Me, Myself & Irene (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
An easy-going Rhode Island state trooper develops split personality disorder with his alter ego in 'Me, Myself, & Irene', directed by the Farrelly Brothers (There's Something About Mary). Complications arise when he (Charlie/Hank, played by Jim Carrey) is assigned to escort a woman, Irene (Renee Zellweger), to a N.Y. prison & ends up falling for her. Charlie is meek. Hank is aggressive. Because he's lost his medication, there's no telling which personality will come to the forefront. When it's funny, it is FUNNY. When it's not, it's easy to pick-up on a glaring lack of plot. But for a Friday night out, I do approve.
Charlie used to be married. But fate spat in his face when his wife left him for their limousine driver. Single - and taking care of their 3 kids - a series of unfortunate events turn him into quite the troubled man. When angered, 'Hank' emerges. Hank is outrageous, outlandish, dumbish, & mean. Charlie's initial plan was to deliver Irene to prison, and then take some rest (for purposes of his mental state). But they fall in love; her, even with his disorder. Things go bad for the couple though when it turns out that Irene (who'd been the groundskeeper at a golf course that was a 'front' for criminal activity) had seen something that she shouldn't have. As a result, she's a marked woman. By whom? Some crooked cops, of course (Richard Jenkins, Chris Cooper). Can Charlie & Irene outrun the corrupt cops? Will Charlie be able to keep Hank in check? Clearly, the answer to the last question is no; or else we wouldn't have a movie.
'Me, Myself, & Irene' is a lot tamer than There's Something About Mary, but it still offers its fair share of risque, warped, over-the-top jokes for us comedy fiends (involving urine, dog poop, profanity, dead cows, dildos, etc.). There are 2 differences/shortcoming from that other film. 1) Mary had a superior plot. 2) More attention is spent (this time) on character development/relationships ... too much time. I think Jim Carrey is great, in general. We've seen him do his insane shtick (Ace Ventura, The Mask) & we've seen his serious side (Man on the Moon, Truman Show). He can excel at both. Here, he makes an interesting character out of Charlie/Hank. His likeability is one of film's saving graces (amid the preposterousness).
Renee Zellweger is very sweet. I like her. But I don't think she suits Carrey very well 'in this movie'. Probably the most surprising, pleasant, & hysterical performances come from Charlie/Hank's 3 African-American children played by Jerod Mixon, Mongo Brownlee & Anthony Anderson. Overall, while 'Me, Myself. & Irene' makes little sense, has some dead spots, is too long by 20 minutes, and doesn't provide as many BIG laughs as it could, it's still a fun, if stupid little movie; one that I will remember years from now.
Charlie used to be married. But fate spat in his face when his wife left him for their limousine driver. Single - and taking care of their 3 kids - a series of unfortunate events turn him into quite the troubled man. When angered, 'Hank' emerges. Hank is outrageous, outlandish, dumbish, & mean. Charlie's initial plan was to deliver Irene to prison, and then take some rest (for purposes of his mental state). But they fall in love; her, even with his disorder. Things go bad for the couple though when it turns out that Irene (who'd been the groundskeeper at a golf course that was a 'front' for criminal activity) had seen something that she shouldn't have. As a result, she's a marked woman. By whom? Some crooked cops, of course (Richard Jenkins, Chris Cooper). Can Charlie & Irene outrun the corrupt cops? Will Charlie be able to keep Hank in check? Clearly, the answer to the last question is no; or else we wouldn't have a movie.
'Me, Myself, & Irene' is a lot tamer than There's Something About Mary, but it still offers its fair share of risque, warped, over-the-top jokes for us comedy fiends (involving urine, dog poop, profanity, dead cows, dildos, etc.). There are 2 differences/shortcoming from that other film. 1) Mary had a superior plot. 2) More attention is spent (this time) on character development/relationships ... too much time. I think Jim Carrey is great, in general. We've seen him do his insane shtick (Ace Ventura, The Mask) & we've seen his serious side (Man on the Moon, Truman Show). He can excel at both. Here, he makes an interesting character out of Charlie/Hank. His likeability is one of film's saving graces (amid the preposterousness).
Renee Zellweger is very sweet. I like her. But I don't think she suits Carrey very well 'in this movie'. Probably the most surprising, pleasant, & hysterical performances come from Charlie/Hank's 3 African-American children played by Jerod Mixon, Mongo Brownlee & Anthony Anderson. Overall, while 'Me, Myself. & Irene' makes little sense, has some dead spots, is too long by 20 minutes, and doesn't provide as many BIG laughs as it could, it's still a fun, if stupid little movie; one that I will remember years from now.