Love Story

I recently watched the film I Love You Phillip Morris. It's an odd movie by any measure. It's headlined by Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor, suggesting an A-list kind of movie, but it's decidedly "art house" fare. It has a title that suggests an instant connection to the tobacco industry, but has absolutely nothing to do with that subject. It was seen years ago (and praised) by many critics, suggesting a sure-fire success, and yet couldn't secure a studio to release it until just last year.

All of this oddness is increased (or perhaps because of) the unusual plot of the movie. A long-time family man is in a serious accident, and decides afterward that he needs to turn his life around: he comes out as a gay man, and begins a life of white collar crime to scheme the money he wants to live a lavish lifestyle. When he's caught and sent to prison, he meets the love of his life in a fellow inmate. But while his love is sincere, his lies and con games continue. Weirdness, sentiment, and hilarity all ensue.

It sounds rather bizarre on paper, but flows quite well on the screen. In fact, if anything, the plot might just be conventional despite the unconventional trappings -- I found the movie to be rather predictable. But then, it's based on a true story, so the plot is what it is/was.

Many critics praised Jim Carrey for giving a career-best performance in this film, but I don't necessarily agree. He does a fine job, and isn't at the manic peak of a film like Ace Ventura or The Mask... but neither is he transformed or more restrained as he was in films like Man on the Moon or The Truman Show. To a large extent, he's still just Jim Carrey. But it's probably worth noting that on some level, that may be a service to the film. The love story is completely legit; you're not watching Jim Carrey try to "play" gay.

For my money, the better performance in the film is given by the always-wonderful-except-when-directed-by-George-Lucas Ewan McGregor. He is portraying a character here, and it is a more effeminate version of a man than he's embodied in any other movie. And yet it doesn't feel like a put-on or a cliché. So he too is doing service to the story by, pardon the horrible turn of phrase, playing it straight.

In the end, you get a movie that isn't worthy of either the wait or the hype, but is certainly worthy of your time. I'd rate it a B-.