Carrey's return to box office greatness?

Rating: 8/10 (29 November 2008)

After commercial failures like Lemony Snicket, Fun with Dick and Jane and The Number 23 Jim Carrey could use another hit. Yes Man might just do the trick. It will undoubtedly not only mark Carrey's return to box office greatness (a 45 million dollar opening (when there are no snowstorms around)?), it will also go into history as the first movie in which the Canadian born actor gets oral sex on screen. No kidding. But more on that later.
Yes Man is a typical Jim Carrey feel good movie. Like Bruce Almighty (a human becomes God), The Mask (a mask transforms a zero into a hero) and Liar Liar (a man is forced to tell the truth all the time) the film has a strong but ridiculous premise. What would happen if you said yes to every offer that you got? The story features Carl Allen (Carrey), a dull man who got stuck in a dull life. He's living the same life for at least three years now  ever since his girlfriend left him for another. His best friend Peter (Bradley Cooper) tries to draw him back into life, but Carl remains a hermit, saying no to every invitation he gets. When he accidentally forgets Peter's engagement party Carl decides to change his life drastically. He signs up for a Yes Man seminar by philosophy guru Terrence Bundley (Terrence Stamp) and embraces life by saying yes to any offer that's made to him. Guitar lessons, flying lessons, even a penis enlargement: Carl is your man. And wow, his life does get better. Carl not only gets a promotion, he also meets the charming Alison (Zooey Deschanel), a free spirit who sings in a band and has a job as a photographer. The two fall in love. But what happens when Alison finds out about his Yes Man way of life and begins to doubt if he really wants to choose for her?
Ever since I saw the trailer I wanted to see Yes Man. In dark times we all need a laugh and let's face it: there's a lot of truth in the fact that only a Yes opens up new opportunities in life. Luckily, Jim Carrey fans should not be worried: Yes Man delivers the goods. The story is safely predictable and although Carrey carries the movie, he gets help from a strong supporting cast. Terrence Stamp is great as Yes man guru. Bradley Cooper  Carrey best friend in the movie - is a handsome man with some great screen presence. This movie could be his real breakthrough. But the real treat in Yes Man is Zooey Deschanel (The Happening, Bridge to Terabithia) as Carrey's love interest Alison. You can't help but falling in love with her in this movie. She's happily strange and immensely charming. I give her a 9/10 on the Drew Barrymore scale (with Drew having a 10/10 of course).
Storywise Yes man starts rather nice. When Carl learns that 'Yes' means progress and 'No' could mean punishment he reluctantly agrees to almost anything  including his 70 year old toothless female neighbor giving him oral sex. I don't know what to think of the scene actually. It is funny, but it's a long way from the Claw in Liar Liar  if you know what I mean. Needless to say, Yes man is not exactly family entertainment. On the other hand, in Transformers there was also a dialogue about masturbating. So maybe Hollywood is growing up. One of the funniest scenes is the one that follows the kissing of a beautiful girl in the bar (as seen in the trailer). Her boyfriend wants to beat up Carl and what follows is a very funny fight between a muscled dumbo and a very drunk Carrey. In this scene Carrey really shows his comedic talent. Pretty hilarious.
Overall Yes Man is nice entertainment. Carrey fans won't be disappointed and there are a lot of strong moments. Too bad the ending of the movie seems rushed. All the actions Carl undertakes under his Yes Man spell suddenly all turn out for the better (and that's just a little bit too convenient). The movie is only 82 minutes long and I suspect that there are a lot of scenes cut that could've given the story more drama and suspense. Despite the oral sex scene Yes Man is Jim Carrey's most romantic movie in a long while. Just watch the scene on the Hollywood Bowl stage... Well done!