt to the opening up of the heart in the films of this kind drains me. Hence despite major amounts of good laughs in the film, as the end neared it is like this open acceptance of the stupidity the screenplay gets into among the audience. That annoyed me.

Sufficient part of the film amidst its predictability had original materials in the form of dialogues and events. The remaining part where the clash between the couple, invite from the ex and the revelation paving to the big stunt ending with a make up note was plainly disgusting. I am sorry director Peyton Reed but the laziness while wrapping the film is unforgivable. Mainly unforgivable because of a certain signs of hope in the initial part of the film.

Coming back to Jim Carrey, the early ages of my Hollywood cinema had him through one of the funniest film of his “The Mask”. He can twist every single muscle in his face and would come up with a cartoon figure which could wither away the stern look from any one. What impressed me more was his later choices in his career. “The Truman Show” and the great “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”. He simply can do character role as equally good as comic role. I want those in the midst of these regular runs of comedies from him. He is good at it.

In the end the real answer for the question of whether to suggest “Yes Man” would be a may be. I am sure the people leaving the cinema hall would have had jolly good time and would also forgive the predictability for the greater good of the comedy. I almost did it but enough is enough. There needs to be a line and there needs to be a limit. The same happens with the romantic comedies and this does not escape from it.