March 10, 2009 -- “Yes Man” is a romantic comedy with a very positive attitude, starring the gifted comic star Jim Carrey. This is a fairly typical Jim Carrey comedy, but without some of Carrey's more extreme antics like the talking buttocks trick. It is an effective comedy with a lot of laughs, but also some food for thought. Carrey's personae in this film is similar to that seen in one of his early films, “The Mask,” where he plays a mild-mannered lonely man who is transformed into a wild, crazed cartoon character. In this film, Carrey is similarly transformed, but in a different way.

Carrey plays Carl Allen, who has a low-paying job in a bank and is unlucky in love. The divorced Allen is unhappy at work and avoids contact with people because of his broken heart. His friends are about to give up on him because he has become antisocial. In desperation, he agrees to attend a self-help seminar conducted by the flamboyant Terrence Bundley (played by Terence Stamp of “Get Smart”). In a high-pressure encounter, Bundley persuades Allen to become a “Yes Man,” accepting all the opportunities presented by life (Tony Robbins effected a similar transformation in “Shallow Hal”). When a bum asks Allen for a ride, he says yes, and that leads to Allen meeting up with the lovely and quirky artist Allison (Zooey Deschanel of “The Happening”).

Allen continues saying yes and ends up bungee jumping, learning Korean, learning to play a guitar, dating Persian women who are seeking husbands, befriending his impossibly nerdy boss, Norman (Rhys Darby), having a sexual encounter with a elderly neighbor, and approving any loan request that comes his way at the bank. Although his behavior is reckless, it generally results in positive experiences. When he does say “no,” he suffers negative consequences. He becomes convinced that the pledge he agreed to at Bundley's self-help seminar has become a sort of positive curse. He finally asks Bundley to lift his curse, so he can say “no” again.

The romance between Allen and Allison is standard stuff for romantic comedies. The rest of the film, however, with Allen opening himself up to life's possibilities, is somewhat different than one sees in most comedies, or most films for that matter. Giving a ride to a bum might be considered a traditional act of Christian charity, something seldom seen in movies. Befriending the friendless is something similar to that. In another positive act, he saves the life of a suicidal man. Allen's friends take advantage of his inability to say “no,” but it all seems to work out in the end. The moral of the story is that being charitable, being nice to people, is not stupid and it may even benefit the giver in unforseen ways. On the other hand, being negative and self-centered has its drawbacks. Movies that advance themes that are at the very heart of Christianity like this are very rare. Of course the film also has some cruel and vulgar humor, but its overall message is not only funny, it is very positive. This film rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2009 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at .