I Love You Philip Morris was my must-see movie at this Sundance Film Festival because it explored the extreme boundaries of love and had my favorite two actors in roles that I would have never envisioned them in. While waiting in the ticket-holder line at Eccles Theater, almost two hours before the movie began, I encountered people who were fearful of the movie’s theme. Many of them had doubts whether Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor could pull of their respective roles. After entering the theater and finding out that the first five rows were reserved for the press and the production team, I was disappointed but was soon rewarded with a glimpse of both Carrey and McGregor. As the audience settled in to watch the world premiere of I Love You Philip Morris, the expectations were high and the atmosphere was full of anticipation. Least to say, the movie quelled all fears and was beyond my expectations. It was entertaining, exciting and even shocking at times. Glenn Ficarra and John Requa present a unique and true love story, complete with well-timed humor and great emotional sequences.

The film is based on the true story of an ex-cop, Steven Russell (Jim Carrey), who’s exploits to fund his lavish lifestyle land him in the federal penitentiary, in Texas. It is here that he meets the love of his life, Philip Morris (Ewan McGregor), and begins to execute a series of cons to keep them together. From prison escapes to money laundering, Russell makes sure that Morris never has the need for anything, displaying his undying love for Morris. The filmmakers tap into Carrey and McGregor’s talents and exact performances that only add to their illustrious careers. Carrey is hilarious as Russell and one cannot help but admire the ease with which he handles the emotional sequences. McGregor was the perfect casting for Morris’ role and plays Carrey’s love interest, full of emotion and life. The chemistry between these two talented actors is noteworthy and they complement each other perfectly. Even though Carrey has more screen time than McGregor, the latter makes his presence felt by some brilliant scenes and dialogue. The gay factor soon becomes a sub-plot in the movie and the interactions between Carrey and McGregor become natural like any other couple’s. The ups and downs in the life of Russell and Morris are presented with some good cinematography, and a fascinating storyline.

Ficarra and Requa spare no expense at showing the dramatic changes that take place in Russell’s life before he meets Morris. From portraying the typical American-dream family life that he initially begins with, to showcasing his extravagant homosexual lifestyle, the filmmakers present the audience with many hilarious scenes and make good use of the soundtrack. The jail sequences are well written and superbly shot, especially the blossoming of love between Russell and Morris. Even some of the obscene and rated scenes are handled with humor, which only adds to the comical plot line. There were some places where the filmmakers could have cleaned up and edited out some scenes, which would have made the movie’s pace better. I also felt that a little more focus should have been given to McGregor’s character, such as emphasis on his past or giving a little more depth to his character.

I would highly recommend watching this movie that portrays romance in a completely different style and will definitely give you a warm feeling of love: lots of it.

 

Tags: Comedy, Eckerd, Ewan McGregor, I Love You Philip Morris, Jim Carrey, Rajeev Rupani, Romance, sundance

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 at 3:45 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.