Funny in parts, but mostly doesn't work as a film

Rating: 4/10 (10 May 2009)

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
Carl Allen (Jim Carrey) works in a bank, spending his time rejecting most of the loans customers apply for. Outside of work, he has a negative attitude that sees him missing out on a lot in life, including the engagement party of his good friend Peter (Bradley Cooper.) He bumps into an old friend who takes him to a self help seminar where a guru embraces him to say 'yes' to everything-and actually puts a curse on him where saying 'no' will result in something bad. Before long, Carl's saying 'yes' to literally everything, causing complications in his work life and personal life.
I've become quite an avid reader of Danny Wallace's '...is a man' column in ShortList Magazine, which I pick up for free every Thursday on my way into work. The man has an undeniable way with words and for bringing fairly ordinary situations he's found himself in during the past week to life in the most vivid and outrageous way possible, I call to mind his experiences in a chip shop with a drunk guy who thought he was mute, sitting behind a guy on a train who talked loudly into his mobile while placing a large order and confrontations with builders outside his home. This is an adaptation of a novel he wrote based on a philosophy he adapted in his own life where he had too much of a negative attitude. I haven't read it (hadn't even heard about it!) but I'm sorry to say Yes Man hasn't translated into a great film.
There are some very funny moments (that are uniquely Wallace in their hilariousness), but as a whole the film is very hard to get into and fails to really hold your attention. In the lead role, Carrey seems to have matured and refrains from too much gurning and mugging (except from a scene where he's consumed too much Red Bull!) but he can't work to his best with the weak material. With the current economic climate, a scene where he's reprimanded for granting too many loans may even be seen as tasteless by some. I'm just nit picking now, but the fact is this is a disappointing film that only manages to be sporadically funny. **