Jim Carrey hasn't hit comedy pay dirt since Bruce Almighty (and even that's being generous). Looking back, his best roles of the last decade have been dramatic as opposed to the funny-man persona that made him famous all those years ago. While doesn't remedy Carrey's comedic drought, it at least gives us brief flashes to remind us why we used to like laughing with him so much. The reason his latest foray doesn't laugh us into hysterics is that it feels contrived. Yes Man reminded me of Liar Liar in its simplicity of plot that spirals out of control into hilarity. Being compared to Liar Liar should be considered an honor; though at the same time, the comparison doesn't do much to help sell Yes Man.
Carl Allen (Jim Carrey) will probably seem familiar to everyone - we all have a Carl in our lives. He's the guy who sequesters himself off on weekends opting for the comfort of a movie on the couch instead of a night out with friends. Hell, Carl might remind you of yourself on the harder nights. What Yes Man requires for the scenario to work, is that Carl has no other pattern. Carl has firmly adopted the ‘no' mantra that has essentially cut him off from any and all social connections as his friend Peter (Bradley Cooper) lays out all too obviously in the opening 10 minutes. To further drive home the point that Carl knows ‘no' better than any other man alive, he has the job of ultimate decline: loan manager.
To save him from his plight of negativity, Nick (John Michael Higgins) turns on Carl to a ‘Yes' seminar led by spooky Terrence Bundley (Terence Stamp). This whole set up for the comedy that follows reeks of familiarity. But why? Remember Shallow Hal? Suddenly Jack Black sees people's true selves after an elevator run-in with a self-help guru. For Yes Man, Jim Carrey's trend of unending yay-saying begins after an enthusiastic Terrence yells at him. I know Yes Man has a book as its source material, but the fact remains that Yes Man and Shallow Hal suffer from disturbingly similar set ups.
The immediate theme of Yes Man would seem to be nothing more than "open up yourself to the possibility of yes". While the movie is slinging that theme around both Cooper and the audience alike just shake their heads at the forced naivete of Carl. Even a child learns the value of saying no - and yet, for the sake of a flimsy comedic premise - Carl's character just throws all common sense to the wind. The results are sometimes comedic but the basic issues and problems of Yes Man ground the movie with no chance to soar.
Jim Carrey's comedy was best when it was so far over the top that the audience had little question that the man was insane. The Ace Ventura series, Dumb and Dumber, The Mask, Liar Liar, Me, Myself & Irene and Man on the Moon all let Carrey run free with his insanity. These were Carrey's funniest moments and yet he's seemed to have forgotten the elements of these earlier triumphs that made his performances so memorable. Yes Man gives him a few moments to shine but mostly he just falls flat.
Zooey Deschanel gives Yes Man its heart. As Allison the rocking, scooter-riding, photographing jogger, Zooey delivers the laughs not from antics but from wide-eyed absorption of Carl's activity and exuberance. Zooey is perfect here.
Rhys Darby steals the comedic show as the nervous and squirrely Norman. Desperate for the male camaraderie that Carl shuns in favor of solitude, Norman is that guy from work we all know. That may be Yes Man's true success, it aptly succeeds in creating screen incarnations of people we recognize all too well.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
Well, let's hear it for the beauty of the trend that is the Blu-ray and digital copy combo. Along with that increasingly common occurrence, Yes Man features an official Gag Reel as well as a secondary one in the form of "Downtime on the set of Yes Man with Jim Carrey". While not an outtake reel like the previous two, "Jim Carrey: Extreme Yes Man" is him psyching himself out and being generally enthusiastic about all of the physical stunts involved in Yes Man (full body rollerblading, bungee jumping and making scared faces at a raging dog).
Some of the funniest extras are those with Muchausen by Proxy, the band starring Zooey Deschanel and ridiculously funny lyrics. The extras give us not only a "Behind the Music"-style documentary but 5 music videos of the band as well.
I mentioned earlier that Yes Man sought validation by being spurned from a best-selling book - and yes, there's an extra feature that capitalized on that fact. "On Set with Danny Wallace" is almost too cheerful. The man, who actually adopted the "say yes to everything" credo, talks about the movie.
The last extra-feature I'll mention also happens to be the funniest: "Party Central with Norman Stokes". I already said Rhys Darby's character was my favorite, so it should come as no surprise that an extra featuring him would delight me above all others. Darby plays uncertain popularity so well.
The entire package of Yes Man suffers from a concept that feels tired coupled with a message that makes the audience want to scream at the idiocy of the main character. The idea of moderation is eschewed in favor of comedy and because of that, the whole thing feels like everybody is trying too hard. While it was fun to watch people take advantage of Carl's Yes Man persona; there is a point where never refusing actually tips the scales against the film.
Yes Man is available on DVD, Blu-ray, as an On Demand feature on Warner Cable or as a Digital Download.
"Yes Man" is on sale April 7, 2009 and is rated PG13. Comedy. Directed by Peyton Reed. Written by Nicholas Stoller, Jarrad Paul, Andrew Mogel. Starring Bradley Cooper, Jim Carrey, John Michael Higgins, Terence Stamp, Zooey Deschanel, Rhys Darby.
