Impressive and charming

Rating: 9/10 (7 January 2009)

Did I like this movie? YES Do I recommend you to see this movie? YES Will I buy this movie on DVD when it comes out? MAYBE (Maybe's good enough) The last film I saw at the cinemas was 'Step Brothers'. I left the cinema that day disappointed. I was fearing for the state of today's comedy films. Despite this, I watched Yes Man with a great deal of optimism, after being impressed with the trailer. And it was if the laws of attraction pulled through, because Yes Man is a very funny movie. I laughed more times (and harder) in the first 20 minutes of Yes Man than I did for the entire duration of Step Brothers.
Here's the plot: Jim Carrey stars as Carl Allen, a middle-aged man who is extremely stubborn towards all around him. He has a lot of trouble saying 'yes' to things and often escapes events and functions with a pack of lies. One night, Carl gets a phone call from his best friend Peter (Bradley Cooper), because Carl didn't attend Peter's engagement party (Carl would rather be at his local video store). Carl says he didn't want to go because he might see his ex-wife. Carl is eventually dragged along to a 'Say Yes!' convention by a friend, where he is singled out by the 'Guru of Yes!' and makes a covenant with himself to say 'yes' to everything.
He first exercises this covenant when he gives a homeless man a lift to a secluded area. This man also uses Carl's phone (and runs out the battery), runs out Carl's gas and asks for all his money (he has to say 'yes', remember?). So Carl runs to the nearest gas station (which isn't near at all), where he meets a young woman called Allison. Allison owns a motor scooter, and gives Carl a lift back to his car. They share a quick kiss then part ways.
Carl thinks that he has a chance with Allison, and realises that saying 'yes' can lead to great fortune (he never would have met her if he didn't give the homeless man a lift). So 'Yes Man' is a tale of serendipity, but it's not all lain out on a bed of roses. Saying 'yes' isn't always the way to go, and Carl learns that as the film progresses.
I can draw comparisons between this movie and Harold Ramis' 'Groundhog Day'. Phil Connors and Carl Allen are both similar, though Carl isn't as cynical as Phil. Both films are about a man trying to sort out his life, while making others feel happy.
The message I interpreted from this film is that life's too short to say 'no' to everything, and that sometimes you should take a risk, because it may turn out for the better. Sometimes the best things pass us by, and we end up regretting not pouncing on the opportunity.
In case you're wondering why I didn't give it 10/10, in my opinion, the ending was a little anti-climatic. Now I think of it, it reminds me of a scene you would see in The Simpsons, which of course, isn't a bad thing exactly, but it doesn't suit the context of this movie. If you love pop-culture references, you will have plenty of fun with this film (from Harry Potter to Red Bull).
I thought that only Judd Apatow and Co. were the only group of people who could pull off the modern-day comedy, but after seeing Yes Man, I believe there is a great chance of the comedy genre making a comeback. Jim Carrey never fails to entertain, he is gifted with this natural aura of effervescence. This role looks as if it was made especially for him, and he passed with flying colours.
The bottom line: It's better to be an optimist than to be a pessimist. Seize opportunities you may feel ambivalent towards, you have more to gain than you have to lose, even if what you gain isn't tangible.