Blu-Ray Review:
Yes Man
By Jason Gillard
*Screen shots are not from the Blu-Ray source.
Movie
It's been awhile since there has been a good Jim Carrey comedy. He tried exploring other genres with The Number 23 but that didn't do to well. The best comedy that I can remember with Jim was Bruce Almighty. Well it's with a slight bit of caution that I decided to review Jim Carrey's new film Yes Man. I remember seeing the trailers and thinking it could be funny. The plot for Yes Man is as follows. Carl Allen is the type of guy that if you call him to do something he always has some excuse why he can't. Carl's job at the bank is going nowhere and so is his personal life. One day he bumps into someone he used to know who tells him how is life has changed with one simple word, "YES". Carl is skeptical but decides to go. Well there he discovers the word "Yes" and decides to start trying out the word more often. His life is literally turned upside down for the better with a promotion and a new girlfriend. But he soon discovers that he can't say "Yes" to everything. The movie has definitely got its funny parts. It seems to be well written and well produced. I actually liked the film and thought it is one of the better comedy's Carrey has been involved in lately. The movie is goofy and funny and also has a serious side. Overall I thought it was well done and certainly worth a watch.
8 out of 10
Video
Yes Man is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The movie is quite colourful and the transfer really shows these colours off. Daytime scenes look fantastic and even the nighttime scenes look good, all though not quite as strong as the daytime ones. Black levels are pretty deep and show off shadow detail well. There are some semi-musical numbers in the movie and these combine light and colour to really show off the transfer. Skin tones are also very natural looking as well. Detail is also very well done and brings certain scenes to life. Overall I thought the movie looked fantastic and the transfer really showed off the great cinematography by Robert Yeoman.
8.5 out of 10
Audio
Usually when I think of comedies I think of really bland sound design. This is not the case with Yes Man. Warner has provided us with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track that does an excellent job here. At the beginning of the film when he attends the say yes seminar, sound is coming from everywhere. You can hear the sounds of the crowd coming out of all the channels and you can hear them chanting "Yes" with great clarity. The music sequences also come across very lively. Dialogue also comes across quite clear and I never had a problem with the score or the effects overpowering the voice. The movie sounds really good.
8.5 out of 10
Extras
Here is what you get in the way of extras:
Downtime on the Set with Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey: Extreme Yes Man
Future Sounds: Munchausen by Proxy
Exclusive Munchausen by Proxy Music Videos
Gag Reel
Additional Scenes
On Set with Danny Wallace: The Original Yes Man
Say Yes to Red Bull!
Yes Man: Party Central with Norman Stokes (Rhys Darby)
On the surface there seems to be a lot of good content here. But for me there wasn't anything that was really worth it. If I had to pick something it would have to be "Jim Carrey: Extreme Yes Man". This as close as you're going to get to a good behind the scenes feature. It features Carrey riding a fake motorcycle, bungee jumping etc! It's sad that they didn't include anything a little more in-depth. I also liked "Say Yes to Red Bull". This goes into greater detail about one of the funnier scenes in the film. You even get to see him try the drink for the first time before filming. Most of the extras included here are short and not worth your time.
5 out of 10
Overall
If you're a fan of Jim Carrey than you will probably like this movie. This disc has a great transfer and well done audio. The extras were not worth it in my opinion, but the quality of the transfer and audio is well done. If you're not sure, rent it first, then if you like it, make sure you pick up the blu-ray.
8 out of 10
Yes Man Blu-ray is available now from Amazon.com