Yes Man? Maybe Man

It’s unfair, of course, to criticize a film for what it should be rather than what it is, but “Yes Man” has the kind of premise and faintest skeleton of a structure to deliver something more than it actually does. The notion of a man notorious for saying no to everything – to the point where those few friends he has resort to tricking him into doing anything other than staying home alone to watch videos – has the appealing pop-existentialism of a lesson in embracing life. I try to imagine “Yes Man” done with the wistful method of a “Punch-Drunk Love;” quirky, melancholy, hopeful, slower paced, with a strong focus on character. The ingredients are already there; Jim Carrey’s Carl Allen is the likeable sad sack everyman that runs through the paces, and a seminar exhorting saying “yes” to everything, with Carl’s all-too-literal application of the self-empowerment principle, provides the potential for sublime absurdity. Only, “Yes Man” is far more interested in serving as a vehicle for Jim Carrey’s comic talents than delivering a thoughtful human comedy. The script rushes from gag to gag, lingering too long in a middle section filled with situations stemming from Carl’s inability to say no to anything. Most characters are drawn-out jokes, ranging from the harmless – Carl’s boss, a needier, nerdier version of Steve Carrell’s character from the Office – to the callously abused – a Persian woman named Faranoosh (Anna Khaja).

Too Easily Satisfied

This latter character exemplifies how "Yes Man" is content with the superficial. Carl answers an ad advertising Persian wives – he has to say “yes to everything – but with his heart set on the free-spirited Allison, his dismissive treatment of Faranoosh is rather shocking. But this is a comedy, after all — a pre-programmed romantic comedy — so reality doesn’t factor in. In the happy finale, Faranoosh is on hand to offer a smile and a yuk.

But for all of that, for all that “Yes Man” isn’t a particularly good movie with developed characters and an insightful dramatic core, it is funny. It has just enough of an endearing quality in its uplifting message that the film isn’t entirely heartless. Sometimes, funny has to be enough.