While Jim Carrey’s long-delayed I Love You Phillip Morris was pushed again from an April release date to late July, the actor has maintained his public profile via Twitter. Posting as many as 25 tweets in a day, Carrey is as manic (“I’m wearing my ninja turtle underwear right now…”) and reflective (“In a world where ‘sane’ often means ‘inauthentic’, I’d prefer to be called madman!”) as you’d hope or expect. The uncertainty behind Phillip Morris has provided an opportunity for Carrey to ponder his current place in the universe, but the actor isn’t the only person to address it. Esquire‘s Chris Jones dinged the funnyman in a May issue essay (“The State of Jim Carrey,” currently unavailable online) and Hollywood blogger Anne Thompson tackled his current malaise in her recent Career Watch for the U.K.’s Moviefone website. Jones believes Carrey’s latest attempt to be taken seriously is doomed from the start: “Carrey can’t help playing it as a farce. He’s struggled mightily to be taken as a serious actor, and God love him for that — sincerely, it’s a painful and difficult thing, watching someone so gifted not being able to hold the gift he wants most in the world — but it is not who he is…. Jim Carrey was born a clown.” Thompson argues that Carrey simply isn’t as beloved as Tom Hanks or Jack Lemmon, actors he’s frequently compared to in films like The Truman Show and The Majestic, and that he’s best suited for animated and/or multi-role antics, a la Eddie Murphy. That might refer to Carrey’s work in last year’s quite delightful A Christmas Carol, which was a showcase for Carrey’s bubbling energy but also contained some impressively refined character work (even if it was cloaked in animation).
Carrey might be a clown, as Jones concludes, but he’s more than capable — if not always willing — to sublimate that part of himself. Look no further than Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Perhaps Jones is simply wrong to conclude that Phillip Morris is another attempt at dramatic credibility. After all, it’s directed by the duo who wrote Bad Santa, and the trailer lacks any whiff of Oscar pretension.
The evolution of the Hollywood funnyman is frequently treacherous (see: Robin Williams), and Thompson’s career advice is reasonable medicine: Carrey should play his own age and continue to look for edgier, smarter comedies. (A Twitter timeout might help matters too.) But as someone who thinks The Truman Show is one of the best films of the last 20 years and has an appreciation for both sides of Carrey’s genius, I think the better move is to work with strong, established directors who can corral his talents to serve the greater story, rather than a slim story that seems only to serve his great talents.
Why isn’t Jim Carrey more beloved? Are you interested in his role as a gay con-man in I Love You Phillip Morris? What would you recommend Carrey do next?
Image Credit: Patti Perret
eternal sunshine – ’nuff said
That’s actually all that needs to be said to shoot down this idea.
He is beloved by me – he’s pretty much my favorite actor. CAN’T WAIT for Phillip Morris, bummed that it is so delayed. There’s Sean Penn, Johnny Depp, Denzel, Leo D, and Jim Carrey – the guys I’d go see any and every film they do. Yes Man and Xmas Carol were great, his 2 recent ones. I love “Fun w/Dick and Jane” too, saw it at the theatre and catch it ev. time it is on TV.
There is no one like Jim Carrey for me. More of a fave than Tom Hanks for me, tho I do like Tom a lot. KEEP KEEPIN’ ON, JC, we love you!!
I love the more serious side (The Majestic), but he’s maybe best when just touched with comedy (Truman/Eternal Sunshine). Too manic turns me off, personally. I’d say the same about Robin Williams, too. Both have such amazing talent, and I think there’s just so much coming at them – coming into their brains at lightning speed – it’s difficult to contain; hence the more manic sides. But there’s great pathos, as well, so I’m all for finding some sort of balance, if that’s possible. Maybe it’s more a question of whether today’s scriptwriters and directors are up to finding that balance, because Jim (and Robin) are certainly capable.
Jim Carrey is great when he’s given good material. Eternal Sunshine, The Truman Show, and Man on the Moon are all phenomenal movies with great performances. His comedic work in Dumb and Dumber and A Christmas Carol also impresses.
