I Love You Phillip Morris (2009)

Number Rolled: 43

Movie Name/Year: I Love You Phillip Morris (2009)

Tagline: Do some time with the one you love.

Genre: Comedy

Length: 98 minutes

Rating: R

Production Companies: EuropaCorp, Mad Chance, Consolidated Pictures Group

Producer: Luc Besson, Linda Fields, Jeffrey Harlacker, Andrew Lazar, Richard Middleton, Far Shariat, Miri Yoon

Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa

Writer: John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, Steve McVicker

Actors: Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro, Antoni Corone, Brennan Brown, Michael Mandell, Annie Golden, Marylouise Burke, David Jensen, Dameon Clarke, Clay Chamberlin, Louis Herthum, Morgana Shaw, Joe Chrest, Griff Furst, Aunjanue Ellis, DeVere Jehl, Michael Showers, Beth Burvant, Lasdon Deyne, Kennon Kepper, Alyssa Tate, Andrew Sensenig, Nicholas Alexander, Maureen Brennan, Trey Burvant, Miriam Cruz, Tommy Davis

Blurb from Netflix: When a Texas cop realizes he’s gay, he changes his life and pulls con jobs that land him in jail, where he meets his one true love.

Selina’s Point of View:

I’m a huge fan of Jim Carrey (The Number 23, Mr. Popper's Penguins, Bruce Almighty), so I wasn’t overly surprised when I thought this movie was hilarious.

It was a little on that stereotypical side where gay men are concerned, but it’s based off a true story so I’m not sure how much of that was exaggerated and how much was true. That’s the problem with movies based off a true story. They could be just minorly reminiscent of what could have possibly happened, or they could be 100% accurate. They could also fall anywhere in the middle.

So, commenting on the characters themselves is a moot point. That may really be the way the characters were in real life. In the words of Bad Religion, “life is the crummiest book I ever read. There isn't a hook, just a lot of cheap shots, pictures to shock, and characters an amateur would never dream up.”

That being said, I can say that this is a story I’m glad I watched play out.

Carrey and Ewan McGregor (Son of a Gun, A Million Ways to Die in the West, Amelia) had incredible chemistry on screen and played their parts amazingly well. I was deeply invested in their characters and was thoroughly entertained. In the end, that’s what a movie is all about.

Cat’s Point of View:

Sometimes I wonder if Jim Carrey (Yes Man, A Christmas Carol, Kick Ass 2) is even real. He’s this fantastic chameleon creature that one would expect to be frolicking with unicorns – a real, living, cartoon character. I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. (Not all cartoons are for laughs, after all.)

I think he had a spectacular performance in this movie. You could just feel the gears turning in his character’s head when he was flying by the seat of his pants. The emotional range he expressed within the dynamic between the two main characters seemed genuine. I laughed and I wanted to throw things at him; but I also cried.

Of course, the other half of that duo was Ewan McGregor (Incendiary, Beginners, Jane Got a Gun). He was perfect in the role of Phillip Morris. He just exuded the good-hearted, optimistic, and naïve nature of the character. He felt like a real person, though, and not a caricature of a gay man.

Their accents were a little funny – but I could be biased due to living in the general region most of the film is supposed to be set in. There is that saying that ‘everything’s bigger in Texas.’ I suppose that can apply to accents sometimes, too.

I was surprised to find that some of this movie was actually filmed here, in Shreveport. I was invested enough in the film that I didn’t even pick up on what part it was. I’m probably going to watch it again at some point just to see.

For your random bit of trivia, I present to you that the real life Phillip Morris has a cameo in this movie in one of the court room scenes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and would recommend it in a heartbeat. I’m actually quite curious for the opinions of a few friends of mine, and will be prodding them to watch it, soon!

Just for a final bit of amusement, I feel I must share that the final two items on the ‘Thank You’ list in the credits are Redbull and Xanax. I can truly say that this movie was entertaining to the very end.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 72%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 61%

Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 4/5

Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 4.5/5

Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 2/5

Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 4/5

Movie Trailer: