I watched Yes Man for the second time last night and I am not surprised to report it was still an excellent comedy the second time around. For those of you that haven't rented the DVD yet here is my original review from April.If you heard that this movie was a return to the great Jim Carrey comedies of the 90's you heard right as this is right up with with Liar Liar and Dumb and Dumber. I think Carrey has made some interesting choices over the years and certainly enjoyed it when he chose more serious movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Number 23 (although that one did have its unintentional comedic moments). That said, it's hard to deny where this actors talents really shine which is in frenetic slapstick flicks that make full use of his ability to contort his face, and often body, in a way that is so naturally funny.
In Yes Man Carrey plays Carl Allen, a man whose life is so drab and dull because he never says yes to anyone or anything. So after missing his friends engagement party he decides to attend a life improvement seminar lead by the always intense Terrance Stamp which espouses the philosophy that saying Yes to everything will lead to happiness and fulfillment in all aspects of your life. Well it does! Carl ends up with a promotion at the bank he works at and stumbles across a new girlfriend in the form of Allison played by the joyously kooky Zooey Deschanel. However as his romance with Allison progresses he continues to say Yes and trouble looms with the movie revealing the rather unsurprising moral of the tale that you really shouldn't say yes to everything!
I can't wait until the end of this review to tell you that I ABSOLUTELY FRICKIN' LOVED THIS MOVIE! Yes that might come across as somewhat over the top but I don't remember the last time I sat and laughed pretty much all the way through a light comedy like this. The film worked on a bunch of different levels for me ... it is a straight out laugh-fest with decent gags and classic Carrey slapstick, a satisfying rom-com where you actually like both the leads and are hoping it all works out for them and even a light hearted questioning of your own life and if it is too full of Nays and not enough Yays.
The supporting cast do a solid job with Bradley Cooper taking over that buddy role that Jeremy Piven used to be seen in so often before his career took off. Carl's co-worker at the bank is the hilarious Kiwi Rhys Darby from Flight of the Conchords who has a penchant for Harry Potter costumes (the Potter party scene in the movie is hysterical).
It is Carrey and Deschanel that make this movie such a satisfying 100 minutes of DVD couch time with funny, real and sometimes even touching performances. There is no doubt I have a serious movie crush on Deschanel who seems to just get better with every film I see her in but the best thing about this film was seeing Carrey return to such fine form. Rent it today!
Rating: ***** (yes it was THAT good)
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