Reviewed by: Harrison Cheung —
While some actors are rewarded with an Oscar for losing weight and trying on a different accent, others are passed over. An indie release that registered barely a blip last Christmas – not coincidentally, at prime award nomination time – I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS is an odd black comedy based on a true story about a very persistent con man.
Starring Jim Carrey as Steven Russell, I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS is vividly shot with deep saturated colors as if you were watching CSI MIAMI. The tone of the movie is a cross between FORREST GUMP meets BRAZIL. The infectious but frustrating soundtrack is a samba, as if someone was placing the needle on a record of ‘Aquarela do Brasil’ and lifting it off after a few seconds. Carrey’s co-star is the always watchable and charismatic Ewan McGregor who plays the titular character and object of Steven’s affection, Phillip Morris.
Written and directed by first-timers, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, the film shows signs of wandering. It’s a movie that would benefit with another pass through editing.
The story in a nutshell? Steven Russell is a closeted family man who one day decides to out himself. The joke here is that he discovers that the gay lifestyle is an expensive one as he’s suddenly into designer clothes, expensive watches and chi-chi restaurants. The price of being gay? Of course Steven becomes a con artist.
When he eventually gets caught, he meets Phillip Morris in a Texas jail where they fall in love and become inseparable. Once they’re released, Steven returns to his con artist ways. Once a confidence trickster, always a confidence trickster.
It’s a witty story and script – with lots of tongue-in-cheek commentary about materialism, being gay, and a determined love that borders on stalking. Jim Carrey transformed himself for the role, losing weight for a critical scene in the movie.
The two main problems with I LOVE YOU PHILIP MORRIS is that the story was too ambitious to the point of being tiresome, and Jim Carrey is too Jim Carrey. He is like Robin Williams trying to do a non-comedic role. We see the twinkle in his eyes, the elasticity in his gangly arms and legs, and we’re thinking that this performance is an SNL comedy skit.
This movie generated a lot of buzz about the gay sex scenes, and it’s true, there are plenty of sex scenes which Carrey plays with great humor. This isn’t new territory for McGregor who’s shagged guys aplenty in THE PILLOW BOOK and VELVET GOLDMINE.
PHILLIP MORRIS is an interesting bit of entertainment. While flawed, it’s definitely the beginning of an great career for Glenn Ficarra and John Requa whose next joint-directorial project is CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE with Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling.
I Love You Phillip Morris official site: http://www.phillipmorrismovie.net/