YES MAN
***1/2 out of 5 stars
Okay, here’s the deal. If you like mid-classic Jim Carrey slapstick, you’ll enjoy his return to this genre in “Yes Man.” Like “Liar, Liar,” this is a gimmick film that allows Carrey to be over the top and silly.
The story follows a man who says no to just about everything. After visiting a self-help guru, he makes a vow to say yes to anything he’s asked… no matter how insane it is.
Much of the film is a set-up for Jim Carrey’s antics, but it is quite funny, and it gives him a quirky love story with Zooey Deschanel, which is cute enough to make the film a bit of a romantic comedy.
It’s not Shakespeare, but “Yes Man” is a very funny movie and provides one of the best escapes this week before Christmas.
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SEVEN POUNDS
*1/2 out of 5 stars
Okay, here’s the deal. To start, I give props to Will Smith for trying something different with “Seven Pounds.” It is a risk to depart from his tried-and-true Hollywood blockbuster role. Unfortunately, this film is a risk that doesn’t work.
In “Seven Pounds,” Smith plays a man trying to atone for his sins helping several people in unique ways. It’s a neat concept, but it stumbles into a crawl at the beginning, then comes to a screeching halt half-way through.
The acting’s decent, but the story is remarkably silly and needlessly obtuse. It pulls so many emotional strings and lays the melodrama on so thickly, I felt used and abused by the end… and this overdose made me care nothing for the characters.
Finally, when the big reveal presents itself at the end, it is so obvious and ludicrous that I couldn’t even muster a sigh, let alone tears.
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THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX
**1/2 out of 5 stars
Okay, here’s the deal. Everyone likes a CGI animated film with a cute little mouse. The problem with “The Tale of Despereaux” is that the title character of the cute little mouse doesn’t show up until at least fifteen minutes into the film.
The story is about a oddly brave mouse that tries to save a kingdom when soup is outlawed and a darkness falls across the land. Yeah, you heard right. It could be more accurately called “The Tale of Soup.”
Sure, the animation looks cool, but the dreary kingdom doesn’t make for a very visually stunning film. The plot is fractured at too many points, providing a needless backstory for even the most minor characters.
If you’ve already seen everything that’s out there for family viewing, this film is cute enough, but it’s not as good as it could be.
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THE WRESTLER
***1/2 out of 5 stars
Okay, here’s the deal. “The Wrestler” isn’t just a story about a has-been professional wrestler getting a shot at a comeback. It’s also Mickey Rourke’s shot at an acting comeback – although I thought he already had that with “Sin City” a few years back.
“The Wrestler” is getting a lot of buzz, and the film is definitely worthy of it. Rourke shines in the role, providing a gritty and realistic look at the less-than-flattering world of an older celebrity.
Marisa Tomei also gives a great performance as the past-her-prime stripper who struggles with a potential relationship with the wrestler.
This is Darren Aronofsky’s latest grab at some award nominations, and it’s a decent shot… much better than his terrible film “The Fountain” from two years ago.
