Yes Man - 3 smiles

I’ve never been a fan of Jim Carrey’s slapstick movies (nor anyone else’s slap stick, for that matter). And although “Yes Man” starts off with typical Carrey silliness, it turns into a genuine romantic comedy and, surprise, an enjoyable movie. Carrey has experimented with a lot of different roles (e.g., “The Number 23,” “Lemony Snickett’s A Series of Unfortunate Events,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”) with varying degrees of success. And if you think that “Yes Man” is a version of “Liar, Liar,” you’d be wrong. The minute co-star Zooey Deschanel appears, the movie changes. She is a romantic foil to Carrey’s character and that makes all the difference. Carl Allen (Carrey) says no to every opportunity and would not dream of doing anything spontaneous. When an old pal convinces him to attend a seminar presided over by a new-age guru (Terence Stamp), who advocates the power of ‘Yes,’ Carl enters a covenant whereby he will say yes to everything. Things don’t start out well, but when he meets Allison (Deschanel), who is his complete opposite and his perfect match, he finds his life turning around.

The script isn’t great although the concept has a lot going for it. Nonetheless, the success of “Yes Man” is tied to the two leads. Carrey and Deschanel’s chemistry works so when they’re together on screen, we willingly believe that they are two lonely people who meet by accident but are meant to be together. Perhaps the best sequence in the movie is their unplanned trip to Lincoln, Nebraska, where they visit, of all places, a factory that preps chickens for a fast-food restaurant. With all of the Oscar heavy-hitters in theaters now, it’s fun to watch something that’s a little less taxing. “Yes Man” is light, fluffy and undemanding.