I Love You, Phillip Morris

OPENING: 12/03/2010

STUDIO: Roadside Attractions

RUN TIME: 93 min.

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Do some time with the one you love.

Opening Statement
Finally! After nearly two years of legal wrangling, I Love You, Phillip Morris has now been released in the United States. Despite glowing praise from the few critics who had seen it prior and an international release already making up for its 13 million dollar budget, we are now being treated to a limited release this holiday season. However, this shouldn’t deter you from seeing what may very well be the finest comedy of 2010.

Facts Of The Case
Not to be confused with the tobacco magnate, Phillip Morris is based on an incredible, yet completely true story of one Steven Jay Russell (Jim Carrey, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind), a clever con artist who would ultimately escape from prison four times. Russell will tell you it was all in the name of love…though not for his deeply religious wife Debbie (Leslie Mann, Knocked Up), whom he has a daughter with. Throughout the marriage, Steven has been secretly living a double life as a gay man; after coming out, he moves to Florida to be with his lover, but his addiction to the high life leads to credit card fraud.

Eventually Steven is busted and sent to prison, where he meets the love of his life: Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor, The Ghost Writer), a blue-eyed lad doing a stretch for grand theft auto. Romance blossoms between them, particularly after Steven manages to be transferred to Phillip’s cell. When Steven is released, he promises he will help Phillip get by pretending to be his lawyer. Somehow he succeeds, resulting in the couple settling in Texas. Steven wants to get everything for Phillip, so he finds himself continuing his charade as an attorney, winning a few cases and racking up some cash. Then Steven talks his way into a law firm, becoming the chief financial officer…and spots an opportunity to get rich again.

The Evidence
Sometimes a film can become a victim of poor distribution deals. While many believe Phillip Morris was held up because of worry over its content, there were at least four dates set for release but, for whatever reason, the distributer never delivered. As a result, the film was unfairly shelved while Europe was embracing it with open arms. Regardless, it still doesn’t erase the fact that this is a blazingly original, boisterous triumph of a comedy. Seriously, there are more laughs in this film than The Other Guys, Dinner For Schmucks and Date Night combined. How do you like them apples, honey?

I Love You, Phillip Morris is written and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who also wrote the gleefully raunchy Bad Santa with Billy Bob Thornton. While the aforementioned flick is an extreme black comedy, Phillip Morris is an oddball delight, a rich soufflé of spontaneity and surprise. It’s also strangely sincere, even touching at times. In general, we are not supposed to care about the characters in a comedy due to the heightened plot dynamics and sometimes excessive exaggerations in the margins. Phillip Morris is a unique exception to this rule; the characters harbor an unusual amount of depth, the performances are terrific and—most importantly—the story is much too outlandish to be labeled as fiction. (The real-life Steven Jay Russell, by the way, is currently serving a 144-year sentence in a Texas prison, confined to a small cell for 23 hours each day.)

Ficarra & Requa not only strike gold in the characterizations (no stereotypes to be found here, trust me), but also the raucously funny dialogue. These lines sound real, not manufactured, and they build naturally out of the situations. The first golf sequence, where Steven must fool his bosses into thinking he can actually play and be part of the all-exclusive men’s club (all the while attempting to hide his sexuality), is a perfect example. After finally getting his ball out of a sand trap—spouting multiple profanities in the process, including one involving a “flaming fist”—Steven apologizes by saying, “Pardon my French! My mother smoked during pregnancy!” Another hilarious moment is when, after embezzling his firm, Steven informs Phillip they got a healthy Christmas bonus…in the middle of July! As for Steven’s voice-over narration (always a difficult script device), it works here because it allows us to understand what makes him tick even while uncontrollably generating a whirlpool of lies, ultimately leading to his drowning. Audiences will indeed be shocked by the final fifteen minutes, taking a sharp left turn in tone, yet never leaving reality behind.

