A load of number twos.

Rating: 4/10 (28 February 2007)

I thought this was a very poor film in every aspect. The director that turned the original Batman series into a vacuous fashion show has once again made a film that is all hype and no substance. The premise sounds interesting: a number that has some spooky significance. But this is badly executed from the start when the opening title sequence shows the number 23 occurring throughout history in important names and dates, contradicting the plot in which the number is a curse upon a single person. The effect is that by the time Carrey's character starts reeling off how the number has occurred through his life we have already seen how easy it is to contrive the number from almost anything, and any surprise or intrigue is lost. Carrey is capable of serious acting as proved in the excellent Truman Show and the underrated The Majestic, but here he detracts from the mood by making the character-building quips seem much funnier than they should be. This is not a terrible film, but it does not live up to any of the expectations it sets for itself. It is neither a credible horror, nor a vehicle for Jim Carrey's talents.