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"I 'Me'
Mine"
by Scott Mantz
"Me, Myself & Irene"
Jim Carrey, Renee Zellweger
Directed by Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly
They've been
directing movies since 1994, and all of their films share a common
theme, integrating strength, perseverance, and optimism. Even in
the face of unbeatable odds, their main character (or characters)
strive to attain what they rightfully deserve, struggling to overcome
their physical and emotional disabilities in order to realize their
dreams.
Believe it or
not, the directing duo I'm referring to just so happens to be the
same team who gave "politically incorrect" and "gross-out humor"
a whole new meaning--the Farrelly brothers. Even similarly themed
films by other directors, like "American Pie" and "Road Trip," while
funny in their own right, can't help but be compared to the films
of the Farrellys. Who can forget Jeff Daniel's laxative-inducing
bathroom scene in "Dumb and Dumber," or Ben Stiller's painful experience
after zipping up his fly too fast in "There's Something About Mary?"
With their fourth film, the Farrellys go back to basics with Jim
Carrey, with whom they made 1994's "Dumb and Dumber." While "Me,
Myself & Irene" proves that they haven't lost their sick and twisted
sense of humor, their style is showing some signs of going limp.
Charlie Baileygates
(Jim Carrey) is a Rhode Island State Trooper who's the equivalent
of a human punching bag. After his wife leaves him for the dwarf
who chauffeured them to their wedding, he becomes the laughing stock
of the town. After years of emotional abuse and not being taken
seriously, Charlie develops split-personality disorder. Just when
Charlie can't take it anymore, Hank (Carrey again) appears, ready
to start a fight at the drop of a hat. He controls his disorder
by taking pills every six hours, but when he is called upon to protect
Irene (Renee Zellweger) from her corrupt ex-boyfriend, he forgets
to take his medication. Just as nice-guy Charlie starts falling
head over heels for Irene, mean-guy Hank rears his ugly head to
screw it all up.
Between Ben
Stiller's zipper scene and Cameron Diaz's hair gel, "There's Something
About Mary" pushed the boundaries of tasteless humor and gave 20th
Century Fox plenty of foreplay at the box office. The pressure to
show some stamina and follow that up may seem like a tall order,
but the Farrellys come through with hurling and stomach-churning
colors. Political correctness is once again pushed aside in favor
of guilt-free and uproarious laughs, with dwarfs, albinos, and cows
(yep, you heard me) taking the brunt of the jokes. If nothing else,
"Me, Myself & Irene" deserves a place in the history books simply
for being the first film to catch a dog in the act of defecating.
If that doesn't tickle your fancy, then there's always the scene
where Carrey trades places with a baby being breast-fed by his mother!
"Irene" was
developed by the Farrellys years ago, but it was left to collect
dust when they got bombarded by other projects. After hitting paydirt
with "Mary," the Farrellys knew that they had to strike while the
iron was hot, so they took "Irene" out of mothballs and, along with
childhood friend Mike Cerrone, started from scratch. Unfortunately,
it shows some signs of why it was set aside in the first place.
The film starts out with a quick and amusing setup, but by the time
the story takes shape, it slows down, and the jokes, while still
very funny, come few and far between. Even Carrey's charm and flair
for physical comedy start to wear thin. Sure, he does his best to
keep things moving with his wild and crazy antics, but you can't
base a whole movie out of that (see "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls").
After his frightfully
convincing turn as Andy Kaufman in "Man on the Moon," a role that
Academy members should have noticed (but didn't), Jim Carrey is
back to his old hyper, animated, and rubber-faced antics. As Charlie,
he's got a heart of gold so big that it's just ripe for being picked
on. He's a good father to his rambunctious kids, who obviously aren't
even his, and he's so nice that he practically deserves to finish
last. That's where Hank comes in. He's mad as hell, and he's not
gonna take it anymore. The problem is that Hank comes and goes without
any warning, causing a considerable amount of physical conflict
for Carrey to go wild with. There's even a scene where he gets into
an all out fistfight with himself, which instantly brings to mind
Edward Norton's infamous office brawl scene from "Fight Club."
Renee Zellweger
demonstrates a penchant for physical comedy and shares a charming
on-screen chemistry with Carrey (which makes perfect sense, considering
they developed a special off-screen chemistry as well). Chris Cooper
relies on the stern demeanor that he developed in dramas like "American
Beauty" and "October Sky," playing the bad guy who's threatened
by what Zellweger supposedly knows, and Robert Forster shows up
in a few scenes as Carrey's stern, but well-meaning, boss. The best
role--or roles--in "Irene" go to Carrey's triplets, played by Anthony
Anderson, Mongo Brownlee, Jerod Nixon. It's too bad they didn't
get more--a lot more--screen time. Between their comedic interplay
and their tender affection for father Carrey, they turn out to be
the liveliest set of characters to ever grace a Farrelly bothers
movie.
While "Me, Myself
& Irene" may not be the best film to come out of the Farrelly's
hit machine (that crown goes to "Kingpin"), it still fits the bill
as another fine example of how funny tasteless humor can be when
it doesn't hold back. And like the rest of their movies, it features
an inspiring tale about overcoming your hangups to reach your true
potential. Sure, that may be too deep for a movie like this, but
sometimes the best movies are the ones where the messages are more
subliminal. The message here? Be nice, but don't forget to stand
up for yourself. Otherwise, you just might find out the hard way
that there's someone lurking beneath the surface who will stand
up and do it for you.
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