Jim Carrey falls for a fellow inmate in the romantic comedy I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS.Carrey is former police officer, now inmate, Steven Russell. After a near-death experience in an automobile accident, Steven decides to come out of the proverbial closet. After divorcing his wife, played by Leslie Mann, and being booted from the police force, Steven desperately needs an income. Unable or unwilling to find employment, Steven generates money through faulty lawsuits involving injuries.
Eventually his life of fraud lands him in prison where he meets his soul mate in Phillip Morris, played by Ewan McGregor.
Romantic comedies typically don’t lend themselves to twists and turns, but thanks to Carrey and a script that wouldn’t seem plausible if it weren’t actually true, I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS delivers a refreshing blend of surprises, humor and romance.
Carrey, channeling his inner Ace Ventura, delivers a truly unique character, one which would typically be classified as a crook, but through his performance earns several big laughs. Steven’s fraudulent escapades seem more ornery than mean-spirited, and thanks to Carrey’s wild, funny and heartfelt antics we root for Steven to find his path in life.
Carrey’s counterpart McGregor doesn’t fare quite as well. McGregor’s Phillip is supposed to be as naïve and innocent as Steven is eccentric and outlandish, but the talented Brit has a hard time pulling it off. McGregor, just months shy of his 40th birthday, has been cast in a role that seems appropriate for someone half his age.
Nevertheless, screenwriters and directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa structure the screenplay to make the romance between Steven and Phillip not only plausible, but sincere.
I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS isn’t a romantic comedy for everyone, but for those a bit more adventurous, this gay prison laugher is no fraud.
Grade: B
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