"I Love You Philip Morris" tells the real life story of Steven Jay Russell, who in 1998 received an unprecedented 144-year prison sentence for fraud, conning, impersonating, and multiple escapes from Houston's Harris County Jail. The film shows us sequences that seem utterly impossible, but in fact actually happened, which only goes to show that truth really is stranger than fiction. No, I will not describe them to you. Enjoying the film depends on the audience's reaction to Russell's actions. It's a little like a magician revealing his secrets; the trick itself is a lot of fun, but seeing what went into making the trick work can be quite fascinating, especially when you realize just how much effort goes into making something look simple. The apparent ease with which he executes his schemes is equally mind boggling.Jim Carrey's portrayal of Russell is a delightful bag of contradictions. He's funny but touching, exaggerated but believable, contemptible but justified, caring but manipulative. There are times when it seems like he's thinking of no one other than himself, and there are other times when it's clear that he does what he does out of love. It's a daring, complex performance, and it's for reasons other than the fact that his character is gay; it establishes that Carrey is capable of something deeper than outlandish personalities and extreme physical comedy. His take on Russell is engaging, although it's not necessarily understandable. This isn't a criticism. Sometimes, it's preferable for audiences to figure out characters for themselves, for them to put their own spin on why certain people are they are way they are.
We're given a small glimpse of his childhood, in which he learns that he was adopted. We then flash forward to his early adult years; he's married to a woman who's a bit too religious and perhaps a little ignorant but sweet nonetheless, he has a delightful daughter, and he's the manager of a Texas food service company. But after surviving a car accident, he decides to live his life as an openly gay man, and he leaves his family behind for Miami. It's there he realizes that living a gay lifestyle is more expensive than his salary as a sales manager will allow. So he does what any man vowing to live authentically would do he becomes a conman. After relatively simple schemes like feigning slips and falls in public places, he plunges headfirst into various types of fraud, including credit card, passport, and insurance. He even sells bad tomatoes.
Unfortunately, his crimes catch up with him, and he's arrested and sent to jail in Texas. He learns the ropes quickly; everything essentially boils down to a choice between paying someone off, learning how to fight, or giving someone oral sex. He knows who to talk to and where to guide someone should they need something. He spends all his free time in the library, where he reads nothing but law books. Into his life enters Philip Morris (Ewan McGregor), a soft spoken gay man who was tried and convicted for theft of service. He wants to see if there's a legal way to help an AIDS patient lying in the infirmary. Russell lies and tells Morris that he's a lawyer. The two immediately hit it off. Over the next few weeks, they form their own little slice of heaven in a jail cell, oblivious to the yard beatings and the cell searches.
At this point, I'm going to stop describing the plot, for I want you to be surprised by the lengths Russell will go to be with Morris. I will say that what the film, in its own offbeat way, is surprisingly sweet. Glenn Ficarra and John Requa's screenplay, based on Steve McVicker's book "I Love You Philip Morris: A True Story of Life, Love, and Prison Breaks," reveals a delicate and finely crafted balancing act between humor and drama; it's funny, though it never resorts to desperate slapstick or gross-out vulgarities, and it's heartfelt, yet it steers clear of broad, contrived sentimentalism. It's bold and appealing a romantic comedy that refuses to follow the rules of a romantic comedy.
Apart from Carrey and McGregor, I was pleasantly surprised by Leslie Mann, who appears briefly but is no less important as Russell's ex-wife, Debbie. Even after learning that he's gay, even after they get divorced, even after he gets sent to jail, the two remain on fairly good terms. This is amazing coming from a woman perpetually hung up on what the Lord does and does not intend to have happen. She believes that Russell is a man who doesn't know who he is and is always searching for something. I guess that makes sense. Why else would he be so reckless in his attempts at pretending to be what he isn't? Part of what makes "I Love You Philip Morris" such a good movie is that it presents Steven Jay Russell without forcing us towards any definite conclusions about him. True, he may be serving an unusually long jail sentence (in solitary confinement, no less), but you have to admit, he is a romantic.
I normally adore Ewan McGregor and he is just fine here. However, Carrey is just fantastic. I did not realize this was based on a real life con man until the end of the film. I thought it was fictional. The plot is Carrey as con man supreme who falls in love with McGregor when they are in prison together. The only problem is that Carrey can't stop himself from continuing his cons. The cons are terrically entertaining.
This is a dramedy, a comedy mixed with drama. It really works as both and I would not want one to dominate the other. As it is, a perfect blend is achieved.
These two do an absolutely superb job of playing gay men. I've seen a lot of films about gay men but never one like this. By having two major film actors play gay men in love, there are nuances and depths which are brought forth in this film which I don't think have ever been seen before.
