Yes Man
Warner Home Video
Cast: Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Terence Stamp, Rhys Darby, Danny Masterson, Bradley Cooper
Extras: Featurettes, Gag Reel, Music Videos
Rating:
Before we go any further, let me point out right away that I think "Yes Man" is Jim Carrey's best comedy in years. There, I said it. With his aspirations in more dramatic roles, Jim Carrey has been successful to a degree but we all missed, I think, the rubber-faced Canadian doing what he does best – make us laugh. Fortunately, in "Yes Man," he does just that – in spades.
Stuck in a dead-end job as a loan officer, trying to deal with the memories of his lost marriage, Carl Allen (Jim Carrey) feels his life has taken a wrong turn somewhere and upon the recommendation of an old friend, he visits a seminar, in which inspirational speaker Terence Bundley (Terence Stamp) converts him into a Yes Man, someone who embraces life by saying "Yes" whenever a new opportunity presents itself. Carl takes the recommendation a little too far by saying "Yes" to everything, but while resulting in chaos at first, he suddenly feels incredibly liberated. He discovers that life is all around him and that it is up to him to participate and suck it all up, and the more he enjoys the results of his newfound positive attitude, there more things seem to work in his favor. Carl is on a roll and even finds a new girl who is simply awestruck by Carl's willingness to embrace the unexpected.
I do not recall the last time I watched a film that made me laugh so hard so often. While in most cases it is a direct result of Jim Carrey's incredible comedic portrayal, there were many situational moments also that tickled my funny bone really hard. The story is well paced and offers a great supporting cast. Zooey Deschanel has a wicked chemistry going with Carrey and the two of them truly light up the screen together, relegating everyone else to the sidelines, essentially. To add a little more variety however, there is always Rhys Darby's incredibly geeky character Norman, who puts it all into perspective by showing the viewer that despite his antics, Carl is actually still pretty normal.
Warner Home Video is presenting this incredible comedy in a glorious 1080p high definition transfer that is free of any defects or blemishes. With an incredibly high level of detail, the film looks every bit like the million bucks you would expect. It is a brand new film that was created using the latest technology, and as a result the movie's sharpness, level of contrast and color reproduction is among the finest available. Natural skin tones, bold color accents and deep shadows with solid blacks are just some of the trademarks of this transfer.
A standard resolution DVD is also included in the release ,giving you access to a digital copy of the film for use on other playback devices.
The film is complemented by a Dolby Digital 5.1 TrueHD audio track that is every bit as solid as the video presentation. With a wide and engaging sound field, the directional effects are being put to best use here, throwing the viewer into the chaos, while also remaining subtly understated during the film's quieter moments. The track's wide frequency response holds plenty of bass and crystal clear high ends, making it balanced and pleasurable throughout.
Standard Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks are also included in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
To add to the experience that this film offers, Warner has also included a nice mix of bonus materials here, all of them presented in high definition. It starts out with a cool Gag Reel that offers um some nice chuckles, as well as a featurette taking a closer look at Jim Carrey's incredible physical stunts. Also focused on Carrey is the "Downtime on the set of Yes Man" featurette giving us a cool behind-the-scenes look with the comedian.
The featurette "Future Sounds: Munchausen By Proxy" takes a look at the performance art band featured in the film and their wicked get ups. Also included are five videos by the band, presented in Dolby Digital 5.1.
There are also a few extras that are exclusive to this Blu-Ray version and won't be found on the DVD version, such as "On set with Danny Masterson" in which he makes it clear that he in fact is the original Yes Man. Danny, as you might recall, is one of the members of the "That 70's Show" cast and does have quite a knack for comedy himself.
The hilarious "Say Yes To Red Bull" is also included, giving you an introduction to the energy drink the way only Jim Carrey can.
If you want to go a little more retro, "Party Central with Norman Stokes" gives you a tour de force of Rhys Darby's nerdy character from the film and his party antics.
As I said in my opening, "Yes Man" is the best Jim Carrey comedy in yeas Presented here in a top notch Blu-Ray version there is simply no excuse in the world you could come up with not to check this disc out. Just say "Yes!" Yes, yes, yes…
