Yes Man

Jim Carrey’s two-faced screen image is frustratingly inconsistent. His serious films (‘The Cable Guy’, ‘The Truman Show’, ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’) explore the dark, disturbing side of his manic persona. The dumb, scattershot comedies sometimes hit the target (‘Me, Myself and Irene’) but just as often misfire (‘Fun With Dick and Jane’). This Americanised adaptation of Scottish writer Danny Wallace’s book tries to combine both facets of Carrey’s comic talent, but splits itself right down the middle.

Since his girlfriend dumped him, loans clerk Carl Allen (Carrey) has been saying ‘No’ to everything. Then he attends a seminar given by sleek self-help guru Terrence (Terence Stamp) - “Invite Yes into your life, because it will RSVP, Yes’ – and resolves to ‘Yes’ to everything. Very soon he’s snorting chilli sauce, learning to speak Korean, getting a blowjob from an amorous elderly neighbour with(out) dentures and attending Harry Potter parties thrown by his nerdy boss, Norm (Rhys Darby from ‘Flight of the Conchords’). At a gig by avant garde rock band Munchausen By Proxy, Carl meets and falls for the band’s cute, kooky and free-spirited lead singer, Allison (Zooey Deschanel).

Allison, who also runs a jogging and photography class, thinks their romance is a shaky proposition; but Carl has signed the pledge, so he whisks her along on a string of madcap adventures. But when the truly spontaneous Allison discovers that Carl is merely following a programme, she questions his love for her. Director Peyton Reed’s direction is slick, but each episode feels like a sitcom skit. And when Carrey’s hyperactive comedy shtick gives way to drippy life-lessons, earnest humour gives way to cloying sentimentality.