It's easy to see why Jim Carrey said yes when the opportunity to star in the movie "Yes Man" presented itself.
After all, it is pretty much a greatest-hits "medley" of bits from his biggest comedy hits, especially 1997's "Liar, Liar," which was arguably, Carrey's last, really appealing, live-action comedy.
However, it's a little disappointing to see the talented comic actor reverting to early form and simply doing silly faces and voices instead of trying to do something of substance. This is one of the laziest, most phoned-in performances of his career.
But that's in keeping with the film itself — it's a lazy comedy that relies on crudity and on other easy, cheap humor and jokes rather than trying to do something that's actually clever.
Carrey stars as Carl Allen, an assistant bank loan officer who's deeply unhappy and is in a rut, lifewise.
He's having trouble getting over the breakup of his marriage a couple of years earlier, and now even his closest friends (Bradley Cooper and Danny Masterson) seem unable to get him out of this funk.
So the desperate Carl attends a self-help seminar, where a guru (Terence Stamp) urges the embittered, negative man to say yes to every available opportunity.
At first, this strategy seems crazy to Carl. But once he meets the free-spirited Allison (Zooey Deschanel), it appears his luck really has changed for the better.
There was probably a decent little comedy to be made from this material — since it is based on some of Scottish writer Danny Wallace's real-life experiences. But instead, director Peyton Reed ("The Break-Up") and three credited screenwriters have turned that into a dopey comedy that's only sporadically amusing.
And the only times it really comes to life is when it's exploring the relationship between the characters played by Carrey and Deschanel, who's always a welcome presence.
Unfortunately, even she seems a bit uncomfortable with some of the things she has to say and do.
Still, the most humiliating bits here are reserved for New Zealand comedian Rhys Darby (HBO's "Flight of the Conchords") and veteran actress Fionnula Flanagan, both of whom deserve better treatment.
"Yes Man" is rated PG-13 and features strong sexual profanity (including two uses of the so-called "R-rated" curse word), crude sexual humor and references (slang and other suggestive talk), simulated sex and other sexual contact (done for laughs), supposedly comic violence (target shooting and automotive mayhem), partial male and female nudity, and derogatory language and slurs.
Running time: 104 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com