Movies Reviews

I Love You Phillip Morris – Movie Review 2

By Ron Wilkinson Dec 7, 2010, 16:04 GMT

I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS is the improbable but true story of a spectacularly charismatic conman’s journey from small-town businessman to flamboyant white-collar criminal, who repeatedly finds himself in trouble with the law and on the lam, brilliantly escaping from the Texas prison system on four separate occasions – all in the name of love.  Steven Russell (Jim Carrey) leads a seemingly average life – an organ player in the local ...more

Another fantastic performance by Carrie, not be mention McGregor. Living proof that the only difference between fact and fiction is that fiction has to make sense.

There are some good Jim Carrey films and there are some bad ones. This is one of the good ones. Trust me. “Phillip Morris” is a caper flick. It is the trendy story of the bad boy who makes good, sort of. Most opinions will compare it to the hilarious “Catch Me If You Can” which this critic thoroughly enjoyed.

But let’s face it, “Catch Me” was a sanitized version of the real bad boy story. The real bad boy story being something more like “Dog Day Afternoon,” “Public Enemies” and the more recent “Mesrine” French crime trilogy.

It was only after “Dog Day” became a legendary super-indie hit that the full story of the gay relationship and transvestite sex change operation came out. Literally, and figuratively came out. That’s another story, but the combination is delicious and, apparently, not lost on co-directors/writers Glenn Ficarra and John Requa.

The fact that these two were also the co-writers of the Billy Bob Thornton “Bad Santa” uber-Christmas send-up is no coincidence. The only difference between the believability of “Bad Santa” and the true story of “I Love You Phillip Morris” is that fiction has to make sense. Like “Dog Day,” the Phillip Morris story owes nothing to logic; it is as bald and unvarnished a tale of the absurdity of human thinking as ever lighted the silver screen.

The inside scoop, based on the non-fiction book by former Houston Chronicle investigative reporter Steve McVicker, stars Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor as gay lovers caught up in the penal system. Carrey plays Steven Russell, a born criminal who never could have survived outside prison. His gay lover Phillip M. is played, to the hilt, by Ewen McGregor.

Morris cannot live without Steven and Steven cannot live without crime. Morris hates crime as much as Steven hates being honest. Even better, from what we can tell, prison is made for homosexual lovers whereas free society condemns them.

OK, perhaps this is reaching a bit. Then again, perhaps the entire idea that anybody actually is happy living off ill-gotten gains may also be a stretch. But then, look at investment bankers. Or congress.

In any event, Carrey gives one of his best performances ever. He is truly enjoying his work in this film as the Asperger’s in him comes flying into the theatre in the ultimate celebration of one huge joke on humanity.

This is one criminal who was really whacko, so whacko he might even have been right. The film starts with Russell waking up from an automobile accident a changed man. Carrey looks like Truman Burbank walking through that door at the end of “Truman Show.” After that, he does exactly what we all want to do, but are afraid to try; he goes nuts. Insanely nuts, but without losing his intelligence.

Like Mesrine and Dillinger, Steven Russell claims multiple escapes from prison using the most fascinating ruses ever shown in film. Mesrine used real guns, Dillinger used a wooden gun, Russell uses the system against itself.

A veritable Houdini of hoodwinking the establishment, he is a master of disguises but his success lies in being a master of the bureaucracy. He takes programmed thinking patterns and throws them back into the face of society. His ultimately successful pretzel logic, in the end, is as successful as his loving and faithful relationship with Mr. Morris.

Producer Andrew Lazar says he did it for a simple reason. He likes unusual life stories. In spades! His track record including 2008’s “Get Smart” and 2002’s double whammy of  “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” and “Death to Smoochy” should have proven that beyond a doubt even before this dream come true. This movie is one of his best, and weirdest.

By the way, there is the gay anal sex. If that is a deal breaker for you, don’t see the film. At least the reviews are out front about it. Whereas in “Bad Santa” the (hetero) anal sex was sprung on the viewer without warning.

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Directed by: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Written by: John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, and Steven McVicker (book)
Starring: Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor and Leslie Mann
Release Date: December 3, 2010
MPAA: Rated R for sexual content including strong dialogue and language
Runtime: 102 minutes
Country: France / USA
Language: English
Color: Color