Jim Carrey might once have shown promise as a serious and versatile actor, but on the evidence of his performance in "I Love You Phillip Morris," it would seem that the time in which he might have put that promise to use has passed.
Carrey can't play any character as a real person, instead falling back on his usual bag of grotesque, exaggerated schtick. This can be very funny when paired with the right material, but it's not helpful when we're supposed to care about what's happening to his character or other characters with whom he's interacting. To be fair, the entire tone of "I Love You Phillip Morris" is about as glib as Carrey's performance, giving this supposedly true story about one con man's never-ending crusade to avoid the law and be with his one true love (played by Ewan McGregor) the quality of a tall tale pulling our leg. All well and good, but then what are we supposed to do with scenes showing Carrey's one-time lover dying of AIDS, or the tender moments between Carrey and McGregor, scenes that could have been somewhat groundbreaking in their own way (how often do two straight actors play homosexuals having tender moments) if they weren't treated like a joke. Carrey's uncontrolled comic performance almost dares us to care about anything we're watching. Well guess what?......we don't.
This film should have taken its cue from "Catch Me If You Can," another movie about a con artist, and spent more of its time on the details behind the cons themselves. It would have made it a rip off, but it would also have likely made it more entertaining.
Grade: C
Carrey can't play any character as a real person, instead falling back on his usual bag of grotesque, exaggerated schtick. This can be very funny when paired with the right material, but it's not helpful when we're supposed to care about what's happening to his character or other characters with whom he's interacting. To be fair, the entire tone of "I Love You Phillip Morris" is about as glib as Carrey's performance, giving this supposedly true story about one con man's never-ending crusade to avoid the law and be with his one true love (played by Ewan McGregor) the quality of a tall tale pulling our leg. All well and good, but then what are we supposed to do with scenes showing Carrey's one-time lover dying of AIDS, or the tender moments between Carrey and McGregor, scenes that could have been somewhat groundbreaking in their own way (how often do two straight actors play homosexuals having tender moments) if they weren't treated like a joke. Carrey's uncontrolled comic performance almost dares us to care about anything we're watching. Well guess what?......we don't.
This film should have taken its cue from "Catch Me If You Can," another movie about a con artist, and spent more of its time on the details behind the cons themselves. It would have made it a rip off, but it would also have likely made it more entertaining.
Grade: C