Funny and entertaining feel good movie

Rating: 8/10 (14 February 2010)

Recap: Carl is getting tired of his life. His wife has left him, he is being overlooked at work and he has just the spark. He start to avoid his friends, who in turn is getting tired of dragging him out of his apartment. But then he runs in into an old acquaintance that invites him to a convention that will change his life. There Carl is challenged and he enters into an agreement that he takes literally. To any question or proposition he must answer yes, whatever the consequences. And suddenly his boring life is turned into a wild and wacky ride, and fate seems there to reward him. Work suddenly seems promising, and above all, he meets this new girl.
Comments: A very warm, actually inspiring but above all, a really funny movie. I enjoyed it very much, and even though a star like Jim Carrey brings a lot of expectations with him, both he and the movie exceeded them. This was just a lot more funnier, a lot more entertaining than I expected.
Jim Carrey is cast perfectly in this role. It lets him utilize his unique brand of comedy and wacky acting that once made him famous, but also combine it with some of the more serious aspects he has been looking for in recent years. According to trivia this was something both Carrey and director Peyton Reed aimed for, and I think they succeeded very well. Zooey Deschanel was a real positive surprise for me. Having seen her in a few films before I haven't been impressed. This time she really stood out. She managed to give her character, the girl that the lead is interested in, so many more sides than is usually done. Many times the girl of interest is just beautiful, and Zooey was, but she also had her own quirky way, combined with a caring sweetness. She contributed very much to the success of this movie with her character, and she worked very well with Carrey. They both had good support from the other cast too, to many to mention them all. But I would wish that Danny Masterson found a role that would put him more in the limelight, he got the talent.
What really makes this movie successful is that it doesn't depend on Carrey as the sole resource of fun. As mentioned the other cast contribute well, but so does the story itself. It is very well written, and puts mostly Carl in a lot of odd, but funny situations. It develops well and doesn't reuse the same joke too much, it keeps inventive and because of it, very funny and entertaining.
It was a positive surprise for me, in more than one way. It was just one of those rare movies that are both very funny and thoughtful at the same time. Recommended.
8/10