Seen on: December 19, 2008

The players: Director: Peyton Reed, Writers: Jarrad Paul, Andrew Mogel, Nicholas Stoller, Cast: Jim Carrey, Rhys Darby, Bradley Cooper, Zooey Deschanel, Sasha Alexander

Facts of interest: Based on the book by Danny Wallace.

The plot: Carrey plays a man who decides to say yes to everything and anything.

Our thoughts: Yes, Jim Carrey’s latest comedy “Yes Man” is overall enjoyable to watch, but no, it’s by no means one of the best comedies of the year. I wouldn’t even go as far and say it’s a memorable ride. Sure, the film boasts a solid dose of light humor and a couple of refreshing performances, but besides that, it’s a pretty thin and at times quite repetitive experience.

In what is undoubtedly his best performance since “Lemony Snicket,” Carrey stars as Carl Allen, a bank employee who purposely avoids everyone and says no to everything. He always declines his clients’ loan applications, he never answers his friends’ calls, and he spends his nights alone in his apartment watching movies.

Although he doesn’t show it on the outside, deep inside Carl is leads a miserable existence. But then all of a sudden, Carl meets an old friend who drags him to an vibrant self-help event that will eventually change his life forever. Reluctant at first, Carl quickly realizes he has to break his habits, which is why he decides to say yes to everything and anything.

A simple as it sounds, that’s exactly what Carrey’s character does for pretty much the rest of the movie. While it’s fun to observe what kind of weird offers Carl forces himself to accept in the beginning, the novelty of the concept quickly wears off as the plot becomes a little too monotonous.

Spicing up the story line a bit is Carl’s romantic encounter with the open-minded Allison (Zooey Deschanel), a charming artist who admires his enthusiasm and helps him fill the gaps in his life. The relationship between the two even makes “Yes Man” sweeter than it is hilarious.

Most of the jokes Carrey delivers work out just fine, while some fail because of bad comic timing. That said, the main problem I have with the film is not the humor, but the lack of depth. As I mentioned before, Carrey’s “yes saying” is entertaining only for so long, and besides that, there’s not much else to discover in the movie.

The plot ends up becoming a little predictable, and the lesson behind the main story line is simple: don’t say no to everything, but be careful enough not to say yes to everything and anything. Find a balance between the two and say yes to the things you know will make you happier. Duh!

Carrey certainly proves he still has what it takes to make audiences laugh, but I have to admit he lacks some of the energy he so brilliantly radiated in some of his past films. Zooey Deschanel turns in a cute performance, while Bradley Cooper and Danny Masterson look good as Carl’s buddies. The only annoying guy was Rhys Darby as Carl’s geeky boss.

Freaky quote: “I do want to take guitar lessons. I do want to learn how to fly. Yes, I would like to learn Korean." – Jim Carrey

The final word: Audiences will likely enjoy this film because of Carrey’s goofy attitude and his moderately funny facial expressions. “Yes Man” is a pretty simplistic comedy with absolutely no surprises, but it definitely serves as a decent afternoon diversion at the movies. As forgettable as it is, it’s not a waste of time, and that’s worth something.

Article by Franck Tabouring