In its cruder, more
physical manifestation, the comedy genre gives us the gasping build up
that ends in a powerful release as we laugh at our pretensions, our
childish fascinations, and our personal and cultural inhibitions. In Me,
Myself & Irene, the Farrelly brothers unite Jim Carrey and other
fine comedians to bring us one belly laughing sequence after another.
The set-up and many
of the gags are delivered just as promised by the trailer, which is
available on the official website and has been heavily played in
theaters and on television. Carrey plays Charlie, a mild mannered Rhode
Island state trooper who is taken advantage of and made a fool by
everyone until he snaps into a dual personality. The other personality,
Hank (also Carrey), is a fast-talking, hard drinking, brawling, and
insulting pig of a man.
One of the great
running gags of the film centers on Charlie’s marriage to a blonde
Mensa genius who cuckolds him with a black, fellow Mensa midget and limo
driver at their honeymoon. When black triplet sons are born and the wife
leaves Charlie to be with her “soul mate”, Charlie raises the crew – one
buff, one heavy, and the other obese. As these boys grow, they provide a
kind of Greek chorus in rap rhythms with references to advanced physics
and other topics favored by those with sophisticated intelligence. The
juxtaposition is delicious. Carrey has a lot of fun interacting with
these unlikely children as he spouts ghetto jargon from his
pusillanimous white personality.
The Farrellys scored
box office gold in There’s Something About Mary with some of
the funniest jokes centering on a zipper entangling private parts and,
well, let’s just say a glob. In Me, Myself & Irene, the
gross-out metaphor is a huge dildo and ensuing anal intercourse jokes.
In a way, the attempt to move one step further over the line of
traditional propriety may have been one step too far. This goes beyond the universally identified pain of nicking private parts in a
zipper to something that, although still funny, reaches outside what most
actually experience.
Earlier Farrelly
films, once belief is suspended, offer simple, charming, and engaging
stories about the complications of finding romance and love. In this
film, Carrey pairs with Renee Zellweger who must deal with both the
nice, sensitive Charlie and the over the top bad boy, Hank. The “tour
de force” of Carrey’s pliable face and physical mastery in changing
from nice to bad boy weakens the romantic tension and somewhat subsumes
Zellweger, who is still much remembered for the romantic/erotic magic
she created with Tom Cruise in Jerry McGuire.
Although
many will undoubtedly find it hilarious for its bold use of interracial
and anal humor not usually offered in main stream Hollywood faire, Me,
Myself & Irene loses power in focusing so much on Carrey and the
gags to the detriment of the story and the romance.
