REVIEW: Yes Man

*Posted December 31, 2008*

When Jim Carrey is on top of his game, there really is no better comedic actor out there (Sorry Sandler, Rogen, and Cook fans). It helps to have funny material, but when the script calls for things like learning Korean and learning the guitar, it's great to have an actor that actually pulls it off. Because Jim Carrey went out and actually learned Korean for this movie (and only for ONE scene), it's actually a very funny/silly scene. And when it comes time for him to play guitar to talk Luiz Guzman off the ledge, it's genuinely entertaining. Some people think gimmick (saying Yes for one year) is pretty lame, but I liked it. It was great how Carrey was able to strike up a friendship with his nerdy boss (Conchord manager Murray), even if it meant him suffering through Harry Potter parties. But a couple things did bother me. Firstly, he's a loan officer. That means he has to say yes to every bum that comes in asking for a loan. Sounds dangerous, right? Isn't that how we got into this economic mess? Well, it's okay in the movie, because it turns out that 98% of the people end up making timely payments and the banks earn a fortune. That's nowhere near believeable. Secondly, despite being 46, Carrey's pals in the movie are early 30s, and he falls in love with Zooey Deschanel, who is 28. It's not a big distraction, but it did make me wander if Carrey's role was meant for someone else. But the supporting players are great and the movie gets old-fashioned (limited raunchy humor) laughs. Definitely worth renting.

B