Review: Me, Myself, & Irene (2000)
Mark R Leeper
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
Capsule: The Farrelly Brothers, more
tasteless and less manic than the Zucker
Brothers, give us Jim Carrey as a Rhode Island
State Trooper with a split personality. His
primary personality is a non-assertive nebbish,
his other side is an aggressive action-man who
is also a boorish jerk. There is little time
for a good story with all the puerile
scatological jokes. Rating: 4 (0 to 10), 0 (-4
to +4)
The American public was introduced to the subject of split
personality with the 1957 film THE THREE FACES OF EVE. Two years
later Hitchcock used the concept for horror impact in PSYCHO. Since
then the concept has frequently been used in comedy, but rarely
well. Steve Martin may have come the closest to a good comedy about
multiple personality in ALL OF ME (though technically speaking that
was more about spirit possession). With that possible exception the
concept has never been used effectively in comedy. ME, MYSELF, &
IRENE is not an exception.
Charlie Bailygates (played by Jim Carrey) is a gentle soul who
happens to be a Rhode Island State Trooper. How he manages is
unclear because people just laugh at him and figuratively walk all
over him. The whole town knows he is a soft touch and a nice guy.
And they rudely take advantage of his good nature. Even after his
wife runs off with another man leaving him with three children he
still cannot express his sorrow and anger. When it finally does
come out it is as a fully formed second personality, Hank. But when
Charlie is asked to escort Irene (Renee Zellweger) to New York and
they runs afoul of some corrupt police, the extra personality comes
in handy.
This film spreads itself thinly among three goals. It wants to
be a chase film about police corruption, it wants to be a comedy
about split personality, and it wants to mix in as many crude jokes
as it can--the cruder the better. The three tasks are really more
than it can handle well. We find out various people who are
involved with the police corruption, but it is never explained what
it all about. The schizophrenia plot is not very creative in its
ideas and certainly leaves room for a sequel with all new jokes
(Heaven help us). The scatological humor could work well with
sufficient shock value, but even that is wearing thin. It can spice
up a film that has enough else going for it, but by itself it does
not make the film worth seeing. Less might very well be a little
more here. Basically they need a plot that stands without the shock
jokes. This one does not.
Jim Carrey will never be in the Dustin Hoffman range of actors
in anything but paycheck, but here he has returned to the shock
humor that gave him his start. He manages well as a physical
comedian but the gags are stale. Renee Zellweger plays his
bewildered foil in the kind of role Terri Garr used to take so well.
She has already done better and more challenging work. We have the
super-mellow Robert Forster who does not have a lot to do as Jim
Carrey's superior in the state troopers. Almost directly opposite
is Chris Cooper, who is getting a lot of roles these days. Where
Forster seem so imperturbable, Cooper always looks like he is
holding back a storm of emotion. He is probably wishing he could
get more roles like OCTOBER SKY. I know I am.
This is standard summer fluff and probably not a film that will
win any new fans for the Farrelly brothers comedies. I give it 4 on
the 0 to 10 scale and a 0 on the -4 to +4 scale. (If you see it,
stay through the credits.)
Mark R. Leeper
mle...@lucent.com
Copyright 2000 Mark R. Leeper