I got the feeling that the makers of this movie wanted us to leave the theater trying to count random things to see if they added up to 23, but instead it felt like people came out of the theater arguing about whether they enjoyed it or not. I heard one couple getting into a fairly heated conversation on the way out because he loved it and she hated it. In talking to the owner of the theater (as I often do) I found that people either love it or hate, which is weird because I am on the fence about it. The movie has a very strong opening, a fairly interesting twist and a very nice conclusion but is often a mess in the middle.
Jim Carrey plays a husband and father living a fairly mundane existence as a dog catcher until his wife picks up this book for him to read. The book has an ominous red cover and comes with a disclaimer that reads like a warning label, but he reads the book anyway. To be honest, the voice over of him reading the book is a bit tedious but the images from the novel are a breathtaking dank dark blend of blacks, reds and whites. The book is about a detective who becomes obsessed with the number 23. The number is dripped in mystique and coincidence and draws him into a web of paranoia. In his mind, the detective looks like Carrey, only ripped, with tattoos and having dark sexual conquests with a woman, who looks like his wife (Virginia Madsen). In this opening hour, director Joel Shumacher weaves a very creepy atmosphere where you are never quite sure what is going to happen next. It is helped along by a very creepy, non-sequitur style music. Violins often trail off mid strike in favor of oft putting drums, adding to overall “what is going to happen next” mind state. However, Carrey finishes the novel and we are introduced to the middle section of outlandish paranoia and it becomes a movie that is not quite sure what it wants. Is it a supernatural thriller, dark comedy or a film about obsession? All of those questions seem to fit in the mindless 45 minutes in the middle.
Luckily after that mind numbing section we get a great twist and a most satisfactory ending. I won’t spoil the fun but if you find yourself wondering where the movie is going, please stick with it. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. The big question going in was can Jim Carrey do this? I never really doubted it because if you saw The Cable Guy or Man in the moon, you know he can be dark, but this called for something a lot darker, could we believe Jim Carrey having sex in an almost rape like fantasy? Would we believe him going nearly crazy because of a number? Is it possible to forget about how funny he is and watch him delve deep into the psychological thriller? The answer to all of these questions seems to be yes, yes we can. Carrey is slowly proving himself worthy of breaking out of the comedy genre. Yes we have seen him do less funny things, but Truman show and Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind were essentially comedies from a different angle. While this movie has moments of manic like humor, it proves quickly that it is not out to make us smile, but to challenge what we believe people are capable of.
Lastly I want to mention the director. Shumacher has been taking nothing but heat for the last decade over his dismantling of the Batman series and while he stumbled with the Phantom of the Opera movie he has made some very good movies since Batman and it is time people recognize how good he is with the camera. Yes, he made huge disasters but he also made Phone Booth, Tigerland and 8mm all of which were small scale movies proving he has a great talent.
No comments:
Post a Comment