I Love You Phillip Morris (2010)

        From the writer/director duo that brought you "Bad Santa" and "Bad News Bears" comes a new romantic comedy starring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor.  In "I Love You Phillip Morris", Steven Russell, played by the hilarious Jim Carrey, is the perfect father and husband, but there is only one problem.  He is secretly a homosexual.  Only after a horrible car accident does Steven leave his wife, played by Leslie Mann (Funny People, Knocked Up), and live the life that he has always wanted to live.  But the life that Steven wanted to live was beyond his means, so he turned to a life of crime in the form of
insurance fraud.  These crimes wind him up in prison, where he falls in love with Phillip Morris, played by Mcgregor.  And thats when the story begins.

       This film is fun, exciting, and unlike any Jim Carrey movie to date.  This is the first time that Carrey has wowed me since "External Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", and he does it without completely giving up his signature wackyness that we all love.  As for McGregor, we see a performance very similar to his in "Big Fish".  This can be attributed to the fact that he uses that southern accent in the guise of an innocent boy.  The editing and cinematography were nothing special, but the bright color pallet really set the tone for the film.  It was really a breath of fresh air to see a homosexual version of a romantic comedy.  It is a shame that it is not attempted more often.  Thoughts of Gus Van Sant's "Milk" and Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain" come up, but this film is much more light-hearted.  I thoroughly enjoyed "I Love You Phillip Morris" and would recommend it to anyone looking for a laugh or a cry.

ACTING: 8

CINEMATOGRAPHY: 7

STORY: 8

ORIGINALITY: 9

REPLAY VALUE: 8

OVERALL RATING: 8/10