DVD Rental: Just Say Yes to "Yes Man."

I'll admit it, I mainly wanted to watch this film because of Zooey Deschanel (and even more, the chance to see her sing) and was kind of just expecting the same typical, wacky humor that Jim Carrey has made his bitch since the early '90s. And it did have just that, but even still Carrey continues to charm and revamp the comedy he's well known for. It should feel old and yet it manages to compact the freshness of his earlier films. It's kind of like those Green Bags: you can keep stuff fresh for a longer period of time, and although you might be afraid to eat it because of its age, it still manages to taste alright in the end.

Despite my medium expectations, I still really enjoyed the movie: the comedic situations worked, plus the whole message about "just go out there and live your life" didn't feel too sugary to swallow. In fact, I did almost make me want to try new things (yes, I know that's a corn-tastic line, but try and bear with me on this one). The status quo of Carl (Jim Carrey) at the beginning lays out well at a good pace with hardly any drag that let's you know how much of a flake he is about keeping his appointments and how resistant he is to change. We've all had people in our lives like that, or we ourselves have gone through those things. I know I always try and make an excuse when my friends want to go bowling (not because I don't like them, but because I just hate bowling). But Carl's problem seems very deeply rooted to the point his friends (Bradley Cooper included) wouldn't be able to tell the difference if he was dead or alive.

Insert the inciting incident where an old friend of Carl's gives him a pamplet to a "Yes!" seminar. Carl shrugs it off, but when he sees that his stubbornness to pull through for his friends worsens, he decides to make the leap and find out how to be a "Yes Man." But he's resistant to it at first, particularly when a homeless asks for a ride home. Yet, as the film shows (much like "Liar Liar," but the same formula works here without being too cliched), whenever Carl says "yes" to an opportunity, good comes his way. When he says "no," (such as his rejection to an elderly neighbor's sexual advances), something bad happens. It makes Carl trapped in this covenant he made with himself and so allows for continuous conflict through the movie.

Carrey does make Carl's choices and changes believable, showing his reluctance to take hold of each opportunity as well as his casual acceptance that he needs to turn his life around. After meeting Allison (Zooey Deschanel), Carl suddenly becomes fused with more energy to say yes to everything. Deschanel is always delightfully quirky, especially in her electro-pop band "Munchausen By Proxy." I felt Allison was an integral part to the plot because she really completed Carl by showing him he can say "yes" for other reasons besides the covenant he made with the "Yes Man" inspirational speaker (Terence Stamp). Rhys Darby was equally satisfying as Carrey's boss/buddy, a New Zealander with a sincerely naive smile and an affinity for costume-themed parties.

While the movie goes for the conventional "three act formula," I barely paid much attention to it during my viewing. Obviously Allison was going to find out that Carl was just saying "yes" to everything even if he felt resistant to it, but that moment came when I was least expecting it. The film draws to a close as he tries to win Allison back, and although I was hoping for a less conventional ending (girl tells boy never to talk to her again, girl doesn't answer calls, girl finally relents when boy comes to see her), their reunion at the end was still touching without feeling sticky.


BOTTOM LINE: "Yes Man" fits well within the Jim Carrey genre, and although cliched and conventional at times, there were moments that breathed life into the film without getting too old.


PROS
1. Jim Carrey getting a BJ from an old lady ~ Please don't make me go into detail on this one.
2. Zooey Deschanel & Manchausen By Proxy
3. Zooey's scooter & helmet ~ So adorable.
4. Carrey singing a man down from a ledge ~ Alright, it sounds kind of overplayed, but it was a shining moment I felt.
5. The last scene ~ If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about.
6. Carrey trying to ride that motorbike at the end ~ It was so goofy I couldn't help but laugh.
7. Rhys Darby ~ Well known for "Flight of the Conchords." I love this man and the themed parties he throws in the movie.

CONS
1. Conventional ~ That's really the only criticism I think I have for it.


RATING
1/2 OUT OF 5