Yes Man – Blu Ray Review

The Film:
You have to give Yes Man some credit, or at least I am, because everything about the trailer, the premise, the jokes, seemed like the film was doomed before anyone saw it. The film is highly formulaic as you can guess every beat the script produces before it happens, there are no surprises, but somehow the film is sweet and entertaining. It’s far from a bad movie, it’s not Jim Carrey’s best, but within the formula I guess there’s some comfort, and Carrey’s game to carry it all for 90 minutes.

Copying the basic premise from an earlier and much funnier Carrey movie, Liar Liar, only here he finds himself to willing to say no to everything, spending lonely nights at home watching movies he rented. Randomly, he catches up with an old client, who questions why he’s still working for the bank, never seeing a better position coming his way. He hands Carl (Jim Carrey) a broacher to attend this new self-help seminar in which the founder snaps Carl to life and forces him to say yes to everything that comes his way.

The premise is funnier when Carrey played a lawyer who cannot lie than a bank loan guy who says yes to everything, but they milk the simple premise for all its worth. Like I said, the film’s formulaic, so we know he’ll say yes to everything that comes his way. One genuinely funny scene comes when he must fight a guy whose girlfriend he just kissed. Carl hopes to beat him so the girl can go to a ball like Cinderella. Odd, yes, but he’s piss drunk, making the fight humorous as only Carrey can do. Carrey is sweet and likable, although the film is funnier if you’re a fan of his, otherwise, you might be jaded from the get-go. I personally got a kick out of his random trip to Lincoln, Nebraska (I’m a native and Cornhusker fan).

Every good comedian needs something to bounce off of and in Yes Man its Zooey Deschanel. She’s incredibly sweet and charming and has good chemistry with Carrey. All of that goes a long way here. I wouldn’t be surprised if the men in the audience decide to propose to her after the credits roll, she’s that sweet and likable. They just have to get in line behind me, I called it first.

For all of the formula that Yes Man uses, it glides right through to please. On some level, I think we all expected it to be bad, very bad. Not all of the jokes work, but like a jester aiming to please an easily bored king, Jim Carrey’s game to sell anything to us. It doesn’t hurt that Zooey Deschanel is the ace up this film’s sleeve.

The Blu Ray:

Audio/Video: Everything here is standard for a comedy film; decent audio and picture, nothing truly exceptional but will make it look and sound better than the DVD.

Deleted Scenes: The best scene is an epilogue that sets up the end credits sequence but other than that, these are mostly extended takes.

On Set with Danny Wallace: Who you might ask? He’s the kind this film is based on after his book. We follow him through the set talking with the actors and whatnot. Maybe a little more info on him would’ve helped?

Gag Reel: Blown lines and Jim messing around, nothing truly hysterical but a decent extra for Carrey fans.

Music Videos: Remember Zooey’s band in the film? Here are their videos.

Future Sounds: This is an in-character piece of Zooey’s band and their rise and fall. Kind of cute.

Extreme Yes Man: This shows Carrey’s willingness to do most of the physical stuff.

Say Yes to Redbull, Downtime with Jim Carrey, and Party Central with Norman Stokes round out the extras and are mostly filler material.

Conclusion: A cute comedy with a few laughs but likable leads. Worth seeing once.

Rating: