Based on the memoir by British funny-man Danny Wallace, Yes Man tells the story of Carl Allen (Jim Carrey), a disaffected, lovelorn bank drone who, out of desperation, attends a self-help conference run by a hectoring Brit called Terrence (Terence Stamp).
Terrence claims that Yes is the new No and within hours of getting with the programme, Carl’s life has become unrecognisable. He says yes to homeless chancers, yes to cute motorcycle girls, yes to credit-poor customers and yes to email spam ("do you want a bigger penis?"). His friends are impressed, but how long will the high last?
Carrey has always been a convincing depressive. He’s dabbled in sincerity, too (notably in the wonderful Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). But, here, forced to do depression, sincerity and his trademark schtick mania, he goes awry.
No comedy like this is complete without a central romance and the girl of Carl’s dreams turns out to be Allison (Zooey Deschanel), a whimsical hipster who sings in a rock band (to an audience of seven of her friends) and, at six o’clock in the morning, runs a photography/jogging workshop.
Wacky, huh? Deschanel is a scrumptious, talented indie-princess — her Allison is bit of an ingenue but surprisingly solid where it counts. Next to her, Carl seems like a grinning, gurning hologram.
Just for the record, Carl seems a lot older than his squeeze, too, though no one ever acknowledges this.
Director Peyton Reed has assembled a fine supporting cast. It’s particularly nice to see Luis Guzman as an irritable would-be-suicide and some of the set-ups work (the Harry Potter fancy dress party that Carl and Alison attend is a surreal gem).
Still, Yes Man is not the edgy hit it so longs to be. When you look into the eyes of Stamp and the rest, what you see is embarrassed amusement. They said yes — to a big fat paycheque — and laughed all the way to the bank.
Opens on Boxing Day
Yes Man
Cert: 12A
