Director: Peyton Reed

Cast: Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, Rhys Darby, John Michael Higgins, Danny Masterson, Terence Stamp, Rocky Carroll

Rating: 3.5/5

Jim Carey returns to enthrall the audience as Carl Allen. On one had you have Carey who is best known for his comedy and on the other you have him again interpreting comedy as something that is meant to entertain, yet fit in the realm of life. What is resultant of this is a film that is thoroughly hilarious, and totally believable.

While a Bruce Almighty had Carey take on god and assume his role, this flick sees him embrace the power of Yes. In essence this film almost takes on all those individuals who take inspirational lectures and classes from self-throned gurus and addresses the fact that nothing in life is in extremity. While that is reading too much into the film, it follows Allen (Carey) a loan processing administrator  through all his troubled No days, his outlook following a crash course in saying yes and the process of him finding the girl of his dreams Allison.(Zooey Deschanel).

The fact is this film is filled with laughs and a believable plot. The film does not ride on inane situations to derive humor. The same is derived from the monotonous and initial strenuous life of Allen, and then moves on to draw it from the various Yes moments of his life. What does seem a bit forced initially is the manner in which Allison fits into the premise, but soon that is laid to rest and all the tangents are woven well. However one tangent that does prove to do nothing for the film, not even entertain is that of Cooper’s as the soon to be married best bud of Carey. Given not much time in the film, the same does not hamper to a great extent.

Filled with great moments and packing in loads of laughs, Yes Man does give you breathing space. Go watch the part where a bored and changed Carl is playing peek-a-boo games with his boss or catch the scene where he swerves the bike to create enough smoke and then walk out of it in a hospital gown, like a stereotypical filmy war hero. One of the main reasons this film works is because it finds an appropriate blend of humor and romance, without going overboard.  

On the other hand though Carey is brilliantly funny, one really doesn’t see a new side to him being funny. Unless you enjoy Carey as an actor, chances are you are not going to enjoy the film as much as you ought to or would want to. Technically also the film works. The editing ensures the film is cohesive and flows in a manner that is easily comprehendible. The detailing gone into making this film is commendable, it just makes it that much easier to believe and buy into.

Good performances by the actors are what essentially make this film a worthy watch. Carey is at his usual best, he brings nothing new to the film. But the fact that he does pretty much what he has done before in scores of other films and nails his character makes him loveable. Deschanel as Allison is convincing, she gives her character a new dimension. Cooper is strictly OK; there is nothing special that he as an actor gives the character.

Putting it simply, Yes Man is a film worth watching. Watch this one for Carey and you will not be disappointed. It’s two thumbs up for Yes Man.