ALARIS' REVIEWS

9th July 2009
Yes Man (2008)

I'm not a fan of crude slapstick (and vaudeville slapstick creeps me out) so I was pleased to see that Yes Man isn't one of Jim Carrey's dumber movies. It's a pleasant, romantic comedy with slapstick moments, and a somewhat cheesy message. Not one of Jim Carrey's lovelier performances (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 2004; The Truman Show, 1998), but it didn't make me want to bash someone's head through the TV (Dumb and Dumber, 1994).

Carl Allen (Carrey) is a perennial wet blanket: introverted, antisocial, and forever making excuses to maintain the unexciting status quo. All this changes when he reluctantly joins the 'Yes Man' program, and decides to say 'yes' to every request, proposal or opportunity that arises.

Yes Man is loosely based on a memoir by Danny Wallace, and while the theme is positive and the film is fairly enjoyable, I found significant chunks of the story a bit annoying.

I know this is going to make me sound like a real grouch, but stories featuring a lot of serendipity just don't sit well with me. It veers too close to fate and karma, which also rub me the wrong way. I don't believe kindness will be miraculously rewarded, or that taking a chance always leads to better things. I believe that compassion, hard work, good judgement, involvement, passion, and an appreciation of life contribute to an increased likelihood of experiencing life in a positive way. Sure, it makes for a lousy tagline, but overly simplified messages often frustrate me - like trying to write the Universal Declaration of Human Rights using only three words (Be. Good. People.) You lose crucial nuance.

I know Yes Man is a 104 minute comedy, not a philosophical dissertation, but I feel that the theme would have had greater impact if the consequences to Allen's vow had been more realistic, involving a more understated internal change. As it is, all the negative events are mild and humorous, and all the positive events are fabulous and improbably serendipitous. This makes the film less believable, and less powerful.

Yes Man could have taken an alternative approach, and gone with a quirkier and more satirical tone, like the sharp and whimsical Wonderfalls (2004), or season one My Name is Earl (2005), which make serendipity a part of the joke. However, because Yes Man tries to ground the film in drama, the serendipity adds to the cheese. And not the good kind.

All up, Yes Man is a reasonably entertaining comedy, provided you don't have issues with the execution of the fundamental premise.

Verdict: A moderately enjoyable romantic comedy with a motivational message.

Read Clementine's review of Yes Man (2008).