Comment:
The Movie:
6
I'm not sure why yet, but I think of this movie as a sort of
deranged sequel to The Truman Show, where Truman gets
the girl but loses her because he's had life handed to him
to such extent that he collapsed into a spore once things
didn't go right. Of course, the idea would never have
occurred to me if it weren't for Jim Carrey. As Truman
Burbank and here as Carl Allen, Carrey's character is afraid
to reach outside himself. In Peter Weir's movie, what was
outside was carefully, even cynically manipulated to make
certain he would remain locked inside his universe. In
Yes Man, Carl circumscribes his life so that he can be
available to the phone in case his ex-wife calls. This is
serious pining. The man needs a hard kick in the nether
regions.
Enter Carl's long lost friend, Nick (John Michael Higgins),
who stumbles into Carl's life like an elf. Nick says "Yes"
to just about every impulse, and the freedom he feels, even
when it puts him in the sights of the police, is so
liberating he wants Carl to have a taste. Reluctantly, Carl
finds his way to a meeting of Yes disciples, led by Terrence
Bundley (Terrance Stamp), a cross between Werner Erhard,
Elmer Gantry and Tony Robbins. What with the combined
forces of peer pressure, Bundley's persistent charisma and
Carl's oddly formed guilt, Carl makes a pact to say "YES" to
everything. Never to say "NO."
It's an intriguing idea – after all, we have only this one
life to live, as far as we know, so why squander it closing
ourselves from experience.
Carl takes the idea seriously. He finds he's giving a ride
to homeless man deep into Echo Park – only he forgets to
check his gas gauge. This could get ugly. But ugly is not
where this movie goes. He soon meets Allison (Zooey
Deschanel), just the right sort of free spirit to act as
heart and rudder to Carl's newfound freedom. Allison leads
photo-jogs around Griffith Park by day and is the lead
singer of a 4-piece girl band called "Munchausen by Proxy"
by night.
Back at the bank where he works, Carl approves one wacky
loan after another. Good thing his boss (Rhys Darby) is a
complete but very charming nut case, who somehow finds a way
to be supportive of anything that might somehow remotely
spell promotion. And since his boss couldn't tell the
difference between what might lead to moving up or down the
food chain: Why not!
The substance, if that's the right word, of this movie – By
the way, have I made it clear this is a comedy – consists of
Carl's incredible adventures into the world of "Yes." We're
talking saying "Yes" to his elderly neighbor (Fionnula
Flanagan) – oh, yes - talking a man out of jumping off a
ledge, falling out of an airplane, bungee jumping. That
sort of thing. Thing is that he's never told his new
girlfriend about his contract to say "Yes" to everything,
including her, so she doesn't know where Carl leaves off and
Bundley begins.
For my money, what success this movie has rests with its
supporting cast. Carrey is doing a character he can play in
his sleep – not that he sleepwalks through the movie, it's
just that he's getting a little old for this sort of thing –
or I am of him. Terrance Stamp may or may not be putting us
on as the YES-Evangelist, Bradley Cooper is Carl's untiring
best friend, Rhys Darby is his wacky boss and Zooey
Deschanel reminds me of that spontaneous, unstudied manner
of the young Debra Winger as we saw her in Urban Cowboy
and An Officer and a Gentleman. She makes me wonder
if the music she plays is actually worthwhile since I am
completely convinced she is. I can't tell whether I'm
coming or going, which is exactly what Carl should be
feeling, but somehow she seems to get swallowed up by his
antics.
Image: 7/9
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were ripped directly from the
Blu-ray disc.
The first number indicates a relative level of excellence
compared to other Blu-ray video discs on a ten-point scale.
The second number places this image along the full range of
DVD and Blu-ray discs.
The image is sharp enough with, most often, natural colors,
while skin tones most often tend to be a little saturated
and orangey. The photography generally places the main
actor in the light and everything else more in the shadows,
yet there is detail without noise, while highlights such as
Bundley's backlit hair retain color. I found no blemishes or
distracting artifacts or enhancements, perhaps a wee bit of
noise in the nighttime scene or two.
CLICK EACH
BLU-RAY
CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio & Music: 8/8
I was impressed with the audio track's ability to
differentiate club, restaurant and airport ambiance: no two
places sound alike and the commotion and chatter from
background extras have just the right amount of presence.
When the Munchausen band warms up, the stage comes alive
with amped up, but undistorted sound.
Operations: 6
There is a trend lately for the menu to begin with the
special features page. It's more than a little
disorienting. In order to get to the chapter menu, you have
to first hit Play Movie, then the Main Menu. One nice thing
about the features page is that it's huge and detailed.
Extras: 7
The extras, all in HD, tend to be sparse, but some of them
are real gems: I particularly liked the faux documentary
"Future Sounds: Munchausen by Proxy" which wails on and on
about this fabulous new band. I also enjoyed the several
full-length songs by the band itself (some just as they
appeared in the movie, some new, some extended). I don't
see why, with songs like "uh-huh" this band shouldn't have a
future. And great fun is On Set with Danny Wallace
(the author of the book) who, self-effacingly, stumbles
around the set as if he is expected. He's like what a Yes
Man could be on a movie set. Very droll.
Recommendation: 6
I can't think of a previous instance where I felt the extra
features were more entertaining than the feature film – not
on Blu-ray at any rate. The film is pleasant enough, but
the humor behind the humor can be gleaned in some of the
bonus bits. I can see myself returning to the extras rather
than the movie. By the bye, I should note that Blu-ray
retails for only $1.00 more than the 2-disc DVD, which
doesn't have On Set with Danny Wallace, Say Yes to Red Bull,
or Yes Man: Party Central, and it's ALL in high definition.
Leonard Norwitz
April 7th, 2009