Finally got around to seeing this movie the other day, after wanting to see it for a long time (I usually like Jim Carrey). I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from it, given Jim Carrey’s recent deviations from comedies. I must say, however, that I was pleasantly surprised.

Carl Allen (Jim Carrey) is challenged to say "yes" to everything by Terrence Bundly (Terence Stamp)

Yes Man is about Carl Allen (Jim Carrey), a fairly plain guy, who is in a bit of a rut. His marriage didn’t work out, his career isn’t going anywhere in a hurry – his life is at a standstill. Seeing that nothing else seems to be working, he enrolls in a self development program, the premise of which is fairly simple – say “yes” to everything. Naturally this completely revolutionizes his life, almost instantly getting him going on both the relationship and career fronts, with a promotion and a new girlfriend (Zooey Deschanel). Just when everything seems to be going perfectly with this plan, the downsides of the plan catch up to him. This is a typical Jim Carrey movie, or just a typical movie in general. It manages to get past that, however, and be fairly enjoyable.

Carl (Jim Carrey) and his hilariously pathetic boss, Norm (Rhys Darby)

One of the highlights of the movie is Carl’s boss, Norm (Rhys Darby) who is a complete nerd/geek/whatever you want to call him. He invites Carl to a Harry Potter party (costumes and all), and of course, Carl has no choice but to say yes and take his girlfriend. A bit later in the movie we see a bit of a “300″-themed party, with Norm’s King Leonidas garb reminding me a bit too much of equally pathetic attempts I’ve seen at anime conventions and on Halloween.

Carl (Carrey) and Allison (Deschanel) attend Norm's Harry Potter party

Carrey is very evidently more mature in this movie – both mentally and physically. There’s a relatively small amount of his Ace Ventura, Dumb & Dumber, etc characters, which could possibly be attributed to his more serious roles bringing him back down to earth. It’s a welcome change that works well for this movie. Not so advantageous, however, is that he’s visibly quite a bit older these days. The nearly 20-year age difference between Carrey and Deschanel often just did not look right. Don’t get me wrong, they both played their roles very well, but the age disparity made some scenes feel a bit strange.

A near 20-year age difference makes some scenes between with Deschanel and Carrey look and feel a bit awkward, and not in the comedic way.

As mentioned, this is your standard Jim Carrey film. Some people love him, some people hate him, but the hated aspects seem to be largely vacant in this movie, meaning it should be an enjoyable time for everyone. Definitely rent it if you’re looking for a light, enjoyable movie.