Yes Man (2008)

With Heather’s mom in town this weekend, we’ve strayed a bit from our norm of watching a movie for each Saturday and Sunday. Instead, we were treated to a movie at the theaters – something that we normally don’t do until our birthdays or during the summer.

Of course, since her mom was picking the film, I wasn’t able to check out films like The Spirit (2008) or Notorious (2009). In the mood for a comedy, her mom picked either Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) or Yes Man. Thankfully, Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) was sold out (which stupefied me), so we ended up checking out Yes Man.

Would this latest Jim Carrey comedy be worth a chuckle or two, or would this just be a case of appeasing the in-laws?

Jim Carrey has strayed a bit in viewer’s minds in the past few years. While his animated version (Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears A Who! (2008)) was what viewers would expect from Carrey, the disappointing Fun With Dick And Jane (2005) and the thriller Number 23 (2007) didn’t seem to be typical Jim Carrey fare.

With Yes Man, Carrey gets back to his being ultra-funny, and viewers will welcome him back with open arms. He tends to be at his best when he’s playing a character that spends most of the film doing something they don’t want to be doing. With that setup, he’s able to bring his extremely flexible facial contortions into play to display his unease/disgust while at the same time pasting on a sloppy grin for the character’s audience.

Zooey Deschanel, who has suddenly started popping up in everything from Happening (2008) to TNT’s mini-series “Tin Man”, isn’t quite as entertaining in Yes Man, but definitely exceeds Tea Leoni (Carrey’s co-star in Fun With Dick And Jane (2005)) as Carrey’s leading lady.

A bit off-kilter and wacky, Deschanel’s character is just the inspiration Carrey’s character needs to do some wild and crazy things – much more so than Terrence Stamp’s motivational speaker, who seems a bit out of place in the film.

While the plot of Yes Man seems like a perfect vehicle for Carrey’s brand of humor, if viewers take a step back, the whole idea of saying ‘Yes’ to everything is ridiculous. Despite that, the film seems to be a fun throwback to Carrey’s Liar Liar days, and viewers will appreciate the film as much for Carrey’s return to those hilarious days of yore as much as any jokes in this particular film.

If you’re looking for something that’s going to make you laugh, Jim Carrey films haven’t been quite up to the task as of late. Thankfully, Yes Man looks to be putting Carrey squarely back in that category, and viewers will enjoy saying “Yes” to this one.