The Film
Like most Jim Carrey movies (
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind notwithstanding),
Yes Man is not rocket science. Still, while many wrote off this 2008 comedy as
Liar Liar rehash, it's more of a welcome return to the wacky, and sometimes very physical, comedy that only Carrey can pull off.
However, there are elements of Carrey's previous characters.
Yes Man's Carl Allen is about 50 percent Stanley Ipkiss (
The Mask), 50 percent Fletcher Reede (
Liar Liar), and 100 percent total loser. Most of his lies and other actions are not malicious, but acts of self-loathing. An old friend Nick (the always-entertaining John Michael Higgins) soon changes Carl's life by re-introducing him to one word: yes.
Convinced he could actually die alone, Carl attends a Yes! seminar, drinks the Kool-Aid, and soon sets out to change his life. Of course, these life changes involve snorting hot sauce, letting his boss call him "Car," doing charity work, throwing a bridal shower, drinking Red Bull (
a lot of it), and having an "intimate" moment with his elderly neighbor.
They aren't major changes for Carl, just like this movie isn't a major departure for Carrey. He isn't changing the face of comedy with
Yes Man. Instead, he's sort of reworking it. The end result should offer enough chuckles to keep you entertained, and long for the golden days of Carrey's comedic film career.
For another opinion, check out Mark Grady's review of the theatrical release of
Yes Man.
The Picture
One thing that is hard to get past in
Yes Man is that Carrey isn't the butt-crack-talking man he used to be. The guy isn't that old, but surrounding him with friends and a love interest that are considerably younger looks like a conscious decision on someone's part. Well, Blu-ray isn't allowing anyone to fool the audience, folks. Nothing is more prominent in this 2.40:1 transfer than the extremely detailed lines on the comedian's face. That's not meant as a knock. We all age. However, it's there, as well as other image standouts, such as the colors at the Yes! seminar, the unbelievably red and shiny motorcycle, and the fascinating sights of Lincoln, Nebraska.
The Sound
This is comedy, a genre that doesn't have a great track record for stellar sound. While
Yes Man does rely heavily on the front speakers to deliver most of the movie and dialogue, it does make a lot of use of the surrounds and its Dolby TrueHD 5.1 technology. Be prepared to get blown away by motorcycles revving, Zooey Deschanel's singing and keytar playing, and the film's opening Yes! seminar.
The Extras
A lot of the extras revolve around Carrey's antics on the set. We get a glimpse of some of the actor's downtime, his stunts, and his bloopers. However, just in case you've forgotten that yes (it's catchy!) -- there are other people in this movie -- we have a few extras that highlight some of the other actors. There's a very funny, very short featurette with
Flight of the Conchords co-star Rhys Darby, who gives us a detailed tour of his character's apartment. There's also a quickie with Danny Wallace, the original "yes man," as he walks around and interviews various cast and crew members about the power of "yes."
Final Thoughts
Despite rehashing some of his most famous characters, Carrey manages to make his creation of Carl very likable. The end of the movie sort of drops off, but this is a good spot to catch your breath from the reel of fun during the first two-thirds of the movie. Blu-ray gives this film a nice boost, but if you're not big fan of Carrey's style of comedy, you might want to rent it before taking the $40 leap. However, fans missing some of the old slapstick will find it hard to say no to
Yes Man.
Where to Buy:
Also Available in High Def on Demand from Amazon.com
Product Details
- Actors: Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, John Michael Higgins, Rhys Darby, Danny Masterson, Terence Stamp
- Director: Peyton Reed
- Audio/Languages: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese)
- Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
- Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
- Region: A
- Number of Discs: 2
- Rating: PG-13
- Studio: Warner Bros.
- Blu-ray Disc Release Date: April 7, 2009
- Run Time: 104 minutes
- List Price: $35.99
- Extras:
- Downtime on the Set of Yes Man with Jim Carrey
- Jim Carrey: Extreme Yes Man
- On Set with Danny Wallace: The Original Yes Man
- Future Sounds: Munchausen by Proxy
- Say Yes to Red Bull
- Yes Man: Party Central with Norman Stokes (Rhys Darby)
- 5 Exclusive Munchausen by Proxy Music Videos (5.1 Audio)
- Additional Scenes
- Gag Reel
- BD Live
