Review

Review Date: 21-December-08
Spoiler Rating: Medium
Juju Judgment: Juicy

Yes Man (2008)

I like the premise of Yes Man. Carl Allen (Jim Carrey) is a divorced sad sack who has withdrawn from life but reinvents himself after pledging to a self-help guru (Terence Stamp) to say "Yes" to all opportunities. Will he grant the requests of a conniving hobo? Yes! Will he approve loans for questionable ventures in his job at a bank? Yes! Will he agree to throw a bridal shower for a friend's fiancée? Yes! Will he give in to the sexual advances of an octogenarian? Yes!

As would probably happen in real life, the quality of Carl's existence improves dramatically after he makes his resolution. Sure, some of his experiences aren't dreams come true, but deep drinkers at the well of life cannot be too choosy and this is after all a comedy. The first half of Yes Man is a catalog of his adventures which allows the viewer to share his liberation vicariously and to appreciate Carrey's talent for physical humor. If Carl's best friend (Bradley Cooper) has a rather narrow definition of life (marriage and beer), at least Carl's boss (Rhys Darby) is eccentric enough to become a memorable sidekick.

The second half of the movie is a bit of a letdown. The hero having been saved, where can the story go? The script seeks an answer in a romance with Hollywood's Off-Kilter Girl, Zooey Deschanel, which holds absolutely no surprises. Then a job promotion is introduced for the apparent purpose of conflict, but that goes nowhere. The movie decides that Carl should both embrace life and be a completely average guy like his best friend, which may be practical but sounds like a cop out. Still, he had a good run under a philosophy few people would dare to espouse, and that is reason enough to endorse this fluffy holiday fare.

Copyright © 2008 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.