ME, MYSELF, & IRENE
Rated R - Running Time: 1:56 - Released 6/23/00
In the wake of the "intentionally offensive" trend in
comedy films, which was at least partially inaugurated by writing/directing/producing
brothers Bobby and Peter Farrelly with their 1998 blockbuster
There's Something About
Mary, it would seem that Jim Carrey and the brothers F.
would be the perfect team to deliver such goods. Before his foray
into "serious" movies, like The
Truman Show and Man On
The Moon, Carrey was offending (and amusing) audiences
for years with silly slapstick like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,
The Mask, and Dumb & Dumber (also a Farrelly
picture). But while Carrey has definitely returned to his roots
in Me, Myself, & Irene, the Farrellys' new film suffers
from several factors including but not limited to excessive length,
a tiresome subplot, and an unflattering resemblance to a previous
Carrey film. The main saving grace is Renée Zellweger,
who, although she looks out of place among the pratfalls and poop
jokes, lends a touch of sensitivity.
After being dumped by his beloved wife, Rhode Island state
trooper Charlie (Carrey) becomes the town laughing stock and universal
doormat. He gets no respect from anyone, but being a nice guy,
he subverts all his hostility for those who mock him, and therefore
develops a condition called "acute multiple personality disorder
with involuntary narcissistic rage." I've had that. Finally
he is pushed to the limit and is taken over by another personality
named Hank, a smooth talking, trigger-happy hothead who doesn't
hesitate to pick on little kids, start fights (which he ususally
loses) with buffed-out athletes, and insult everyone he sees.
When out-of-towner Irene (Zellweger) is detained for her possible
knowledge in an upstate New York criminal case, Charlie's boss
(Robert Forster) decides this is the perfect chance for Charlie
to take a break from the rat race. He is instructed to escort
Irene back to New York for questioning and then take a well-needed
vacation. But Irene's old boyfriend (Daniel Greene) and some corrupt
federal agents he's in cahoots with (Chris Cooper, Richard Jenkins)
want her silenced before she gets there. Charlie, Hank, and Irene
find themselves on the run from some very dangerous characters,
and only if they put their three heads together can they hope
to survive.
Neither Carrey nor the Farrellys are in top form here. Carrey
shows again his propensity for physical comedy, and there are
definitely some laugh-out-loud moments, but the material was covered
much more effectively in The Mask. Anyone familiar with
that film will notice the similarities: the shy, ineffectual version
of Carrey's personality is the one the girl likes, but the brash,
arrogant guy is the one who gets all the work done (not to mention
all the jokes). Although he is in trouble with both the cops and
the bad guys, he is able to foil the villains and vindicate his
name. Finally, true love allows him to dispense with the extra
persona and walk off into the sunset with his true love. Sound
familiar?
The bit about the feds is dreadfully plodding, and seriously brings the film down; whenever Carrey is not on the screen, our minds tend to wander. Moreover, the offensive comedy, from animal abuse to anal humor, while abundant and genuinely offensive, is somehow just not as funny as it was in Mary. Overkill is also a problem: Charlie's three black genius sons (Anthony Anderson, Mongo Brownlee, Jerod Mixon) discussing quantum physics in ghetto vernacular is amusing at first, but after the first dozen or so applications tends to wear thin. Zellweger is affable enough as the girl-next-door type, although she spends practically the entire movie being offended. And I can't say I blame her. ***