He's a 'Yes Man,' but you should still say no to him

By: Times-Dispatch Staff | Times-Dispatch
Published: December 20, 2008

Zooey Deschanel kisses Jim Carrey in "Yes Man," and we feel sorry for the actress and her character.

That's probably not the response we're supposed to have.

Carrey stars as Carl, who has cut himself off from enjoying life, presumably because his wife divorced him three years ago. When invited to have fun or do anything, his first response is to say no.

But then he attends a creepy cultlike seminar devoted to the power of saying yes, and he makes a vow to agree to any challenge, opportunity or request.

Think of the endless comic possibilities this premise presents. Now that you've thought of them, fax or e-mail them to writers Nicholas Stoller, Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel, because they couldn't think of any.

Carl's sudden agreeability leads him to meet the free-spirited, spontaneous and deeply cute Allison, played by Deschanel. She sings in a band called Munchausen by Proxy, which is one of the funniest lines in the movie.

The other good parts involve Carl signing up to take whatever lessons are offered on community bulletin boards, and then later using those skills in amusing ways. The idea may have been lifted from "Groundhog Day," but it still works.

Carrey has always been willing to throw himself utterly into his roles, no matter how mediocre the material. Here it becomes a little sad, because the chasm between the effort he expends and the results he receives is so embarrassingly large.

Carrey is neither as funny nor as repellent as he sometimes is, and Deschanel isn't quite as appealing. They meet in the middle (well, not quite) in a comedy that is mired in mediocrity.

Just say no.
Contact Daniel Neman at (804) 649-6408 or dneman@timesdispatch.com.