In The Five Things We Cannot Change . . . and the Happiness We Find by Embracing Them, David Richo states:
"The word yes sums up spirituality and sanity. An unconditional yes to what is frees us from the self-imposed suffering that results when we fear facing the givens of life. Yes is born of trust and heals fear. This is because we are acknowledging that whatever happens to us is part of our story and useful on our path. Our yes to the conditions of existence means getting on with life rather than being caught up in dispute and in attempts to gain control of how things play out."
Not a bad summary of the major themes in Yes Man, a spiritual comedy about a loser whose life is turned around when he opens himself up to a world of wild possibilities.
Carl Allen (Jim Carrey) is hiding from life after his divorce from Stephanie (Molly Sims). For two years, he has avoided the efforts of his best friend Peter (Bradley Cooper) to pull him out of his funk. Instead he watches countless videos in his dark apartment. Carl is even unresponsive when he buddy tells him that he is getting married. At the bank where he works as a loan officer, things are also at a standstill. Carl lacks the energy and the enthusiasm to work his way up the ladder. His boss Norm (Rhys Darby) wants him as a friend but Carl is not up to it.
One day, Carl meets Nick (John Michael Higgins), a positive thinker who invites him to hear Terrence Bundley (Terence Stamp) speak at a rally. "I can see by the look in your eyes, this is something that you need." Bundley is a charismatic self-help guru who preaches the power of "Yes" to transform people's lives. All that is required to experience the full richness and adventure of the present moment is to say "yes." To say "no" is to be stuck in a rut and frightened of risk and change. Carl takes up the challenge and makes a covenant with Terrence to embrace every opportunity that comes his way.
His first challenge occurs outside the convention hall. A homeless man asks him to drive him to a park, let him use his cell phone, and then give him some money. Carl dutifully agrees to all three requests. He then runs out of gas and finds his phone battery is dead so he can't call for help. He walks to a gas station where he meets Allison (Zooey Deschanel), a pretty and eccentric lady on a scooter. At work, things perk up when Carl starts saying yes to requests for micro-loans from ambitious people with creative ideas and no equity. This leads to a promotion. He befriends Norm and draws closer to Peter and his fiancée. All by saying "yes" to whatever is asked of him.
Peyton Reed directs this frolicsome comedy from a screenplay by Nicholas Stoller, Jared Paul, and Andrew Mogel, based on the book by Danny Wallace. Jim Carrey is perfectly cast as the loser whose life is turned around when he says yes to all that comes his way. He relishes the new adventures: learning Korean and how to fly an airplane, doing volunteer work, meeting a Persian woman, talking down a man threatening to commit suicide by jumping off a building, and more.
But the best benefit of his yes crusade is establishing a romantic relationship with Allison, who sings in a band, paints, and leads a group of runners who take photographs on their early morning jaunts. She sees the world as a playground and is a model of a person with a totally improvised life. On excursions to the stage of the Hollywood Bowl and to Lincoln, Nebraska, they forge a closer bond. When they hit some bumps, Carl discovers that he must fine tune his philosophy of yes but by then, he has learned another truth: the value of listening to the promptings of his heart.
Yes Man is a comedy that vividly explores the spiritual practice of being intensely alive, or what we call zeal in the Alphabet of Spiritual Literacy.
Special DVD features include "Downtime on the Set of Yes Man with Jim Carrey; Jim Carrey: Extreme Yes Man - The Outrageous Physical Stunts the Star Performs"; Future Sounds: Munchausen by Proxy: join host Graham Summerset for a look at this super-hot band; 5 Exclusive Munchausen by Proxy Music Videos (5.1 Audio) including "Uh-Huh," "Yes Man Star-Spangled Banner," and "Sweet Ballad Keystar"; and a Gag Reel (5.1 Audio).
