Who’da thunk it?
Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor starring in a prison romance dramedy sounds…weird. And it is – make no mistake. But it’s also sweet and rather clever and based on a true story.
Not so long ago, homosexuality was a taboo subject on any sized mainstream screen. Remember the hoohah over Ellen coming out on her own sit-com? Or the gallons of ink spilled over the sex scenes in Brokeback Mountain? Hopefully we can begin to say goodbye to the bad old days and continue to move forward an inch at a time. Maybe movies like I Love You Phillip Morris can help.
Imagine Jim Carrey playing a gay man. One who is recently out of the closet and determined to be as flamboyant as possible. It isn’t hard – Carrey plays broad comedy like a fiddle. Now imagine him embarking on a tender romance with a timid Ewan McGregor. Not quite as easy, but if it was easy it wouldn’t be fun, would it?
And I Love You Phillip Morris is fun. It takes all sorts of stereotypes and completely owns them – then makes up a few more for good measure. It isn’t a perfect movie, but you just have to love filmmakers who are willing to put it on the line and the actors who sign on for the ride.
It hasn’t been that long since being gay in Hollywood meant you would never work and gay characters were never, ever seen. And heaven forbid in lead roles or played by big stars. It’s nice to see the back end of those days as they get ushered out.
Homophobia is obviously still alive in this country. Thriving, even. That makes me even more glad to see a movie like I Love You Phillip Morris make it to the big screen.
Read my full review here and let me know: will you love Phillip Morris, too?
Sue reads a lot, writes a lot, edits a lot, and loves a good craft. She was deemed “too picky” to proofread her children’s school papers and wears this as a badge of honor. She is also proud of her aggressively average knitting skills She is the Editorial Director at Silver Beacon Marketing and an aspiring Crazy Cat Lady.
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