Yes Man review

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.

Don’t get me wrong, there are funnier films from this year and Carrey. I might’ve chuckle a few times more than I thought I would and even though I never fully laughed hard, most of the jokes were pleasant enough, and at least consistent enough to make the whole film seem pleasant. It really doesn’t seem like a glowing praise, does it?

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 kissed. Carl hopes to beat him so the girl can go to a ball. 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.

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.

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