I Love You Phillip Morris

First things first I feel I should apologise for the distinct lack of posts in the last month. My excuses are fairly pathetic with just one essay completed this term work has not really been much of an issue. Since I cannot put laziness down as a legitimate excuse I will just have to hang my head in 'blogger' shame. Having seen Alice In Wonderland I decided I could not be bothered to write on it because it was so painfully underwhelming that I could not muster the energy to spend an hour or two writing on something that I regard with such a high degree of disappointing ambivalence.

HOWEVER, an impromptu decision today to go to the cinema when I realised i had absolutely nothing to do  lead me towards I Love You Phillip Morris, if only to see Jim Carrey's sublime comic presence back on our cinema screens. My expectations were fairly low when I discovered that the writer-director team behind the film were Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, both responsible for 'Bad Santa'-probably the lowest point in Billy Bob Thornton's career. So I approached the film expecting a fairly brainless piece of forgetful slapstick that would probably entertain based almost solely on Carrey's performance. I was wrong.

Well, I was not wrong about Carrey's performance but I certainly underestimated his ability as an actor (again). When given the right role Carrey proves himself time and time again as being an absolute genius in his field. In both Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Man on the Moon he delivers heartpoundingly honest portrayals of some superbly intriguing characters. His role in this film is equally as charmingly off beat as his portrayal of Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon and just as well executed. His character Steven Russel is a con man who meets the love of his life in prison-played by Ewan McGreggor. At this point I am sure alarm bells are tolling for you-yes, it is a gay romantic comedy starring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGreggor. As problematic as this formula for what could have been a fairly offensive and homophobic piece of trashy comedy sounds it works absolutely perfectly. The chemistry between McGregor and Carrey on screen feels so genuine and is very heartwarming. With some very touching, romantic scenes mixed with some gloriously judged comedic moments their relationship is really what tied me to the film.

The script flows very smoothly and manages to avoid the often alienatingly pretentious zone of dialogue and set pieces that a lot of American Independent cinema seems to fall into these days (cough... Me and You and Everyone We Know...cough). All the dialogue although at times exaggerated for the sake of the genre avoids cliché and maintains the love story arc throughout without making it suffocating. Not only is the script very well constructed the camera is equally as astute in telling the film's story,  the writer/director duo show an authorial presence without it becoming overtly dominant. What impressed me most about this is how many moments within the film are simultaneously very funny and tear jerkingly melancholy. Most notably in a scene where Steven and Phillip slow-dance in their jail cell together whilst the angry inmate next to them gets beaten up by the prison guards. I just realised that does not sound good at all but it definitely was in the context of the film's construction.

Most romantic-comedy's released these days are forgettable tripe that do little more than enter one eye and go out the other. It is very refreshing when one comes along that pushes the boundaries of what i deem to be a sub-genre with absolutely huge potential, it is just a shame that this potential is criminally untapped by the film industry. I Love You Phillip Morris is not on the same plain as the best rom-com's made such as Annie Hall or It Happened One Night but it is without doubt one of the finest comedies that I have seen in the last few years. Achieving a perfect balance between some wonderful slapstick moments, intelligently crafted dialogue, a genuinelly moving emotional core and outstanding performances by McGregor and Carrey this is a film not to be missed.