Yes Man (2008)

There I was, alone and directionless in an unfamiliar location (specifically, Downtown Disney, Orlando) and suddenly I spot a familiar and friendly face: an AMC theatre (this being the only other highlight)! Yes! I can see a movie, thank god! I just wanted to relax and watch something I wouldn't have to think about but would find mildly enjoyable. Yes Man seemed the most viable option. After all, my beloved Zooey Deschanel would be there!

Jim Carrey plays Carl, a dude trying his darnedest to avoid serious relationships by maintaining a "no" attitude towards everything. He works as a loan assessor, but seemingly always turns everyone down. He refuses to go out with his recently engaged best friend Peter (Bradley Cooper) and the sex-obsessed slacker Rooney (Danny Masterson) or attend his boss Norman's (Rhys Darby) geeky theme parties, preferring to stay in and watch movies every night. After old pal Nick (John Michael Higgins) convinces him to attend a self-help seminar led by cult leader-ish Terrence Bundley (Terence Stamp), he discovers a new world of possibility in the word "yes" after forming a "covenant" enforcing his positivity. His first experiments with yes lead to strange circumstances culminating in his introduction to the adorable, eccentric, scooter-riding Allison (Deschanel), convincing him that yes will always lead to good things.

He opens himself up to every opportunity, including approving hundreds of loans, planning Peter's wife's bridal shower, and receiving a blow job from a senior citizen (such an unnecessary scene, my goodness). He believes bad things will happen if he ever says no, so his friends take advantage of him and he tries a whole bunch of seemingly random things that will later help him out (example: he learns Korean, then helps smooth over a bridal shower conflict by speaking to a salesperson in her native language). He courts Allison, who doesn't know about his covenant, finding her fun and spontaneous and generally cool (she's in a weird indie band and everything!). She digs his willingness to do crazy things and his easygoing nature. But of course, conflict (!) when she finds out he has just been following some weird program that made him say yes all the time! Maybe he never really wanted to be her at all! Can he re-learn how to say no?

This movie was ok. It had some genuinely funny moments, to be sure. Jim Carrey was alright, oscillating between over-the-top and enjoyable. Zooey Deschanel was her cute and hip and please-be-Alex-Kittle's-best-friend self. But I have to say there are too many implausibles in this movie. I was so totally not sold on their relationship, for one. The odds that she would be attracted to him in the first place, considering his age, looks, and general demeanor seemed unlikely at best. Carl had some ok qualities and he could make her laugh, but the characters did not mesh well and since their romance is a main thing of the movie, it took away from it. Additionally the whole pre-packaged montage of him saying yes to arbitrary things and then later somehow finding them all useful was cliche and annoying. I guess I didn't really expect groundbreaking comedic writing, though.

That said, there were great performances from Rhys Darby (love the theme parties, Norm) and John Michael Higgins (though unfortunately I have trouble seeing him as anyone other than Wayne Jarvis). Included also was a group singalong of Third Eye Blind's "Jumper" which is always a treat. Overall it's entertaining at times and funny at times and stupid or unrealistic at times, and it has a good message. I don't regret watching it but I could have lived without it. And if Zooey hadn't been there it wouldn't have been worth as much.

3/5