Yes Man Synopsis: Carl Allen (Jim Carrey) is stuck in a rut with his negative ways. Then he goes to a self-help seminar and learns to unleash the power of yes. Living in the affirmative leads him to all sorts of amazing and transforming experiences; he gets a job promotion, and even finds a new romance. But Carl finds that too much of anything, even positive thinking, is not necessarily a good thing.
Carl (Jim Carrey), a divorced finance consultant, lives a rather stagnant life. He avoids phone calls and makes excuses not to see his friends. When he upsets his best friend by missing his engagement party, Carl decides to attend a “Yes” seminar recommended by an old acquaintance, where the speaker – a hilariously campy Terence Stamp – convinces Carl to live by saying “Yes” to everything, instead of “No”.
This, of course, has its ups and downs, but it leads him to a newfound respect for life, not to mention a budding romance with the free-spirited Allison (Zooey Deschanel).
As a movie, Yes Man also has its ups and downs. It’s not Jim Carrey’s best comedy, but it certainly had enough humorous moments to entertain me. Saying “yes” to everything has its rewards and consequences, and Carl experiences both. But the downside to saying yes can also bring joy in the long run, and we see that when Carl meets Allison one night after taking a homeless man back to the park where he lives.
Allison is quirky and outgoing, which is everything that Carl is not. She teaches “sports photography” – which is essentially taking pictures of various things while jogging – and is the lead singer in a rather… unique band called Munchausen by Proxy. While Carl is determined to say yes to everything, it’s his attraction to Allison that opens him up to new experiences and more opportunities.
But, like with every romance, there’s the black moment, where Allison discovers Carl’s motivation to agree to everything offered and questions his true feelings for her – oh yes, and Carl’s gorgeous ex-wife also re-enters the picture, because why not? The emotional stakes aren’t very high, but it is what it is. Deschanel and Carrey are fine together on screen, but they didn’t have the electric chemistry that would have made a mediocre movie like that more engaging.
There are some memorable moments in Yes Man, thanks to scene-stealer Rhys Darby, who plays Carl’s nerdy, awkward boss Norman. Carl’s friendship with Norman initially looks pretty superficial but blossoms into something more sincere by the movie’s end. Bradley Cooper plays Carl’s best friend, Peter, and as he appeared on screen, I began to wonder if maybe Cooper was the Judy Greer/Joan Cusack of the genre’s male BFF roles back then. Peter’s engagement throws newly divorced Carl for a loop, but just as with everything else, Carl needs to learn to be a good friend to the people who haven’t given up on him.
Yes Man is worth a watch, but I would not actively seek it out again. All I can really say definitively is that it’s okay—just fine. If nothing else, look up the songs by Munchausen by Proxy—those are definitely worth listening to!
Watched: 09/15/2023
Notable Song: Jumper by Third Eye Blind
