Susan Granger’s review of “Yes Man” (Warner Bros.)
Back in 1997, Jim Carry had a hit with “Liar, Liar” as a lawyer who was forced to tell the truth for 24 hours. Building on that behavior modification concept, he’s now Carl Allen, a negativity-prone junior loan officer at Brea Federal Savings & Loan in Los Angeles – “a soldier on the front line of finance” – whose life is changed by a self-help seminar conducted by charismatic Terrence Bundley (Terence Stamp). Preaching “Yes is the new no,” Terrence is a “mind-grenade,” encouraging his followers to “embrace the possible” by making a covenant to say “yes” every time an opportunity presents itself, promising, “Yes always leads to some good.” It’s an act of blind faith and complications inevitably ensue since saying ‘yes’ involves Carl taking guitar lessons and learning Korean (both are good), as well has having sex with an elderly neighbor (which is not so good, particularly for a PG-13 audience). After helping a homeless man leaves him stranded on a deserted mountain road, Carl meets free-spirited Alison (Zooey Deschanel) who teaches jogging-and-photography when she’s not singing with her Munschausen-By-Proxy band at Big Foot Lodge. “The world’s a playground,” Alison affirms, “but somewhere along the way, everybody forgets that.” So he gives bank loans to eccentric characters, while they attend a Harry Potter costume party, fly to Lincoln, Nebraska, and kiss on the Hollywood Bowl stage. Based on Danny Wallace’s memoir, the episodic script by Nicholas Stoller and Jarrad Paul & Andrew Mogel is directed by Peyton Reed, who utilizes Carrey’s exuberance and inherently sweet nature to make him an appealing, if manic hero. But it’s an uphill battle. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Yes Man” is a banal, inane 5. Jim Carrey needs better projects.
