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You know that person you come across every now and then who’s so determined to not socialize with others because they’re so content with being isolated from civilization? You know that feeling you get where you just want to grab hold of them and shake them around until you can make them come to their senses? If so, then why don’t you try and take them to a seminar that involves its attendees being so hyped up and optimistic, it’d appear that they were on an incredible amount of Prozac? Actually, don’t try to do that, because after all, where would you even find a seminar where the people there could be on Prozac?

The idea of a closed-off pessimist being forcibly thrown into the open-ended world of optimism by way of one simple word is the setup for the new Jim Carrey vehicle Yes Man, and while it may seem slightly similar to Carrey’s other hit comedy Liar Liar, this film succeeds and succeeds primarily because of Carrey’s near-uncontainable manic energy and zeal. In both films, Jim Carrey plays a man skilled at doing one thing who is subsequently forced into situation after situation that requires him to do the exact opposite of what he normally does. So you may wonder why Carrey’s doing it again, and the answer is simple: because he’s so good at it. After all, if any actor can do a scene that requires them to appear to be hyped up on Red Bull, it’s Jim Carrey.

Carl Allen (Carrey) is a pessimistic bank worker who spends his days denying customers bank loans, avoiding any invitations to formal or casual get-togethers and spending his nights watching DVDs. Now, personally, I find nothing wrong with that last part, but anyway…. Carl is divorced and his friends are tired of his unending negativity, so when Carl bumps into an old friend who refers to himself as a “yes man”, he is finally prevailed upon to attend one of the meetings of this friend’s self-help group. Its premise is the however-many-step program of the author of a self-help book that teaches its readers the power of the word ‘yes’. Their mantra is to say yes to every opportunity that comes your way, which in turn will make you a better person. Ooooooooookay. If you’re trying to picture this group, think of a bunch of people smiling so much that they are on the verge of making it permanent, or the “cult” from a particularly similar episode of Everybody Loves Raymond.

Naturally, Carl is presented with his first opportunity the moment he walks out of the seminar, and it is, admittedly, a bit too over-the-top. In fact, most of the situations the plot places Carl in are obviously contrived and/or cruel, with the latter coming into play in a scene involving a little old lady. When you see the movie, you’ll know what I’m talking about. But when he struggles through the course of his new found optimism, Carl is able to get a promotion at work, make new friends and meet a beautiful and adventuresome woman named Allison (Zooey Deschanel). And as Carl keeps going, the situations get progressively funnier and more optimistic.

While I watched Yes Man, it was clear to me that as I was laughing at nearly everything on-screen and enjoying the movie, I was definitely aware of how forced and contrived most of the situations were. All of these circumstances could never conceivably present themselves to one man in real life. On the other hand, we don’t look to a Jim Carrey comedy for logic or a sense of realism; we come to laugh, and in that sense, “Yes Man” does work. The film contains plenty of laughs to satisfy any Jim Carrey fan and while a handful flop, the majority of them satisfy. Now, I think I have to blame the screenplay for the more egregious segments. When you think about it, much like I have, you’ll realize that those most unbelievable situations are blatant “movie moments” that temporarily take you out of the film – you realize that the writers are throwing out certain jokes only to siphon off more of our laughs – at the expense of credibility.

Excepting those problems, Yes Man contains everything we’ve come to expect from a Jim Carrey comedy. There are indeed moments where Carrey gets to comically overact and make it appear natural at the same time. He’s so good at making us laugh, that even if you go in and try to resist the film, chances are you’ll be cracking a smile within the first ten minutes in spite of yourself. I think it’s a known fact that any comedy Jim Carrey stars in is always tailored to his comedic abilities, and it seems like this screenplay was, too. However, Carrey isn’t the only funny thing in here; there’s a moment where he’s invited to a Harry Potter costume party, and it serves as an inside joke; look at the name of producer David Heyman, then compare it to the credits of any of the Potter films in order to get this joke. Zooey Deschanel is full of charm and brightness in this movie too, a big contrast to her more moody work in this past summer’s “The Happening”. She’s able to hold her own when she shares the screen with Carrey, something most of his co-stars often fail to do. Whenever they are together, Carrey and Deschanel make for a charming couple.

Is it Jim Carrey’s funniest movie to date? No. Does “Yes Man” deliver on the goods, though? Yes. Is it worth seeing if you want a nice, breezy and enjoyable comedy? Yes.

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