The Strange Case of Thespian Jim and Comedian Carrey

Rating: 7/10 (21 November 2009)

It's interesting that the film that does so well at solving the core problem of JC's style is his first big, starring role. He is hilarious when nothing stops him; it's really that simple. However, his schtick works best for sketch stuff, where the laughs are all straightforward and throw-away. For a feature, it really works best if you care about the characters, if they're credible and relatable. They are here. The risk at using extreme stuff for material is that, at the end of the day, we can't recognize it. We can't get completely into it. Here, the goofy antics are entirely linked to the alter ego that he also plays, explained as the catharsis for a repressed "nice guy". His facial expressions(clear through the well-done make-up) and voices and all are put to excellent use. The humor in this tends to be over the top, silly and wacky, and if you're up for it and enjoy such, you're likely to love that aspect of this. It's got inspiration from the classic Tex Avery cartoons, and a wide array of pop culture references. There is cleverness and parody as well. Ben Stein and his bone-dry wit are marvelous here. The plot is good, and in spite of being relatively typical stuff, it does surprise the audience. All parts are well-cast, and Diaz shines; it's no wonder this gave her a career. Pacing's great, this is never boring. The effects are perhaps dated today, but they show a real energy and enthusiasm, they all get the job done, and you can tell that these guys wanted to put something specific up on the screen, and would not stop trying 'till they did so, and that is always wonderful to see in a business we associate with jaded, cynical attitudes. The tone and look are spot-on, for walking a difficult balance between grotesque and cute. Editing and cinematography are well-done. The odd thing with this is that, for all the stuff that's written almost with them in mind, this isn't all child-friendly. While it is somewhat restrained, the violence and occasional disturbing content isn't necessarily something all parents will be OK with their kid seeing. In fact, I believe there are a bunch of people who did find watching this to be too intense when they were young. Nonetheless, if you think you'll be fine, and you like imagination-packed thrill-rides, then jump on. You won't want it to end. The DVD contains two entertaining and informational commentary tracks(the older of them has a little moderate to strong language), four documentaries that I will review individually since they have their own pages here on the site, two deleted scenes with the option of hearing the director go into why they were taken out, and what his intentions were with them, and finally, a theatrical trailer. I recommend this to any and all fans of Carrey, the style of jokes and gags, and the genres of fantasy and/or romance. 7/10