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POPCORNREEL.COM MOVIE REVIEW: "THE NUMBER 23"
BY OMAR P.L. M O O R E/F E B R U A R Y 2 3, 2007
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Read, become and anguish: Jim Carrrey as Walter Sparrow, and (right and below photos) as Fingerling, the mysterious and murderous character of the book "The Number 23", with Virginia Madsen as Fabrizie, Fingerling's lover. (All photos: New Line Cinema)
Given Jim Carrey's roles in such films as "Eternal
Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", "Man On The Moon", "Batman Forever" and "The
Truman Show" -- films that are not necessarily comedies -- it would appear that
the comedic actor and part-time dramatic thespian would fit right in with his
dual roles as Walter Sparrow and Fingerling in "The Number 23". Mr. Carrey
does, but the material that Joel Schumacher directs does not fit or do justice
to the actors, nor lend substance to the film's stated intentions as a thriller.
Visuals are always Mr. Schumacher's trademark, and that is not the problem with
"The Number 23", a psychological thriller about a book about a man who is
completely obsessed with the number. The film, which opens across North
America today, takes itself far too seriously to be credible, and as a result
produces more laughs and chuckles than the thrills that its trailer promises.
The screenplay is ultimately to blame for this mishap, as a lot of elements
within the film simply don't make sense.
Mr. Carrey is Walter Fingerling, a dog catcher by day -- and husband by night.
He is a lonely figure. Very lonely. After being bitten one day on
his birthday February 3 (2/3), by a dog named NED (Nasty Evil Dog -- N -- the
14th letter of the alphabet; E -- the fifth letter of the alphabet; D -fourth
letter of the alphabet -- do you see where this is going?) He begins to
start delving into the realms of the mysterious, including why his wife Abigail
(Virginia Madsen) would have the walls in their house painted blood red, and
also why she would select a blood red covered book entitled "The Number 23"
written by one Topsy Kretts.
The script seems to string enough red herrings together to get to the end of its
95-minute duration, but the end result is an unfortunately empty product.
Too bad, as Rodrigo Prieto's excellent cinematography is wasted.
Just in case audience members are not paying attention in the extremely
short-attention span world, "The Number 23" does its utmost best to make them
aware of the excessive numerology in the dazzling opening credits and throughout
the film, not just through the dialogue, but through many sight gags, and
references to door numbers "959", "307", etc.
And if that doesn't grab your attention, there are the occasional splashes of
blood and the mix of sex and violence. The film threatens to be lurid and
pulpy, and to an extent it succeeds. Unfortunately, as a narrative, it is
not coherent for large stretches. The plot involving Walter's son, and a
"friend" played by Danny Huston, is almost ridiculous. The film spends so
much time weaving the number 23 into view that the story desperately tries to
fit itself into the numerical showcase. As a result, things are forced.
Drama could have been stronger if it had stopped seeking formulaic safety and
earnestly tried to dig a little deeper. During "The Number 23" some of the
characters do a little digging, but by then it is much too late.
But what about other numbers to explore? Take a number, any number. The
numerology-obsessed may be the only ones that will truly enjoy "The Number 23."
With all the "23" sightings they will have knocked themselves out for ten
dollars and a nightmarish dream -- but for free here's a hypothetical scenario
that will get numerology studiers' appetites whetted:
Suppose that every place you'd ever lived contained the number nine, or two
digits that added up to nine? Suppose that you were born on the ninth day of a
month, and that you lived in a city or a district whose name contained nine
letters. Suppose two of your last three girlfriends had first names that either
contained nine letters, or first and last names that equaled nine letters in
total? Suppose you met someone at 12:06pm during the ninth month of the year,
and that your first and last name were nine letters in total? Would you be this
reviewer? Or Jim Carrey?
O r a n o t h e r?
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"The Number 23" is rated R by the Motion Picture Association Of America.
Its duration is 97 minutes and is released by New Line Cinema.
Copyright The Popcorn Reel. PopcornReel.com.
2007.
All Rights Reserved.