Review of I Love You Phillip Morris (2010) by Andrew W — 03 May 2014

Maybe it's just the way Jim Carrey comes off and he just can't help it, but up until a certain crucial point in the film, I took this as a really fun, goofy farce on romance films. We could get into genres and call it a romantic comedy, but the comedy part is not part of the romance like in a Meg Ryan movie; it's more a parody on romance between two characters who happen to be gay.

Is it really based on a true story? On the DVD I watched a couple favorite scenes with commentary and based on the comments apparently it partly is! But that doesn't excuse that this movie really does take the wrong turn during the crucial scene I mentioned (don't worry, no spoilers).

It gets sappy, stops being funny, and the audience is supposed to fall into tragic mode. It didn't work for me. Maybe I'm too cynical. I just wanted to keep laughing throughout the film, but the last 25% or so, the laughs just stopped, and there wasn't a real reason for that to happen that I could ascertain.

Ewan MacGregor remains a fantastic actor, and he's just adorable in this. I'd say it's worth watching, but depending on your level of mushiness-tolerance, your final reaction will vary.