Yes Man is a fairly middle-ground comedy. It's not terrible. It's not great. It pales in comparison to Liar, Liar, or Bruce Almighty, which were both major contributors to Jim Carey's current status as one of America's favorite comedians.
There are a few good parts to Yes Man, which hint at prior excellence.
1. "We. Are. Sparta!"
Rhys Darby is one of the brightest points of this movie as Norman, hopeless dork and head of the bank at which Carl (Carey) works. There are a few unexpected laughs from his "crazy hat/wig party," the Harry Potter costume party, and of course the Sparta-themed party, when Norman opens the door to greet Carl and all of his costumed guests chant "We are Sparta" at the top of their lungs. Sort of like a very enthusiastic doorbell. Darby, of Flight of the Conchords fame, makes better use of this weak script than Carey does throughout the film.
2. "Wish you would step back from that ledge, my friend..."
In one of this film's many non-sequiturs, Carl finds himself witnessing a man who is standing on an outside ledge, threatening to jump. Full of adrenaline and a somewhat tongue-in-cheek enthusiasm, Carl rushes up to his window and, after some deliberation, plays an impromptu version of Third Eye Blind's "Jumper." Crowd sings along, jumper is saved, and it's a thrilling moment all around.
3. "I've never let anyone kiss me on stage..."
While chemistry is not exactly overwhelming between Deschanel and Carey, there are some cute moments. Their banter feels forced most of the time, and her understated wide-eyed naiveté is sometimes comes off simply lifeless next to his boundless goofiness. But they did manage to pull off a nice moment when onstage together, belting out Can't Buy Me Love.
4. Zooey Deschanel was bound to be better in this than in The Happening.
Deschanel has shown time and time again that she mostly plays one character over and over. Thankfully, it's an adorable character. Audiences don't seem to mind, directors keep typecasting her, and it works out all around. Unfortunately, she was not given a lot of comic material in this movie, and is basically the straight man to Carey's unbridled wildness. She delivers a fine performance here, and it is most definitely a step up from that mess in The Happening.
5. Jim Carey tried pretty hard to liven up this movie.
From the opening gag with his friend stalking him in the video store, two things are clear. This script is weak, and Jim Carey has had better performances. Some of his trademark moves are here, but it is definitely missing some key ingredient of his genius. Yes Man is no Liar Liar. Regardless, it is clear that he's trying, especially in certain scenes throughout when he is able to improvise. Carey still has the genius, it was simply a little too smothered in this movie to show.
