Yes Man

Though hopelessly uneven and eye-rollingly sentimental, Yes Man nevertheless establishes itself as Jim Carrey’s most entertaining comedy since 1997’s Liar Liar – which, given the presence of such underwhelming efforts as Bruce Almighty and Fun with Dick and Jane within his recent filmography, isn’t exactly high praise, admittedly. The movie casts Carrey as Carl Allen, a dull banker whose decision to say yes to every opportunity that comes his way substantially changes his life for the better (ie he meets and falls in love with Zooey Deschanel’s quirky hipster). It’s a high-concept premise that’s generally employed to positive effect by director Peyton Reed, as the filmmaker – working from Nicholas Stoller, Jarrad Paul, and Andrew Mogel’s script – does a nice job of peppering the proceedings with a number of overtly wacky and unapologetically silly interludes. Carrey has clearly been given free rein to indulge in his every comedic whim, and – depending on one’s tolerance for the actor’s particular brand of humor – it’s subsequently worth noting that the joke-to-laugh ratio remains surprisingly high during the film’s opening hour. The stellar supporting cast – including, among others, Terence Stamp, Bradley Cooper, and John Michael Higgins – effectively (and effortlessly) perpetuates the downright affable vibe, while the romance between Carrey and Deschanel’s respective characters is actually pretty sweet and charming (despite their obvious age difference). There reaches a point, however, at which the movie jettisons its light-hearted modus operandi and morphs into something that’s as eye-rollingly sentimental as one might’ve feared, with the inclusion of several frustratingly melodramatic plot twists effectively bringing the proceedings to a dead stop. And while the astoundingly underwhelming third act does prove a test to one’s patience, Yes Man ultimately manages to just skate by based on the strength of everything that preceded it – with Carrey’s go-for-broke performance certainly standing as an obvious highlight.

**1/2 out of ****