peyton reed Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Jim Carrey's Yes Man struck me as an awful waste of a terrific premise.

Far from the retread of the Liar Liar gimmick that some people claim, Yes Man's central conceit really resonates, and gets at a simple but profound truth: saying "no" to opportunities is safer and easier, but saying "yes" is more rewarding and fun. Literally having the main character start saying "yes" to everything is not my preferred way of tackling this issue, but it could easily work as a goofy, absurdist approach. Jim Carrey's track record may be bruised, but the actor is still a national treasure. And Peyton Reed's filmography contains some films that managed to be thoughtful despite their staunchly populist aims.

What an unpleasant surprise, then, to see a film so terminally mired in the worst Hollywood comedy conventions. It's hard to be meaningful or even sincere when everything is hideously distorted to fit the confines of hoary old formulas, complete with scenes that don't fit, but which a movie like this simply must contain. Yes Man winds up shrill, manic and unpleasant (albeit sporadically funny) when it should have been breezy, earnest and simple.

Yes, I consider myself a Jim Carrey fan. No, I do not consider myself an apologist for anything he's done. Yes, his latest -- Yes Man -- is amusing. No, it's not his big comeback to live-action fodder since 2005's Fun with Dick and Jane (apparently, last year's The Number 23 wasn't supposed to be funny...), but rather a minor lark in the Canadian comedian's career that attempts to wedge together the wisest cracks and broadest mugging of his Tom Shadyac comic fantasies, Bruce Almighty and Liar Liar, with the exceedingly conventional rom-com efforts of director Peyton Reed (The Break-Up, Down with Love). Yes, the combination (substitution?) leaves something to be desired, although no, it's not exactly a painful sit because of it...

Oh, and yes, the rest of the review will read just like this.

I know Jim Carrey's track record has a few blemishes on it, but I have a good feeling about this one. Yes Man has a simple premise -- a no-fun, take-no-chances guy decides to say yes to everything for a year -- and the trailer feels like the ol' Jim we fell in love with back in the '90s.

Plus, the director is Peyton Reed, who will always hold a place in many people's hearts for Bring It On and the under-appreciated Down with Love. Maybe he can keep Carrey's more buffoonish tendencies in check?

We'll find out when the film is released on Dec. 19. In the meantime, watch the trailer and let us know what you think. Can the premise work? Will it wind up being overly wacky or too cartoonish? Do you agree that Zooey Deschanel should appear in more movies?

I don't think I have to remind you that we here at Cinematical are big Zooey Deschanel fans. I'd say 'yes' to watching anything she's in, and that includes the brand new role announced this morning. The Hollywood Reporter tells us Zooey will be starring alongside Jim Carrey as his romantic interest in the new comedy Yes Man, for Warners Bros. and Village Roadshow. There's a bit of an age difference there, as Zooey is 27 and Carrey is 45, but who's really paying attention? Bradley Cooper has already signed on to play Carrey's best friend in the movie, which will begin shooting (I assume) within the next couple months.

Based on the memoir of a guy who actually did this (his name was Danny Wallace), Carrey will play a dude who decides he wants to change his life, and in doing so commits himself to saying 'yes' to everything. Of course, hilarity shall ensue. Zooey's stock is slowly starting to rise; she just wrapped shooting M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening, where she stars opposite Mark Wahlberg (playing his wife). Apart from also doing a relatively short stint on the TV show Weeds, Zooey will return to the small screen for the Sci Fi channel miniseries Tin Man. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing her in everything. Is that possible? To just give her a small role in every movie that comes out? Directed by Peyton Reed (The Break-Up), I'd expect Yes Man to arrive in theaters at some point this summer.

"I want us to be open to new experiences -- I want us to say 'yes' to everything." That's what Owen Wilson's character tells his two brothers throughout The Darjeeling Limited, but what if someone actually lived a year of their life while saying 'yes' to everything? Someone tries to sell you something. Yes! Your friends want to jump off a bridge for hell of it. Yes! That girl from work who's always had a crush on you, but kind of looks like a werewolf, asks you out on a date. Yes! Man, the adventures you'd go on -- the stories you'd be able to tell if you somehow survived the year. Unreal. Well get this -- some dude actually did this ... in real life. He wrote a book about it, they're turning it into a movie called Yes Man starring Jim Carrey and Variety tells us Bradley Cooper has signed on to star as Carrey's best mate.

The book, which is also called Yes Man, was written by Danny Wallace. He was the type of guy who said 'no' a lot, until one day someone on a bus told him to say 'yes' more often. So what does he do? He spends one year saying 'yes' to everything -- and at some point along the way, this helps him win $48,000. Damn. Maybe I should say 'yes' more often. Cooper has a number of film roles coming up (apart from his TV work on shows like Nip/Tuck), but moviegoers might best remember him as the slimy boyfriend of Rachel McAdams in Wedding Crashers. Peyton Reed (The Break Up) will direct Yes Man, which I imagine will take some cues from one of my favorite Carrey comedies, Liar Liar. They will probably use some stuff from the book, as well as introduce new scenarios in which saying 'yes' could get our hero in a lot of trouble. A romantic interest hasn't been cast yet -- and you know there's going to be one -- so be on the lookout for a cute female actress to make her way into the picture soon.