Now I know, I Love You Phillip Morris isn't quite what would fit into my theme of reviewing nemesis films, but I was browsing Netflix this week and decided to watch it. The rest of the week was quite busy so I didn't get to mark off a classic. But it promised to be a enjoyable watch, so I knew it wouldn't be time wasted. For those who are unaware, the film chronicles the story of Steven Jay Russell (Carrey), a man who divorces his wife after embracing his homosexuality. To keep up with the demanding fashion purchases and lifestyle luxuries that follow, Steven begins to con businesses with the old "I slipped on your floor and I'm going to sue you!" trick. However, the law soon catches up to Steven and he is sent to prison which is probably the best thing that ever happened to him because it's there that he meets the love of his life, Phillip Morris (McGregor.) As the lovers bounce in and out of jail, Steven is forced by the power of love to orchestrate escapes and cons.
Whoever believes that Jim Carrey is just a funny clown who just does ridiculous things on camera is sorely mistaken. He is a man who understands acting and character work very well. It's why we love him, film after film. You take a normal stand-up comedian and throw him in front of a camera and you might get yourself a pretty funny film, but will it be any good as a film? And will that comedian ever be able to do another movie successfully? And will that movie be anything different from the previous one? Probably not. But Jim is an actor. He may have been a comedian once, but it's so apparent now that he's one of the acting greats. He plays Steven Russell with incredible depth and duality. Throughout the film, Steven makes so many choices that are anything but loving towards Phillip (Lying to him, going back to his conman antics, etc.) yet at the same time Carrey makes us completely understand the love behind his actions. Any actor could've made Russell into a careless jerk, but Carrey approached the role with a beautiful sense of realism and empathy. The role was no Joel of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but Carrey took on a sensitive subject matter and he had to tread carefully and he pulled it off. He also could have easily been a bad gay stereotype. Sure, his effeminate southern accent was a little obnoxious, but there was never a moment where Carrey played "gay."
As funny and fantastic as Carrey was, the real force of acting in the movie was Ewan McGregor. McGregor's Phillip Morris was beautifully done and always filled with a handful of complex emotions. I watch a lot of movies and some of those movies end up being romance films, which I Love You Phillip Morris certainly is. Many times, the romance between actors feels inauthentic. It was never that way with these two men and I credit that to being McGregor's doing. From the moment he appears in the prison library, he is an incredible force of love and sensitivity. He's really the character the audience feels for. When he hurts, we hurt, too. Like Carrey's selfish but loving duality, McGregor also captures a hurt, but forgiving sense. Whenever Russell hurts Morris, the emotional injury is so clear and afflicting that it leaves a lasting impression. He yells, but it's not anger. You can feel that he's so in love with Steven that to be hurt by him is absolutely devestating. Like Carrey, McGregor never dares to play a gay caricature. He is the more "real" of the two, for sure. For straight actors it can be difficult to play a gay relationship. Sometimes it's hard to know how to act towards your lover, but these two both appeared completely at home together.
The film is not without its negatives. They are few, but they're there. I was startled by some of the obnoxious gay jokes in parts of the film. I'm severely difficult to offend. Few things are sacred to me, but some of the "jokes" felt unnecessary and, frankly, unfunny. It borders on the excessive. The most notable example is when Steven, still playing straight with his wife and daughter, gets into a car accident on the way home from a gay hookup. As they're loading him into the ambulance, he's yelling about how much of a "fag" he is. I suppose the point was to show Steven embracing that side of him in the face of a near-death experience, but I don't know many gay men who would so exuberantly call themselves that. It happens right near the beginning of the movie so it's a dangerous quote that could cause a more sensitive viewer to shut the film off. The film has somewhat graphic gay sex scenes so the socially conservative should beware. However, if they're offended by that sort of thing, I can't imagine them even considering the film in the first place. I, for one, admired the directors' boldness in putting gay sex in the limelight. Other directors might have glossed over the sex to not "gross out the audience," but here we have a depiction that normalizes gay relationships. After all, if they show straight sex in movies (in fact, these days it's expected) why not show two men or two women? It takes away the idea that gay relationships are different from straight ones and this movie does its part in banishing that misconception.
The film makes great use of montage techniques. Steven's cons are shown in an entertaining montage as well as his many escape attempts. It's a fun way to pass time. Another especially effective one-time technique was at the beginning of the movie before the big reveal of Steven's sexuality (although anybody watching the film probably knows the premise.) A shot of Steven having sex in a dark room is shown and we can see the spine of his partner and a waist up shot of Steven. The camera pans and we see his partner's face: a burly man with a handle bar mustache. It's quite the way to introduce that aspect of Steven's life and gave me a good laugh. It's crude, but funny. My favorite shot of the film is when Russell pays an inmate to use his cassette player to play a slow song for Steven and Phillip to dance to. As they sway together in the darkness of their cell, you can hear the guards threatening and beating the inmate who promised (and his word is his bond!) to play the song through until the end. The shot is simple, sweet, funny, and touching.
Jim Carrey has done better films. So has Ewan McGregor. But this movie is endlessly endearing and an uplifting, but realistic story of love and passion. It's a film carried by incredibly attentive performances. For me, I Love You Phillip Morris is the definitive Hollywood depiction of a relationship between two men, even surpassing Brokeback Mountain. It is realistic and beautiful in every way that it should be. If romance is your sort of thing, and you're open minded, this film will make you laugh and cry. If you're homophobic, stay away. The movie is slow at times, but you will have left it feeling good about the state of romance today. He loved Phillip Morris and so do I and you will too.
Rating: 3.5/5
See it For: More than just a typical Jim Carrey comedy, Ewan McGregor, a true love story
Quote of the Film: "Even if sometimes I don't know who you are... I love you." -- Phillip Morris
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