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I simply couldn't wait any longer for this film to open in America, so I bought the DVD from AmazonUK (yes, I have a region free DVD player).OMG this is one of the best films I've seen this year. Jim Carrey gives a performance worthy of year end award consideration in this funny, absurd and poignant romantic comedy about a gay con-artist. This is the Carrey of The Truman Show, Man on the Moon and Eternal Sunshine, and he shines in an often challenging role. Ewan MacGregor is equally affecting in the role of Carrey's love interest. There are some broad and outrageous moments; this is a comedy after all. However, there are an equal number of lovely, tender moments of romance and passion.
This film has been in some legal battles and so the American distribution has been held up. I hope these problems get resolved and this finds its way to a theatre near you. Don't miss it.
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Jim Carrey was the singular reason I watched this film. The problem with this movie is that its not really a comedy, its not really a con-artist movie, its not really about gay relationships. It does all of these 3 things in somewhat equal measure and then loses out overall. I liked bits and pieces of it but too many times lost interest and was left with the feeling that if the director had focused on making a good con-artist movie, Jim Carrey could have turned it into something spectacular.Want I Love You Phillip Morris (2010) Discount?
Some have suggested that Jim Carrey is poorly cast in the role of Steven Russell, the con artist whose story is told in I LOVE YOU, PHILLIP MORRIS. It's been said that his performances are too glossy, too on-the-surface for us to believe him as lovestruck and will to do everything and anything for that love.I believe he is IDEALLY cast because of that. It's true that Carrey is not a classically trained actor...he is just very good at faking emotion (lots of actors do that, of course). But think about one of his most acclaimed performances, as Andy Kaufmann in MAN ON THE MOON. Kaufmann was a cipher, a man who deliberately avoided showing his real self by faking one "public persona" after another until he had no real persona at all. Carrey was pitch perfect. In PHILLIP MORRIS, he plays a gay man who initially lives a lie of being straight. He also joins the police force, not because he wants to fight crime, but as an avenue to getting access to paperwork that will show him who is real mother is. (And when he finally meets her, she slams the door on him. He was the middle child, and he wants to know why she kept her first child and her third, but not him.)
Eventually, he amicably ends his marriage and perhaps over-compensates by living a lavish Key West lifestyle...flamboyantly gay. He funds this lifestyle elaborate con games. The way Carrey plays Russell, we're never sure if Russell is actually a little self-deluded and half believes the cons...or is he just so good at them because there's no real Steven Russell inside the body. This disconnect from reality allows Carrey to jump everywhere emotionally with great facileness but we also never know when or if what we're seeing is really what Steven Russell is feeling. I liked this. Does this man have any self-insight, or is he faking everything...even love?
For when he is sent to jail, he falls BIG TIME for a fellow inmate, Phillip Morris (Ewan MacGregor). The feeling is mutual...or is it. Certainly, Morris loves Russell. Does Russell really love Morris, or is he just fulfilled in some way by being loved, and thus will do anything to keep winning the approval. And does it matter? They both seem happy with each other.
Eventually, both are on the outside, and the question becomes, will Carrey go straight, or will his desire to keep Morris living in the lap of luxury drive him to further cons? The answer is not hard to guess, and where the film goes from there is too much fun for me to ruin now.
In reality, although based on a true story, the entire film lives at an exaggerated, slightly fake level. It's just so hard to believe Steven Russell did all the things the movie says he did. (Although apparently he did!). But it strikes such a rich tone that frankly the film is a blast from beginning to end. Russell has seemingly endless depths of trickery that he can go to...and Carrey plays the role with gusto. "Gusto" is a word I seldom trot out...but it is SO appropriate here. He's having a ball playing a guy having a ball. And MacGregor is a delight as Morris. He's filmed in such a way that he practically glows. He's slightly fey, slightly effeminate...but it never struck me as a caricature. We DO believe he loves Russell.
There are plenty of plot hi-jinks throughout the film...including one of the funniest and cleverest prison breaks since SHAWSHANK. It's certainly quite entertaining just at that level. But watching these two guys absolutely grab the screen is the enduring pleasure. And yes, there is plenty of relatively graphic smooching and sex in the film. I say "relatively" because if what we saw was between a man and a woman, we'd scarcely bat an eye. But because it's two men, some of the physicality is a bit surprising to see in a mainstream movie. Carrey & MacGregor play it with nary a wink or a hesitation...and thus their relationship has real spark. It's sexy and fun and romantic.
The film is too lightweight and frothy to really be great...but it is a wonderfully good time nonetheless, and should be enjoyed by any adult audience not afraid to see Carrey and MacGregor do some serious smooching.
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