Region 1 Warner (USA)
2.40:1 16x9 enhanced
104 minutes
Audio: DD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, French, Spanish
Extras: Downtime on the Set; Jim Carrey: Extreme Yes Man; Future Sounds: Munchausen by Proxy; five Munchausen by Proxy music videos; Gag Reel
Released: 7 April 2009
It’s been a long time since I last saw a “new” Jim Carrey movie, and it’s been a really long time since I last saw a “new” Jim Carrey movie in a movie theatre. I’m not alone judging by box-office figures. Yes Man, released in December 2008, grossed roughly $97 million dollars, which is far off the numbers that Carrey notched during the 1990s (especially when you account for inflation). It’s not that people don’t like silly/stupid comedies (as evidenced by the box-office numbers for Judd-Apatow productions)...maybe people got tired of seeing Jim Carrey.
Yes Man was a very pleasant surprise for me. Although the premise is similar to the one used for Liar Liar, this movie is sweet, charming, and life-affirming without making me shake my head at “false sincerity”. Jim Carrey plays Carl Allen, a bank loan officer who’s depressed after his wife leaves him. An acquaintance encourages him to attending a “Say Yes!” seminar, at which our protagonist is accosted into saying “Yes” to every request made upon him. Carl begins to experience a variety of new things, such as learning to play the guitar, learning to fly airplanes, and learning to speak Korean. Having to say “Yes” all the time may seem arbitrary, but the movie does a great job of showing how important it is to embrace new possibilities. For example, Carl and his new girlfriend take an unplanned trip to Nebraska, where they visit a museum for telephones and a chicken-processing factory as well as attend a college football game that their friends watch on TV.
Jim Carrey usually walks a fine line between hilariously zany and annoying with mixed results, but he’s enjoyable at all times during Yes Man. Zooey Deschanel is talented and pretty, making her character a total charmer. The big surprise is that Carrey and Deschanel both have extended singing bits that are quite good. Rhys Darby is a riot in several scenes involving Carl’s boss, a daffy New Zealander who hosts “Harry Potter” marathons with guests dressed in themed costumes.
I could do without some of the sex jokes, and the Second Act Crisis is obviously forced. Otherwise, watching Yes Man is a fine, agreeable way to spend the evening.
Video:
The 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen image has that clean, “flat” look that is common with contemporary comedies. Even with the wide framing, the focus is mostly on Jim Carrey and his fellow cast members in the foreground (directors don’t really block for three-dimensional space these days). The picture is clean without appearing excessively smooth or “plastic”.
Audio:
The DD 5.1 English audio track is nothing spectacular, though it is competent and efficient. Most of the directionality effects are placed across the front and involve moving vehicles. Low-frequency effects appear during percussive music cues but are nowhere near the bone-crushing levels of action movies.
Extras:
“Downtime on the Set” shows the filmmakers having a good time making a funy movie. “Jim Carrey: Extreme Yes Man” lauds the star for performing his own dangerous stunts, including bungee jumping. “Future Sounds: Munchausen by Proxy” is a mockumentary showcasing a fictional band. There are five Munchausen by Proxy music videos (basically deleted scenes), and you also get a Gag Reel.
--Miscellaneous--
You also get a Digital Copy disc and a cardboard slipcover. Considering that the MSRP of the Blu-ray is only $1 more than the two-disc SD DVD set, I advise getting the Blu-ray.
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