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Peyton Reed
December 17, 2008
In the movie, Carl (Jim Carrey) suffers a traumatic breakup and begins to resent life, constantly saying “no” to everything. His best friend, his boss, the list goes on. After an old friend challenges him to go to a seminar, Carl learns the power of “YES.” Upon using this new power bestowed upon him, he finds himself getting a promotion, along with a newfound love Allison (Zooey Deschanel). Coincident or not, Carl is now a believer and swears to never say “no” again, embracing the life of a “Yes Man”.
Because this is a Jim Carrey comedy, it will involve ludicrous situations, physical comedy and outlandish facial expressions. It usually works, most of the time. Sometimes Carrey can get too carried away or try to hard and it becomes painful to watch, other times he nails it head on. It’s like Blackjack, Carrey needs to get the closest to 21 without going over, if he does, the movie is bust. What probably saves Carrey from going crazy and leaving the cast behind, is Zooey Deschanel’s ability to keep up and match his energy. She is sweet but rebellious, confident but vulnerable, a grab the life by the balls kind of gal. Minus the intense facial expressions, you would think Carrey and Deschanel grew up in the same household.
Reed’s goal in directing “Yes Man” was to dial down Carrey’s craziness from eleven and find a good medium between serious and silliness. If you prefer to see Carrey showcase his talents like in “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective”, “Dumb and Dumber”, or “Liar Liar”, than “Yes Man” wouldn’t be the best date night comedy. But if you enjoy his more serious films with a sprinkle of comedy like “The Truman Show” or “Man on the Moon”, than “Yes Man” will be the perfect balance.
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