Movie Review: 'The Number 23' (San Antonio Express-News)Well here's something that can't be linked to the somewhat mind-boggling enig- ma of the No. 23 — an entertaining psychological thriller starring Jim Carrey.
Whether you believe that all things are linked somehow to the No. 23 or not, "The Number 23" makes a decent enough case for the cause. The screenplay, written by British first-timer Fernley Phillips, who also produces, certainly throws enough of it out there. Like it taking 23 seconds for blood to circulate throughout the entire body, for instance, or that Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times.
Jim Carrey's Walter Sparrow, a brooding animal-control officer, becomes obsessed with this kind of info/nonsense (take your pick).
Carrey has been in this sort of frantically stylized thriller-of-the-mind before. Unless you were totally fascinated by "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" in 2004, however, you might want to stay 23 feet or 23 days away (or longer) from this one.
See, the No. 23 really is popping up everywhere!
Carrey and co-star Virginia Madsen, who's also opening this week as Billy Bob Thornton's wife in "The Astronaut Farmer," play dual characters in this frenzied tale of a mind either blurred or enlightened, but probably not both.
Walter appears to be somewhat happy with wife Agatha (Madsen) and their son Robin (Logan Lerman, who headed the cast in "Hoot").
But after his wife introduces him to a mysterious book titled "The Number 23" on his birthday (not his 23rd, by the way), Walter begins to identify closely with the writer. That's not such a good thing since the writer appears to be going increasingly nuts and is prone to murder.
The second set of characters, Fingerling (Carrey) and Fabrizia (Madsen), spring to life from the darkest corners of Walter's imagination. Mostly they pop up in nightmares.
But as "The Number 23" trudges along, it becomes more difficult to separate the real from the imagined.
That could be a plus attributed to director Joel Schumacher if the film itself worked better as a descent into insanity. However, the director and screenwriter seem so intent on flinging red herrings our way, everyone might soon be as confused and frustrated as the characters.
Carrey and Schumacher ("The Phantom of the Opera") worked together a little over a decade ago on "Batman Forever" (1995). As the Riddler, Carrey turned in some decent, decadently crazed moments (as did Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey Two-Face).
Carrey's not going for that kind of over-the-top frenzy this time. This is the brooding, dramatic Carrey of "The Majestic" or, to a certain extent, "The Truman Show."
Sadly, this one gets pretty tedious — in fact, borderline boring for a film where the lead character is so hyped up he rips wallpaper right off the walls.
If I had the space, I'd list 23 more reasons why this one doesn't rise above mediocrity.
See, there's that number again.
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