More of a "yeah" instead of a definitive YES, but, thanks to Carrey and the other fine cast members, it is still enjoyable

Rating: 7/10 (29 December 2008)

Bank loan officer, Carl (Jim Carrey) is in a self-imposed state of hibernation. Stinging from an acrimonious divorce, Carl goes to work each day but returns home immediately afterward and stays put, watching the boob tube. Even his friend, Peter (Bradley Cooper) can't get him to go out on the town and he is mightily ticked when Carl misses a pre-nuptial party for Peter's coming wedding. Yet, a chance encounter with an old friend leads Carl to an inspirational seminar run by Terrence (Terrence Stamp). With the word "yes" as his mantra, Terrence urges his adult attendees to affirm life by dumping negativity, taking some chances, and refusing to say "no" in social and work situations. Almost immediately, Carl's life changes. He takes a homeless man back to a city park, where he runs out of gas. But, amazingly, pretty Allison (Zooey Deschanel) is there to rescue him, offering him a seat on her motorbike and a ride to the nearest gas station. Carl likes what he sees and makes plan to get together with Allison again. At work, things change, also, to the delight of his British boss, Norman (Rhys Darby). Carl begins to give out more small loans and the company makes money, as folks gratefully make their payments, with interest, on time. But, in truth, is this a genuinely new Carl or just a temporary impostor, that is, is Carl's optimism real and enduring? This is an enjoyable film, thanks to the splendid cast. Naturally, Carrey deserves a great deal of the credit, for his facial expressions and physical antics are humorous and unique. Just watch him play a corpse, in a dream sequence, or tape up his face at work and you will be howling with laughter. He definitely carries this flick much farther than anyone else would have done. But, the supporting cast is quite fine, too, with Deschanel a treat as the spunky Allison, Cooper a nice second fiddle and Stamp a hoot as the inspirational guru. Then, too, the scenery in so-Cal is lovely, the costumes are inspired, and the production values topnotch. Therefore, the real weaknesses of the flick are its spotty script and direction, for the film has moments of high humor followed by blase bits of nothing. Yet, it still manages to come together at the finale, with gusto. If you are a fan of Carrey's, you will absolutely not want to miss him in action, he is one of American cinema's priceless treasures. However, if you just want to get out of the house and see something light and funny at the local theater, this is a good choice, yes.