Der Ja-Sager (2008)
17KDer Ja-Sager: Directed by Peyton Reed. With Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, John Michael Higgins. A man challenges himself to say “yes” to everything.
“Yes Man was a delight to watch. Critics had panned it a bit, but unfairly, in my view. Granted, it is formulaic, but it IS a rom-com, and rom-coms have formulas. What made this film so great was the natural charm of Zooey Deschanel. She is beautiful, of course, but not in a u0026quot;model-yu0026quot; kind of way. She has always had a freshness and honesty about her that makes her appealing. When I first saw her in u0026quot;Almost Famous,u0026quot; playing the older sister, I wished I had an older sister like that. When she played the girl lead in Big Trouble, she was quirky, but without any of the self-aware conceit that can often accompany quirky young female actors. I will be kind and avoid names, but perhaps you can picture in your mind some of the u0026quot;Tragically Hipu0026quot; and oh-so-cool young actresses who do quirk with a smirk. Zooey Deschanel has an innocence and a friendly quality that really make her shine, in the way a flower shines.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eJim Carrey was also very good in this. He is who he is— goofy and loopy and elastic. This wasnu0026#39;t a u0026quot;Serious Role,u0026quot; such as Truman Show serious— but wasnu0026#39;t over the top like Ace Ventura. Maybe heu0026#39;s mellowed with age. I liked him as a wild kid, but like him even more now that he is a bit u0026quot;evened out.u0026quot; He is still hilarious— but also a bit more human, and a bit more approachable.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis movie runs through its rom-com paces, but each new scene, while a bit predictable, was nonetheless a pleasure. I felt uplifted by the end, and am very glad I went, even in the blizzard occurring where I am now staying. It was worth it!”
