Friday, December 3, 2010

It is a real travesty that the majority of press so far about I Love You, Phillip Morris has radiated towards two subjects: first, the film’s inability to grab any sort of distributor and secondly the reason for that, both its uncensored depiction of a very sexual gay man and the romance that comes to define him. A travesty because it is nearly 2011 and we as a society are still fretting about what orifice we stick what sort of genitalia in and a travesty because I Love You, Phillip Morris is a great quirky little comedy that wholeheartedly embraces the idea of homosexuality without ever becoming a "gay movie."

Review - I Love You, Phillip Morris

The story of Steven Jay Russell (played by Jim Carrey who seems so perfectly at home in the role of a flamboyantly gay man) sounds like an absolute joke, the sort of ham-handed high concept comedy you’d find in the hands of Shawn Levy or someone of his ilk. Russell was a conman who defrauded the corporate world (several times) was caught, fell in love with his cellmate (the titular Phillip Morris, played with astoundingly accurate gayness by Ewan McGregor) and proceeded over the rest of his life to break out of prison again and again to be with him. In the wrong hands, this could be just that, a dick-joke infused bit of stupidity that never finds the tenderness that directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa manage to. This isn’t just a comedic romp, this is tale of an incredibly smart man who heads on down the wrong path. A character, so in need of reassurance and love (and a big, fat paycheck), that he’ll do whatever he can to win and keep the love of a man. The directors here don’t stray from big comedic beats, but they make sure to center these more wide-eyed moments with a strong, multi-layered character, that gives the film a throbbing center, and allows the viewer to see more than just a comedy about two gay men.

It is astounding that this film was almost shelved because of Hollywood’s fear of it being too "gay." Sure, the film is narratively about a gay relationship and a very gay lifestyle, but at its core it’s just a film about two people who love each other and happen to be gay. Very early in the film we learn Jim Carrey’s character is attracted to men, that he becomes attracted to Phillip Morris, and from that point forward Ficarra and Requa just let the idea of him being gay slip to the background. It is merely a trait of Steven Jay Russell that he’s attracted to the same sex, it isn’t the defining aspect of the film, and the director’s ability to create the character with this in mind is both refreshing and inspiring.

I Love You, Phillip Morris is so much more than the press will have you think. It is not just a gay movie, hell, it’s barely a gay movie. This is a film about love and obsession and misguided character who just wants someone to hold him. If that’s your kind of film, gay or not, then I can’t believe you won’t enjoy it.

 

Noah Sanders is the blog/news editor at Light In The Attic and a contributor at Sound On The Sound and the KEXP blog.  He also has his own Criterion-based film site, Criterion Quest.   If you'd like to contact Noah in regards to his writings here at Side One: Track One then please do so here.

- Noah Sanders -



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