Carrey is an enigma in ‘Phillip Morris’

Jim Carrey is a frustrating actor. Just when I think he’s completely washed up and not worth paying attention to, he makes an excellent film like “I Love You Phillip Morris.”

Carrey plays Steven Russell, a gay man who has been married with children for years. Eventually he decides to leave his wife and live the life he wants. However, things don’t go well for long. Russell wants to treat his boyfriend to every kind of luxury, to the point that he has to commit credit card fraud to continue to live extravagantly.

During a stint in prison, Russell falls in love with Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor), a man he will break out of prison multiple times. It’s an amazing story, all the more interesting because it’s true.

Carrey sometimes seems like he’s just playing a stereotype, yet there are some incredibly poignant moments in the film that rank with his best work and elevate the film above a simple comedy.

“Phillip Morris” is a complicated film worth seeing if only for Jim Carrey’s excellent performance.