Yes Man (2008 film)

Released: December 19, 2008
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, John Michael Higgins, Terence Stamp

You either love Jim Carrey or you hate him, I'm in the love camp as a fellow Canuck. Jim Carrey sort of strayed from his comedy roots in the mid to late 2000's taking on more serious roles in movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and the The Number 23. With Yes Man, I got that vibe that Carrey was returning to comedy.

Yes Man is a film that most people can probably relate too. Jim Carrey plays Carl Allen, a low level bank employee in Los Angeles who was a coming off a nasty divorce. The divorce turned him into an apathetic wreck stuck in a boring daily routine of going to work and then coming home. He is avoiding his good friends Pete (Bradley Cooper) and Steven Hyde I mean Rooney played by Danny Masterson of That 70's Show fame. Masterson pretty much plays a less edgy carbon copy version of his iconic television character. Things are going good for Pete and he's on the verge of getting married but he's worried about Carl because of his lifestyle and negative view of life.

Carl ignores his friend but eventually he tries to change his ways attending a seminar with another friend of Carl's called "Yes!" run and promoted by a millionaire guru Terrence Bundley played by Terrence Stamp who promises his fans that saying "Yes" to everything will make their life more rich and fulfilling. Carl leaves the seminar not really agreeing with it but after a series of random events in which he meets an indie rocker and new love interest Allison played by Zooey Deschanel he begins to say yes to everything and his life changed completely.

Carl begins to take flying lessons, language corses, guitar lessons, picks up a Persian wife on the internet, he pretty much says yes to everything. His decisions not only make Carl a happier and easy going man but they also have impacts on his friends in positive ways. Carl uses his mastery of the guitar to convince a guy who wants to kill himself not to jump off a building.

What is really funny about the movie is that no matter what request he is given he says yes to, things end up working out in his favor. He goes over his bank's quota of loans giving everyone that comes into his office with a crazy business ventors and reasons for the loans money. One of the big boys from above comes down to Carl's bank and Carl thinks he will be fired but the boss tells him that everyone he loaned money too managed to pay off their loans making the banks lots of money and he gets a huge promotion and pay increase.

The premise behind this movie seems ludicrous but it works and by the end of the film the movie has a deeper message to not only live life to the fullest but Carl eventually leans from Terrence Stamp's character that you cannot say yes to everything.

Yes Man reminds me of Liar Liar (1997) with some Dumb and Dumber (1994) moments. Jim Carrey is great in the film and brings the films main source of laughter. Like I said in my review of (500) Days of Summer, Zooey Deschanel is cute as hell and she brings that indie flare to the film. I see a future leading lady in the making. The rest of the characters however? Completely transparent and forgettable with the exception of comedian Rhys Darby who plays Norman, Carl's hillarious and easy going bank manager. He really comes out of nowhere in this movie stealing the show from Bradley Cooper, Danny Masterson, and even Terrence Stamp.

What is strange about this movie is that it isn't as formulaic as you would expect in a comedy like this. Carl has a big rise to the top but he doesn't really lose that momentum and have a fall from grace compared to most comedies. There is one part where his constant abuse of saying "yes" to everything backfires but things still work out for him.

But Yes Man is carried on the back of Jim Carrey the whole time, I was disappointed with the rest of the cast minus a few exceptions and the film was kind of rushed toward the end. If your a fan of movies like Liar Liar, I would give this a try.

The Verdict: 3.0