Me, Myself & Irene (2000)

3 out of 4

Starring: Jim Carrey, Renee Zellweger, Chris Cooper, Robert Forster, Anthony Anderson, Mongo Brownlee, Jerod Mixon, Michael Bowman

Directors: Bobby and Peter Farrelly

Time: 116 mins

After a flirtation with "dramatic" pictures (The Truman Show and Man on the Moon), Jim Carrey is back in the kind of movie that made him famous. What's more, he re-teams with the Farrelly brothers, Bobby and Peter, who directed him in one of his earlier successes, Dumb and Dumber. Bobby and Peter Farrelly themselves have gone onto further success with films like There's Something About Mary, and forging a reputation for producing some of the most tasteless, politically incorrect, and yet hilarious humour in the 90s. In Me, Myself & Irene, Carrey not only gets to indulge in his trademark mannerisms, but the Farrellys parlay some more of their below-the-belt buffoonery. Me, Myself & Irene is not the funniest film you'll see, but there are several scenes that will have you giggling or laughing for a while.

Carrey is Charlie, a gentle soul and one of Rhode Island's revered (as the narrator tells us) police force. Taken advantage of by various people throughout his adult life, including an unfaithful ex-wife, he develops an alternate personality, Hank, who's as mean-spirited as Charlie is good. When he is ordered to escort a woman named Irene (Zellweger) back to upstate New York to settle a misdemeanour, he is plunged into a road trip adventure involving crooked cops, a murderous albino, and an indestructible cow. The problem is that Hank takes over Charlie at some of the most inopportune times, which provides for some funny situations. Irene is also falling in love with Charlie, and doesn't appreciate Hank's intrusions. When their pursuers edge closer and closer, Charlie must learn to regain control of his body from Hank.

The split personality framework allows Carrey to partake in the wild facial manouevring and physical comedy that characterised his work in movies like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Liar, Liar. While mildly amusing, the fact we've seen a lot of this before makes it less fresh and original. It is more the writing of the Farrellys and co-scriptwriter Mike Cerrone that brings some of the best laughs. Indeed, the funniest line in the film is a throwaway reference to the previously mentioned indestructible cow. The inclusion of Anthony Anderson, Mongo Brownlee, and Jerod Mixon as Charlie's ultra-intelligent, black sons (courtesy of a liaison between his ex-wife and a black chauffeur) generates some of the more consistent humour. Their antics, interplay and anti-stereotypical characters are such a welcome sight that I would say they stole the film.

The main characters are less memorable. Carrey can pretty much play a role like Charlie/Hank in his sleep, and he does well to engender some sympathy for Charlie. Zellweger, who was a delightful surprise in Jerry Maguire, is overshadowed here by Carrey and the tasteless jokes, but she isn't given much to work with in the first place. Her character is meant to be the love interest and the catalyst for the road trip, but nothing more.

Of course, being a Farrelly brothers movie, the majority of the jokes are of the bad taste variety, involving lots of bodily functions. Some are more miss than hit, but those that hit will either have you laughing gleefully or turning away in disgust. If you are easily offended or a member of the politically correct movement, stay away from this film.

The Farrellys' last work, There's Something About Mary, took toilet humour to a new low with its memorable "hair gel" scene. Me, Myself & Irene doesn't plunge to the same depths (pun intended), but there is enough tastelessness to keep the brothers' reputation intact. Like almost all their films, it is not a laugh-per-minute ride, but when the jokes pay off, you'll be guaranteed to at least have a smile.

(c) Joe Wong (24 June 2000)