Yes Man
Based on Danny Wallace's humorous memoir, Yes Man is a comedy about what would happen if one man said 'yes' to everything that he would have previously dismissed with a cursory 'no'.
Based on Danny Wallace's humorous memoir, Yes Man is a comedy about what would happen if one man said 'yes' to everything that he would have previously dismissed with a cursory 'no'.
Evidently, that air of reckless affirmation - regardless of the consequences - appears to extend to the filmmakers, who really should have thought twice about committing to a project that lacks a coherent script or well-developed characters.
Writing trio Nicholas Stoller, Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel take a neat central conceit and go nowhere with it, contriving a series of ludicrous vignettes that guarantee maximum gurning from rubber-faced leading man Jim Carrey.
When a clingy, elderly neighbour (Fionnula Flanagan) offers to pay for handiwork with a sexual favour, the yes-happy protagonist begrudgingly agrees, closing his eyes as a pair of false teeth drop into a nearby glass to stomach-churning groans from the audience.
Similarly, a barrage of internet spam results in the 'purchase' of a Middle Eastern bride and a new mattress, all rather tame compared to the offers that turn up in most inboxes.
The central character must have a particularly good email filter to ensure the film remains a 12A certificate.
Carl Allen (Jim Carrey) oversees the approval of loan applications at the bank where he works alongside nerdy, Harry Potter-obsessed boss Norm (Rhys Darby).
He is a man going nowhere, personally and professionally, still nursing the wounds of a break up with his girlfriend Stephanie (Molly Sims).
After a run-in with his best friend Peter (Bradley Cooper) and former colleague Nick (John Michael Higgins), Carl decides to attend a self-help seminar run by the enigmatic Terrence Bundley (Terence Stamp).
'He's going to blow your mind over the goddamn room.
He's like a mind grenade!' whoops Nick.
Publicly shamed into embracing the power of 'yes', Carl embraces this radical, new code of conduct and miraculously he begins to reap the benefits, landing a promotion at work and catching the eye of free-spirited painter and singer Allison (Zooey Deschanel).
However, saying 'yes' to everything soon lands Carl in hot water and as he valiantly tries to stay with the program, he realises that seizing every chance that fate throws his way might just cost him the love of his life.
Yes Man is a pot pourri of lacklustre elements that never quite gel, most notably Darby's scene-stealing turn as a chirpy misfit, who seems to belong in a different movie entirely.
Deschanel's kooky love interest is adorable but there's no palpable screen chemistry with Carrey, who tones down his usual array of wild gesticulations and funny voices.
A number of subplots are completely superfluous and Carl's brush with the law, late in the film, is a weak punchline to the running gag about his online purchases and night classes.
While the lead character in Peyton Reed's film says yes without thinking, we have to say no.
Release Date: Friday 26 December 2008
Certificate: 12A
Runtime: 104mins