I think he could do drama well if it’s the right role (Eternal Sunshine, Truman Show) but has often gotten poor scripts (Majestic, Number 23). I look forward to Phillip Morris. Whatever happened to his Damn Yankees remake with Jake Gyllenhaal? That sounded like a great next step.
In all of Hollywood, he is the actor most in need of the right material and director to reign in his manic impulses. The over-the-top thing of his has ruined many of his movies that may have otherwise been good. Eternal Sunshine proved he has the ability. He should do more like that, and less of the Eddie Murphy-type roles, if he wants respect over box-office bankability.
Yeah, anyone suggests that Carrey was “born a clown” and can’t do anything else, pretty much has their argument shut down by “Eternal Sunshine…”
I wouldn’t say exactly that comedy is a young man’s game, but for some reason Carrey (and Williams’) manic act comes off MUCH more desperate than funny these days than it did during each of their respective heydays. (“Yes Man” felt like a bizarro “Liar, Liar” that come out 8 years too late.)
I think Carrey is super talented and his best bet is to continue to work with interesting directors (as this article suggested) because the likes of Peter Weir, Milos Forman and Michel Gondry have drawn the best performances out of him.
Jim Carrey should’ve at least been nominated for an Oscar for Eternal Sunshine (in my opinion he out-shined Kate Winslet, which is a hard thing to do), The Truman Show, and Man on the Moon. He’s a great actor.
Look, I have no idea what’s going on with his Twitter thing (I barely use my Twitter page- I’d delete it but is it worth the risk of being sent to a Tron-like world where you have to play Yahtzee?). However, I try not to judge actors based on their personal lives. I don’t hate Kenneth Branagh, Helena Bonham-Carter, Ingrid Berman or Elizabeth Taylor for their famous infidelities. I don’t love Gary Oldman, Tony Curtis, or Dennis Hopper any less because they’ve been married a bunch of times.
I would love to see him directed by Woody Allen.
I wasn’t too happy about his Twitter posts about Elin Woods, but other than that, I love me some Jim Carrey. I’ve always thought he’s one of the most gifted, versatile actors in Hollywood right now, and all he needs is good material and a great director to keep him focused. I agree with Madd that he should have been nominated for Eternal Sunshine. He was fantastic in that movie and the reason why I fell in love with it. I’m bummed that Philip Norris keeps getting bumped later and later in the year. Maybe it’s because of Carrey’s Twitter posts, maybe it’s some other reason, but I hope they release the movie soon. I’m looking forward to it.
I mean Morris, not Norris (red faced).
jim carrey is a brilliant actor no matter what movie he does… and, he’s a genuine, good person in a world full of backstabbers… so i have enormous respect for him as an actor, and person… don’t ever change Jim your the best… god blessed you with this talent for a reason…
First, let me just say Jim is beloved by many but doesn’t ever get the credit he deserves for his ACTING ability because of articles like this that urge him to only stick to one thing as if he can’t act dramatically and pull it off. (see first comment.)Second, I agree with deborah. I don’t think Jim should tone it down and just do comedies. He should keep doing what he has been–challenging himself and doing things that he’s interested in, that includes balancing dramatic and more serious adult roles with comedic ones. I’m looking forward to seeing Phillip Morris and I think it is very stupid to think that Jim Carrey would ever just do comides. He’s always done both serious and humorous roles so to everyone who wants him to only be funny can get over it. As for his twitter habits, I quite enjoy hearing from an actual celebrity and not their managers through twitter. I like the fact that he expresses how he feels on a subject and that he WILL NOT tone it down. He doesn’t need to. If you think it’s too much, don’t read it.
Carrey is deff the best actor on earth but i think he should stick to comedys because i no he can act serious im the same wat no1 thinks i can be serious but in all seriousnesss i can be and i can relate to jim because i noo how frustrating it is
I don’t understand how people are seeing his involvement in I Love You Phillip Morris as an another attempt to do drama, since, you know, the film is a comedy?
I disagree with Chris Jones. I think Carrey can contribute a lot to dramatic roles in his own way; bringing an offbeat, almost hopeless innocence to the roles. Drama can always benefit from a little comedy sprinkled in, especially the rare breed that Carrey can bring. I see nothing wrong with what he does these days aside from demanding entirely too much money.