Film Review: I Love You Phillip Morris

At exactly what point is a film or an actor doing too much? At what point should things just settle down and sit on the back-burner for a while? That's the main question that cropped up for me when I sat down to watch I Love You Phillip Morris. There are films that simply don't know what excessive means, and so they overly accentuate the style and the quantity to the point of obesity. I never thought I'd be saying that about a film that comes in at under two hours, but here I am. Maybe I'm being overly critical of the film on the onset, because there was plenty to like about I Love You Phillip Morris.

It tells the story of Stephen Russell, a con man with the best intentions, just trying to fund his homosexual and flamboyant lifestyle. After a few escape attempts, he ends up in prison, and that's where he finally meets the love of his life, Phillip Morris. Through lies and deceit, Russell gets the two of them out of prison, and then on the fast track to great fortune with no consequences. That is until he messes up again, as we all knew he would, and his relationship with Morris is tested. It seems like it drags on a bit longer than it should, and you could acquaint that with the tone of the film, but it's ultimately just an excuse.

For the first thirty minutes or so, I was really enjoying myself. The film had found an off-beat sort of enthusiasm to work off of, as well as an awkward streak of humor. What didn't appeal to me about it was how obvious and forced it seemed at times. You know how the most homophobic of people see gay people as overly sexual deviants trying to rob people of their innocence? Well that's kind of how the film paints them, and it was a bit awkward for me to sit through it. Ewan McGregor didn't really do anything especially unique, and Jim Carrey was everything you might've expected him to be.

One of my biggest reactions from the film was the emotional deception that takes place in the final act. It brings things to an extremely sad place, and I thought the film was going to end there and then. Shortly afterwords, it revealed that to be a lie, and I felt a just a bit violated. I'd say way to go for the film actually going there, but it as a bit shocking to tell you the truth. I can't say I'm fully satisfied with how they sold the true tragedy of his story, and it left me a little underwhelmed in the end. I can't help but think I Love You Phillip Morris could've been so much more, and it was merely good. That's what it settled for.

B