This has been a good year for Ewan McGregor, initially scoring as the title character in Roman Polanski’s delicious thriller The Ghost Writer. As Phillip Morris, the Scottish actor hits all the right notes, while also sporting a deep Southern drawl, imbuing his character with a genuine sense of warmth and boyish charm. As for the always-likable Leslie Mann, aka Mrs. Judd Apatow, her character (unfortunately) exits a bit too early; nonetheless, she exhibits her recognizable flair in every single one of her scenes. Still, it’s Jim Carrey who shines, and he’s as bright as he’s ever been. His rubber-faced, butt-talking days may be gone for good, but he’s an absolute joy to watch here, possibly his best turn to date. Vibrancy, not silliness, is Carrey’s comic fuel here, and he makes Steven winningly three-dimensional without sliding into creepiness or becoming a caricature. Sure, Carrey always knows how to tell a joke (good or bad), but his flamboyant nature—sprinkled with just the right amount of pathos—results in a knockout performance.

Closing Statement
Hilarious, razor-sharp, and even heartwarming, I Love You Phillip Morris is highly recommended. Carrey and McGregor are at the top of their games, and the dynamic duo of Glenn Ficarra & John Requa deliver another comedy worthy of all the accolades it can get, despite the inane delay in its release.

The Verdict
9/10

A Christmas Carol (2009)

OPENING: 11/06/2009

STUDIO: Disney

RUN TIME: 96 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Bah. Humbug.

Opening Statement
At this point, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has been told and re-told so many times it must be nearly as familiar as the story of the nativity. We know the plot by heart: a mean-spirited miser treats everyone miserably, is haunted by three spirits who show him the error of his ways, and then is redeemed and begins to show benevolence to those around him. Personally, I think the story (at least cinematic adaptations of it) ought to be put on hiatus, along with toy franchise adaptations and horror films in which the villain declares everything is just a twisted game.

The Case
Nonetheless, here is director Robert Zemeckis providing us with yet another version, predictably crafted via his much-loved motion-capture format. While I remain convinced we don’t need another Christmas Carol and that the motion-capture format is creepy and off-putting in numerous ways, Zemeckis has made a rather respectable adaptation.

Because the story has been remade so many times, minor variations are generally thrown in to distinguish one adaptation from another. Zemeckis grants himself only one significant indulgence: having Scrooge fly through the air like a geriatric Superman as the spirits transport him from place to place. Otherwise, the film is a remarkably faithful and accurate portrayal of the Dickens tale. I scoffed when I saw an interview in which Jim Carrey claimed Zemeckis was bringing what Dickens intended to the big screen, but I dare say it comes pretty close. Well, at least on a technical level. On the surface, everything seems just about right. The characters look the parts, the dialogue is convincing and era-appropriate, and the computer-generated version of London is nothing short of breathtaking in its detail.

So why is it that I felt so thoroughly unmoved? You may say I’m just another Christmas-hating Scrooge, but that isn’t true. I’m up for a good holiday film as much as the next person, but this version of A Christmas Carol just seems a tad too staged. It’s far more impressive on a certain level than say A Muppet Christmas Carol, but lacks the soul of that film. From Alan Silvestri’s carol-heavy score to the Ghost of Christmas Present’s hearty laugh, everything feels slightly forced. Perhaps the biggest problem is in the casting. Jim Carrey is wrong for the role of Scrooge. His English accent is hokey and unconvincing, and the whiny tone of voice he gives the character grows wearisome rather quickly. The likes of Gary Oldman, Bob Hoskins, and Colin Firth all excel in their small parts, but it’s up to Carrey to keep things afloat (particularly considering he also plays all of the spirits), and he never manages to really sell any of his parts. I suspect he was cast not because he was the best fit for the part, but because the film needed an A-list star to ensure some measure of box office security.

I hate to see the level of painstaking detail and care Zemeckis has put into this film go to waste due to an ineffective lead performance, but there it is.

The Verdict
6/10