Elevates the term 'adequate', but never rises above it.

Rating: 6/10 (15 July 2010)

Yes Man is yet another Jim Carrey vehicle, trying to cash in on his bankability while also giving him more scope to emote than in some of his earlier films. Plotwise, a forlorn shell of a divorcée finds new direction in life when a self-help seminar convinces him to say 'Yes!' to anything and everything. He meets a girl. Complications arise. Hilarity should then ensue.
This film never relies on quick gags and funny faces for comedy. Instead we see Carrey's understated loans manager thrust into a variety of predicaments that would have confronted his original character. When it does descend into Carrey-patented rubber-face, is seems exploitative and not at all funny. Flight of the Conchords alumni Rhys Darby is brought in for comic relief, but in much the same vein as the rest of the film – characters forced into awkward and slightly ridiculous situations. It's amusing, but never hilarious, in the vein of Bruce Almighty rather than Ace Ventura.
The supporting cast are admirably adequate, Zooey Dechanel lively if somewhat bland, and Bradley Cooper and Danny Masterton as the obligatory best friends fit the stereotype they are called upon to play. Essentially, the success and failure of Yes Man are that it is standard Hollywood fare. Acting, writing, production values and so on are all adequate, but there is no adventure or risk involved. Terence Stamp enjoys stealing a couple of scenes, but even he seems a little tired by the whole process.
Yes Man harks back to Liar, Liar – Carrey's character is forced to do things that he would otherwise avoid, but this is devoid of the family warmth and sense of the ridiculous that made Liar, Liar a surprisingly enduring film, and all seems a bit self-conscious. It's humorous and harmless, a pleasant film to watch of an evening, but nothing that demands repeat viewings.