Yes Man (2008)

Yes Man is Liar Liar flipped inside out. Instead of Jim Carrey being unable to lie, he can’t say no, and you can map every beat from the poster. The first half is a fun little montage machine: Korean lessons, flying lessons, guitar lessons, a tiny loan approved for every stranger who asks, and a guy talked down from a ledge with a Third Eye Blind song. Then the movie remembers it’s supposed to be a romance and slows to a jog. Zooey Deschanel’s Allison leads a jogging photo class and sings in a strange little band, and she’s written as a list of quirks more than a person. Rhys Darby, as Carl’s boss who throws themed costume parties, is the funniest thing on screen every time. Critics landed at 45% on Rotten Tomatoes, but the CinemaScore crowd gave it an A minus. A 5.4 because Carrey’s elastic physical comedy still works and the script runs out of yeses long before the end. $471 says you try saying yes to everything tomorrow and give up before lunch.

What works: Jim Carrey’s physical comedy in the montage stretch, and Rhys Darby stealing every scene as the boss with the themed parties.

What doesn’t: The gimmick runs dry halfway through, and Allison is written as a pile of quirks instead of a person with her own life.

Who it’s for: Jim Carrey fans who want something light, and anyone who has ever cancelled plans and then felt weird about it.