Film Gecko

"Yes Man" Review

by Jane Boursaw on December 19th, 2008

Sometimes you have a movie that’s pretty funny overall, but includes one scene that just ruins the rest of the movie. Such is the case with “Yes Man,” starring Jim Carrey as a guy who’s always said “no” his whole life, but gets roped into a Tony Robbins-type seminar where he starts saying “Yes” to everything. The messiah-type leader, played by Terence Stamp, awkwardly forces him to make a covenant on the “yes” thing.

You can imagine the implications of saying “yes” to everything! There are lots of things you probably shouldn’t say “yes” to, so it puts Carrey’s character, Carl Allen, into some interesting situations. The scene I mentioned involves an older woman (we’re talking 70s or 80s) who, uh, pleasures Carl. She approaches him, and when he tries to say no, bad things start to happen, so he goes back to saying “yes.” It’s all very awkward - for Carl and for the movie audience.

The premise isn’t bad. Carl is a junior loan officer at a bank, and spends his days mostly declining loans for regular folks wanting to buy a home or start a small business. His boss, Norman (Rhys Darby) is a geeky guy who has Harry Potter-themed parties and just wants to be chummy with Carl.

Carl has friends, namely Rooney (Danny Masterson) and Peter (Bradley Cooper), but you have to wonder how they got to be friends, because Carl hates going out, doesn’t answer his cell phone, and basically wants to just sit home and watch movies all night.

But once he takes the leap and starts saying “yes,” he discovers that the possibilities are endless. He learns to fly, play the guitar, speak Korean, and even hook up with a woman via a “Persian wife” Web site.

And during a “yes” episode where he gives a homeless guy a ride, he ends up meeting Allison (Zooey Deschanel), a girl who lives life to the fullest, whether it’s singing in an alternative band or leading people in a jogging-photography class. The two strike up a romance, but with the whole “yes” business, it’s not a straight and clear path. Also, Carl’s ex-wife (Molly Sims), is still somewhat in the picture.

I saw “Yes Man” with my 14-year-old son, and the old-woman scene made both of us cringe, not only because it was just awkward, but also because it did nothing for the movie. It seemed completely out of place! It’s one of those scenes where you wonder if they filmed it during a buzzed-up 4 a.m. filming session, but forgot to take it out in the final cut.

It’s too bad, really, because the movie does have some funny scenes, and Jim Carrey is in his element in this type of movie. That said, it’s only getting 3 out of 5 geckos from me.

Images: Yes Man, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2008

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