The Number 23
Product Description
Studio: New Line Home Video Release Date: 10/06/2009 Run time: 98 minutes Rating: RAmazon.com
Jim Carrey as a schizophrenic murderer isn’t convincing, in this melodramatic film about a man obsessed by the Number 23. Joel Schumacher (Batman Forever, St. Elmo’s Fire) has unintentionally managed to make a comedy of horrors that really is quite humorous in parts. Walter Sparrow (Carrey) becomes engrossed in a homespun novel about Detective Fingerling, whose… More >>
-OASIS- I’M NO STRANGER TO THIS PLACE WHERE REAL LIFE & DREAMS COLLIDE EVEN THOUGH I FALL FROM GRACE I WILL KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE DON’T BELIEVE THE TRUTH…
I’m a sucker for art reflecting/imitating my status-less existence. I believe certain famous musical bands have written songs about me, so instantly once I found out about this film, I paid full price, watched it ASAP & was NOT disappointed. Infact the last stanza, I wanted to cry, but my male cousin was with me. One message of this film is not to take art too seriously, as it can lead to obsession, isolation, hero worship: almost idolatry. I’m am so disappointed with the negative reviews of this film. Jim Carey’s performance reminds me his role in Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind: & is a continuation of his alternative ‘struggling artist’ persona roles. Hmm maybe The Number 23 is based on my life, as sometimes in the ‘fever’ of loneliness I thought my house had hidden cameras aka Carey’s The Truman Show: oh bless the synchronicity & sparks. The number symbology is on par with The Davinci Code & Pi: but is explored vividly & with resounding depth. The soundscape of this film is stunning, the audio really utilises modern cinema’s surround sound. There are suicide themes in the film, & some really disturbing/gloomy scenes. If you are into ‘esoteric’ films that have meaning in this secular pragmatic, soul-less western society inc-corp, then this is the film for you. It caters for a select ‘niche’ of film lover, whose interests lie in the sublime & ‘existential’ angst…PS Will deFINitely buy the DVD when it comes out…but I believe this is the type of film that can only be fully ascertained & appreciated when watched on the big screen, soundtrack pumping & no interruptions.
-NEIL FINN- MY JOHN LENNON LIKE SECRET GOD UNDISCOVERED WAS BORN ON 1958: 1+9+5+8=23 TALES FROM MY HEAD CAN’T BUY THE BOOK NO-ONE LISTENS BUT I GUESS YOU COULD…
Rating: 5 / 5
Yes, everyone was scratching their heads when they heard that Jim Carrey was going to be in a psychotic thriller. But, with everything Jim Carrey has been in, it’s about time he try something COMPLETELY different. I will admit, there were times then I had to laugh at the ridiculous lines, but I don’t think it’s Jim Carrey’s fault. The line was bad, that’s all that was wrong with this movie. Jim Carrey took the character and made the best of it. So, I enjoyed this movie and I’m excited to own it on DVD.
Rating: 4 / 5
this is a very diffrent role for jim carrey. the only reason i went to see this movie is because of jim carrey. if it was someone else i would’ve rented it. but he wasn’t to bad it was okay.
Rating: 4 / 5
Plot Synopsis: Jim Carrey once again tries to take on another serious role and fails yet again.
The movie is basically about a guy who kills a random girl, forgets about it, and then uncovers the truth in a random book that he apparently wrote before conveniently losing his memory from what should have been a fatal suicide attempt. Spoiled the film for you? Too bad… It would be best for you to spend your money elsewhere instead of wasting it on this completely incoherent and half-hearted nonsense. I have to admit that I was suckered into seeing this film because the trailer looked really intriguing. The idea behind the film was mildly interesting, too, but once again Hollywood proves that it doesn’t care about insulting the intelligence of its viewers. First off, Jim Carrey seriously needs to go back to making Ace Ventura movies. If they would have casted someone like Edward Norton, who can actually play dark characters “really” well, then this film might have not been so bad…. But, in the end, Carrey is really hard to take seriously and I spent most of the film waiting for him to say “alrighty then” or to start talking out of his bum. He comes across completely dimwitted and blatantly stupid on screen as a dramatic actor and watching him attempt to play a “dark” character was laughable at best. I know he has been trying to broaden his horizons and break into dramatic acting for well over a decade now, but with portrayals such as these it seems like he is never going to go any further than comedic roles…. Another mark against this film were the annoying pseudo-softcore sex scenes that they threw at you every ten minutes or so… Only a thirteen year old boy would find these dumb scenes arousing… Throw in a little PG-13 sadomasochism and suddenly this film is supposed to be daring and extreme? It was completely unnecessary to have 23 of these scenes (pun intended) because it really weighted the film down and made it unbelievably repetitive.
The real tragedy is that this could have been a really cool film had it been tweaked here and there with a completely different cast in line…. Instead we have yet another Hollywood turd with a “surprise twist” and a script that sounds like it was written by a college student who thought that he was awfully clever and original.
Avoid.
Rating: 1 / 5
Jim Carrey is a very talented performer, and has done as well in drama (‘The Truman Show’) as in comedy (‘Bruce Almighty’). But whenever he hooks up with hack director Joel Schumacher (‘Batman Forever’), disaster strikes. ‘Number 23′ (also starring the talented Virginia Madsen, and she is almost wasted here) is such a terribly botched thriller, I wonder if people will ever want to place their bets on another Jim Carrey drama? Memories of Christopher Nolan’s fine ‘Memento’ come to mind when watching ‘Number 23′, but Schumacher’s clumsy attempt at style here comes crashing to earth with a thud. A little of that Carrey good humor does enter into the movie in the first five minutes when, as a dog catcher, he tries to nab a dog named Ned (oh, let’s see, ‘N’ is the 14th letter in the alphabet, ‘E’ is the 5th letter, and ‘D’ is the 4th letter – oh my, that equals ’23′). Throughout the movie, for some reason, all Carrey can see is the number 23 or 23 as a combination or 23 backwards, etc. (you get the picture) after reading this grungy book that his wife (Madsen) for some reason purchases for him. Then he starts to go insane. And then we discover something about a murder, and that Carrey, or maybe Ned (the dog) had something to do with. Of course number 23 has the spotlight in this drivel, but a number will only keep an audience’s attention so long before they start to walk out of the theatre (which seven did, on opening night). Of course the other 16 members of the audience (hey, that equals 23 too) decided to stay to the end. Believe me. I respect Carrey’s choice to go outside of his usual comedy schtick, but Joel Schumacher is not the director to make that choice with. “Number 23″ was revolting to watch. It wasn’t thrilling. It wasn’t interesting. It wasn’t watchable. I will keep going to see Madsen and Carrey work in other films, but please don’t waste your time on this mess. “Number 13″ is truly the worst movie of an early 2007.
Rating: 1 / 5