Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Carl Allen has stumbled across a way to shake free of post-divorce blues and a dead-end job: embrace life and say yes to everything. Take a bungee plunge? Yes. Accept call-now TV offers? Yes. Learn Korean? Yes. Grab the first flight to anywhere? Yes. Win your dream girl? Yes. Crack up fans with a feel-good, laugh-loaded romp? Yes! Working every funny bone in his nimble body and every muscle in his hilariously mobile face, Jim Carrey plays Carl in a YEScapade about opening up to lifes possibilities especially when those possibilities include romance with an intriguing, free-spirited musician.

Carrey returns to the physical comedy that launched him into superstardom so many years ago. He obviously hasn’t lost his knack. This one is a bit more grounded than his previous films and ends up working a bit better for me than some of his more over the top comedies of years ago. The film does a great job with the comedy but does fall a bit short in the romance department. The chemistry just didn’t work for me between Carrey and the always adorable Deschanel. This makes the film a bit of a mixed bag for me with great laughs but an uninspiring heart.

Warner delivers a good video presentation that falls just a bit short of the better new releases out there. The image has plenty of depth and dimension but didn’t have quite the detail I’ve become accustom to with day and date releases like this. There is still plenty of detail to be seen, but fine object detail was a bit disappointing. Contrast levels are strong and the film’s color provides plenty of pop throughout. While still a strong showing, it just fell short of some of the better HD transfers I’ve seen lately.

Warner includes a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix for this one. The mix does a great job with the film’s tone and non-stop barrage of comedy. The soundtrack is playful with a very open spatial design and dynamic range was impressive given the genre. There is some very deep bass extension in a few sequences that was actually near room threatening in its range. The surround soundstage is also a big player here and really adds a nice level of immersion to the mix with directional cues and plenty of atmosphere. A solid showing by Warner here.

Warner includes a digital copy of the film in this 2-disc set along with some BD-Live features and Blu-ray exclusives. You find some behind the scenes footage and some funny looks at Carrey on the set. You also get a look at the band Deschanel plays in during the movie and 5 videos from the band in 5.1. A gag reel is also included.

While funny overall Yes Man doesn’t really deliver on the romance side creating a bit of a disconnect in the film. Still, it was great to see that Carrey still knows how to deliver. Warner provides a solid presentation for this one and some good extras making it an easy recommendation.