Jim Carrey

Interview By: Dan Portnoy

DanielPortnoy@TheCinemaSource.com

How many people in Hollywood today can make you laugh like Jim Carrey? One of the most challenging genres to work in cinema is comedy. It’s harder then it looks to make audiences around the globe burst into laughter yet Jim Carrey seems to accomplish that task easier then most. His off the wall, unpredictable comedic style is something that has made him a hit to viewers young and old. This year movie goers can experience the brilliance of Carrey once again as he stars in the new version of an old favorite Fun with Dick and Jane.

Fun with Dick and Jane is a remake of the 1977 film which starred George Segal and Jane Harper. This time around some changes have been made to fit today’s contemporary audience. Not bad changes of course, I mean can you really go wrong when you cast Jim Carrey as the lead? The basic storyline remains the same however, which I will play out for you using the easily recognizable Spot the Dog format. See Dick. See Dick moving up in the business world. See Dick get thrown out on his can after his company sells him out (cough, cough Enron). See Dick and his wife Jane (Tea Leoni) become petty criminals in order to make ends meet. Combine these circumstances together and what you’re left with is a comedic cornucopia packed with laughs that hit you around every turn.

“For me it’s the end product that’s important and we thought of a bunch of things when we saw the screenings. We started thinking of a bunch of things that would make it funnier. Just a lot of really good new ideas and there were some things that we wanted to take in different directions, so we just wanted to perfect it… We just tried to make it as funny

as possible.”

Although the film deals with aspects of crime, namely robbery, Carrey doesn’t foresee it sparking others to follow in the footsteps of this daring “stick it to the man” couple. “A little bad is good. But I don’t think anyone is going to walk out of this movie and rob a 7-11 necessarily.” The film is a comedy after all which pokes fun at everyday situations, making the impossible seem possible through a humorous and entertaining turn of events. “It’s a movie about fun you know, the movie’s about two people breaking their chains and throwing the rules out the window which we can’t do in our lives.” That is of course, unless you’re an actor like Jim Carrey.

For a man that has secured his place in Hollywood as a comedic mastermind and proved himself in a number of dramatic roles, Jim Carrey is a man who has the luxury of picking and choosing the films he wants to be a part of. I suppose then the question is, why Dick and Jane? “I think it is odd to remake a movie when the original was made in 1977…but I think it is more relevant now than it was then because of Enron and all the corporate scams that have gone on and the people that have been affected by that. So I thought it was just a perfect idea, a fun idea.” And if there’s one thing Carrey knows, it’s how to make a movie fun. Gifted in the art of slapstick and notorious for being able to improvise and adlib without batting an eye, Carrey has had audiences roaring in their seats since his early days in stand up.

Known in the realm of comedy for his wacky stunts and excessively wild body movements kind of makes you wonder how much longer he can keep it all up.

“I keep myself in shape, I feel good, and I can do some crazy stuff.” That being said, Fun with Dick and Jane contains no shortage of what audiences have come to recognize as “typical” Jim Carrey. And just think, he continues to wow and impress in spite of the harm that inevitably comes to his body during every film. “I always hurt myself during a movie. Low grade injuries all the time, but I think it just comes with the territory.” And he does it anyway, what a trooper.

But of course when we think of Jim Carrey as an actor his comedic expertise is not the only thing that defines his abilities. With terrific performances in The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Carrey has continued to prove his versatility. So to those of you out there thinking Carrey is just comedy, think again. “No human being is just one thing you know…I think people understand that I can turn that switch on but I’m also a sensitive, normal human being.” Of course by turning that switch he is referring to the exuberant madcap Carrey we see in this years Dick and Jane.

But where did it all start for Jim Carrey? How is it that he came to command the status that he does today? Many including myself will think back about 15 years or so and say “remember Fire Marshall Bill?” Ah yes, In Living Color, one of the finest sketch comedy programs of the early nineties. Sure, before In Living Color Carrey had the film Once Bitten under his belt along with a number of minor cinematic roles. But it wasn’t until after he left the cast of In Living Color that Carrey broke out of his comedic shell in the film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. “I felt like it [In

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Living Color] was a step along the way but I wasn’t afraid of where it was gonna take me. I was having a good time.” The show was an important step at that. And the rest folks is history.

As of now, history has lead us to Fun with Dick and Jane. After that Carrey stars in the dramatic thriller, The Number 23 displaying his multitude of talent once again. “I really am about the work. I love telling stories, I love losing myself in a character.” Dedication, another way of spelling the name Jim Carrey. His allegiance to the art form won’t allow him to quit or give up. Fans of Carrey will be happy to know that he’s not leaving the business anytime in the near future or even the far future for that matter. “I’m in it for the long haul, I’m doin’ good work and someday you’re gonna look up and I’ll be 80 years old and doin’ a movie…it’s important to me that it is about the long haul.” Glad to hear it Jim, damn glad.