Wednesday 10 December 2008

Premiere of Jim Carrey's "Yes Man"


There's plenty of things worth getting excited about, but as it goes a World Premiere of a film is pretty high up the list.

Standing on the red carpet outside Vue's West End einema the excitement all around was palpable, there were screams of "I love you Jim" as Mr Carrey talked cheerily with photographers about his latest film "Yes Man".
On the chilly London evening, minor celebrities trickled in, the women posing on the red carpet pointedly...even if mose people didn't know who they were.

The biggest names amounted to a couple of people from last year's X-Factor, as well as Anthony Head, of Buffy and Little Britain fame, and BBC 5-Live presenter Richard Bacon.

The night was suitably clown-like, with Carrey putting on a show for his public and personally introducing the film in typical OTT style, complete with massive gestures and strange voices.
The film itself was distinctly average. There were some worryingly cringe-worthy moments, and an entertaining turn from New Zealander Rhys Darby as the ever-optimistic Norman (or Norm, to his friends).
The concept is a simple one: say yes to everything, no matter how bad it might be or rediculous it might seem, and you will be able to live life to the full.
Carrey's character, Carl, finds himself being dragged to a conference for the pioneer of this way of thinking, Terrence Bundley, played enthusiastically by Terence Stamp, where he is mandandled into taking it up, with typically hilarious consequences.
The problem is, as always, is that if you don't like Jim Carrey, you won't like this film.
Carrey has tried to break out of his stereotype with films like Enternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Number 23, which had varying success, but he just doesn't have the conviction to make a character more than an updated version of Ace Ventura 90% of the time.
For Carrey films this is another addition to fun flicks like the questionable 'Fun With Dick and Jane' or the more impressive 'Bruce Almighty' but when you make a film based on such a simple idea and don't expand on it, a simple film is what you get.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

OMG is Jim Carrey hilarious in this movie.

I was going to take my young kids to see this movie because the tv commercials looked so good. Luckily I decided to see it online first .. it's definately not for 10-year olds!

Take my advice and check it out first if you have kids. I was able to watch yes man online first.

In fact, I watch movies at that site all the time.

But the movie is great for adults.

Anonymous said...

I disagree, I really enjoyed this film and I'll be giving it good reviews. I think Carrey did actually manage to diverge from his typical character and struck a good balance between the more serious roles in films like The Number 23, and his traditional comedy style as seen in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

But the reason why he is so typecast is because he's just so good at what he does! People remember him for his comic genius and for me Yes Man showed a very different side to his acting. It was still funny, but not because he made it funny on his own.

Plus I did get very excited when I saw that Rhys Darby was in it, he's a brilliant actor!