Heart-warming and more than good for a light hearted chuckle every now and then.

Rating: Null/10 (27 December 2008)

There are those out there specifically speaking, there are critics out there- who often take it upon themselves to point out that Jim Carrey is an actor who plays the same hand, badly, movie after movie. I, believe it or not, am not one of these people. Growing up as a child, nobody made me laugh half as much as Ace Ventura, and I don't even want to estimate how many times I seen most of Mr. Carrey's movies of the nineties. As far as I was concerned, there was nobody funnier on the big screen.
Many years on, I still find at least some joy in watching the man play out familiar routines, but find much greater fun in seeing him stretch out and trying new things. Yes Man is an example of Carrey in mature comedy mode- to some degree. For sure, this isn't The Mask or Dumb and Dumber, and it sure as hell doesn't pull out the laughs as much as those movies, but there's a lot more to be said for the film's value as a substantial, character-driven piece of romantic comedy. I make no pretences, this isn't a masterpiece of any sort; there are numerous flaws to Yes Man's tale, but that doesn't mean that it is without any value. Heart-warming and more than good for a light hearted chuckle every now and then, this is Carrey doing adult, and it's an uplifting, albeit slightly underplayed couple of hours.
Taking a rather unconventional approach to storytelling, Yes Man is a feature that, like most feel-good-life-revelation movies, the main focus here is about the main character and how he changes his life for the better. In this happy-go-lucky sphere, there isn't much room for the key ingredient that playwrights will swear by- I'll give you a clue, it begins with c and ends in onflict. As a result, Yes Man can be slow moving I mean, extremely slow moving. Surviving mainly on gags and character-development for the better half of the feature, the writers don't seem too worried that there really isn't much for the viewer to be paying attention for, and yet this is slightly liberating despite its sometimes irksome pacing consequences.
In case you didn't know already, Yes Man is a story like this year's The Bucket List, in that our central character realises he must change his life rapidly in order to enjoy it to the fullest. For Carl Allen (Carrey), a meek, always-say-no insurance shark, this comes in form of an organisation or, a more appropriate, but keenly avoided term, cult- that embraces the word "yes" as their simple but effective mantra. Extremely sceptical at first, it doesn't take long for Carl to realise the benefits of such a philosophy after his first night living by it ends in him sharing a kiss with the lovely freebird Allison (Zooey Deschanel); from here it's just a matter of agreeing to everything that comes his way- which, admittedly can result in some awkward, but hysterically amusing segments.
From here on in, the movie moves from gimmicky comedy to focus more on character and romance. This shift in gear helps break Yes Man away from its early amusing, but largely soulless scenes and develop those who inhabit the screen into characters we care for. Carrey, who adopts a tone here that is similar to his work in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (arguably, his finest film to date), manages to establish a mostly plausible mix of genuine warmth and his usual shtick and slapstick; those who appreciate both sides of the actor will get a lot out of it, though one suspects many will only be distracted by the more zany sides of Carl. On the opposite side of the story, Zooey Deschanel plays a role not that dissimilar from her earlier effort from this year in The Happening, but is certainly given a lot more to breathe here. As a love interest, Deschanel is as alluring as she need be, and counterbalances her softer core with a welcome independent edge.
Of course, Yes Man isn't all yes, yes, yes; there are problems here, and one cannot help but be somewhat critical towards the unsustainable premise of the feature. Yet despite the pacing issues, and a lack of drama or conflict that feels natural or warranted, there nevertheless remains an enjoyable, heart-warming core to Yes Man's story that is very hard to refute. There will be moments when you may look at your watch, perhaps roll your eyes at the movie's more over-the-top scenes which clash with the adult-orientated segments, but by the time the credits roll, there's little doubt that you'll be feeling uplifted. As far as comedy or romance goes, Yes Man is by no means perfect either; in fact both elements are lukewarm for a large part of the feature, but as a character-drama, the feature remains compelling to watch unfold. For that reason I simply recommend this to those who seek something a little familiar but at the same time, more contemplated and reserved. There are brash moments in Yes Man, yet these are moments of mere background noise contrasted against sweet melody that is played in the foreground.

A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)