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GAY SAN DIEGO December 17-30, 2010


FILM


he one big laugh on dis- play in “I Love You Phillip Morris” occurs during the


www.gay-sd.com


Stereotypes and comic contrivances leave little to love about ‘Phillip Morris’ T


opening credits. Young Steven Russell (John Kennon Kepper) is informed that mom and dad met their son’s “real mommy” in a hospital parking lot and slipped her a paper sack containing cash in exchange for adoption rights. Why couldn’t cute Steven have stayed 9-years-old throughout the course of the film? In the time it took to stop laughing, the flash- back ended and Steven was “Jim Carrey-ed” into adulthood. Suffering from adult (as op-


posed to grown up) abandonment issues, Steven (Carrey) applies for a spot on the Virginia Beach, Georgia police force. He has one goal in mind: To track down and meet his biological mother eyeball-to-eyeball. The confron- tation is brief—mom slams the door in his face—but it allots ample screen time on the front porch for improv-guru Carrey to ham it up. His goal reached, Steven quits


the force, accepts a transport job for Sysco and moves his wife Debbie (Leslie Mann) and son. On the surface, Steven and Leslie have an ideal marriage, right down to their nightly pre-fornica- tion prayer ritual. After one such steamy encounter, the camera pulls back to reveal a burly bear, not Leslie, enjoying the ride. In his sing-songy southern-fried voice over, Steven informs us that he’s gay: “Gay, gay, gay, gay, gay,” he hisses. In addition, the


“I Love You Phillip Morris”


Written and Directed by: John Requa and Glenn Ficarra, based on a book by Steve McVicker Starring: Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor, Leslie Mann


Rating: Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor in “I Love You Phillip Morris.” (Courtesy Roadside Attractions) “While the plot was inspired by actual events,


the mere mention of the AIDS virus in this con- text plays like little more than a convenient, mean spirited plot twist.”


scene delivers numerous graphic sex commands meant to encour- age fans of “Dumb and Dumber” and “Me, Myself & Irene” to take a chance and drop ten-bucks on a


eventsATTHECENTER Wednesday, January 5


Guys, Games & Grub 6:30-9:30 pm, The Center


Have a hankering for an evening of board games, card games and pizza? Like the sound of a free monthly social event for guys 21+, where you’ll meet interesting men of all ages? Then don’t miss Guys, Games & Grub on the first Wednesday of every month. For more information, contact Jeffrey Wergeles at (619) 692-2077, ext. 204, or jwergeles@thecentersd.org.


Wednesday, January 12


Coffee & Conversation with Cool Women: Lauren DeRose


7 pm, The Center


Join us at The Center for Coffee & Conversation With Cool Women, a monthly community talk show featuring Tryce Czyczynska (co-founder of 51% – A Woman’s Place is in Politics) interviewing notable women from the community. January’s cool woman is local indie-rock performer Lauren DeRose, who has played the main stage at both San Diego Pride and San Diego Indie Music Fest and recorded with hit-maker and producer Linda Perry. She also plays drums in the all-girl punk band, LadyParts. For more information, contact Abby Schwartz at (619) 692-2077, ext. 212, or women@thecentersd.org.


www.thecentersd.org The San Diego LGBT Community Center • 3909 Centre Street • 619-692-2077


so-called “art film.”


Steven’s life changes af- ter a spectacularly staged near fatal CGI car crash. In a flash, our hero reaches an


epiphany. Seconds after he’s pulled from out the wreckage, a bloodied and bruised Steven is already telling paramedics that from here on in he’s going to live


Will you give a gift today to help change lives?


Every year, during the holiday season, The Center’s role in our community becomes increasingly critical. This month, each one of over 4,000 people is counting on The Center as a welcoming and safe place that truly cares about their very real challenges and concerns.


With your generous gift today, you ensure that The Center is there. . .


For LGBT youth who are having trouble at school or who are homeless,


For LGBT seniors looking for connection or resources,


For those trying to connect with other LGBT-headed families,


For those looking for HIV testing,


For those recently discharged from the military, For those who need food or computer access, For those recently diagnosed with HIV — and so much more.


Your help and support allows us to proudly be just that place. By giving this season, you make it possible for Our Center to be available to our incredibly diverse community members more than 46,000 times in the next year. That is a huge gift to all LGBT San Diegans.


Every gift matters. By giving $25, $50, $100 or even $500, your tax-deductible donation makes it possible for The Center to passionately advocate for equality for all, while serving our full community, especially those who are most vulnerable. Donate online at www.thecentersd.kintera.org/donate.


Holiday Hours: The Center will be closed Thursday, Dec. 23 through Sunday, Dec. 26 and Thursday, Dec. 30 through Sunday, Jan. 2. Happy Holidays!


life his way, “as a big fag!” In the time it takes to splice two pieces of film together, Steven dumps Debbie, moves to Florida, goes limp-wristed and takes up with a open-shirted South Beach hunk and a pair of equally stereotypical miniature dogs.


Steven’s sudden liberation


lands him neck deep in fraud, con jobs and an eventual stretch in the State Penitentiary. It is in these hallowed halls that Ste- ven encounters the man of his dreams, doe-eyed summer boy Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor). His commitment to making Phillip a free man so the two can forge a perfect life together is all the motivation Carrey needs to tackle one zany con after another. Where I come from, you either dislike Jim Carrey or you hate him. Tolerable in small doses early in his career (“Peggy Sue Got Married,” “The Dead Pool” and the over- riding “Earth Girls are Easy”), all bets were off after the comic ventured into the slapdash im- becility of “Ace Ventura.” “The Mask,” an unbridled homage to cartoon apogee Tex Avery, showed faint promise, but Carrey quickly became a laugh machine, a non-stop stream of contorted facials and breaking character. And what has become of Ewan McGregor? Perfor- mances like this demand a ca- reer reassessment in search of the last time this boy did some serious acting. Even before being called to do the Obi-Wan thing, the “Trainspotting” star sank under the ordinary and lifeless tonnage of “A Life less Ordinary.” He’s since skated from one unchallenging part to another, only recently showing signs of life in Woody Allen’s “Cassandra’s Dream.” Phil- lip Morris could be his career nadir.


Everyone, no matter what their sexual orientation, de- serves the right to play a heavy, but there is something evil, downright self-loathing about the snickering manner in which Carrey galvanizes his character. There is a third act turn that involves AIDS, and while the plot was inspired by actual events, the mere mention of the virus in this context plays like little more than a convenient, mean spirited plot twist. Do yourself a favor and leave after the car crash.♚


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