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Review #407 of 365
Movie Review of The Number 23 (2007) [R] 95 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $13.50
Where Viewed: United Artists Continental 6, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 23 February 2007
Time: 2:35 p.m.
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
DVD Release Date: unscheduled
Directed by: Joel Schumacher (The Phantom of the Opera)
Written by: Fernley Phillips
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Jim Carrey (Fun with Dick and Jane) • Virginia Madsen (A Prairie Home Companion) • Logan Lerman (Hoot)
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
NOTE: This is a non-spoiler review. If you would like to read the spoiler review for this film which does give away the 'big twist', then click here.
One thing that Jim Carrey did very right was to take some time off and carefully consider where to take his career. The Joel Schumacher-directed The Number 23 was an edgy but, nonetheless, wise choice for Mr. Carey as it showcases in a single film all sides of his abilities as an actor certain to cause his critical critics concern. The film The Number 23 itself represents an incredible psychological plunge into grandiose paranoia set in motion by a father who believed that the number was ruining while ruling his very existence. His desperate suicide designed to prevent the number from transferring from father to son, failed. But, that's a little ahead in the story. The story, actually concerns a simple dog named Ned and the dog catcher named Walter Sparrow (Jim Carrey) hell bent on catching him. One day, in early February we're told in narration by Sparrow, events took hold that sent him one minute before the close of the work day to rescue the occupants of a Chinese Restaurant from the ferocious mongrel, Ned. As Sparrow tries to lure the pooch into submission with soothing tales and concentration, he misses and Ned takes a piece out of his arm. That delay in getting him home on time eventually, ends up with his wife, Agatha (Virginia Madsen), giving him a very special blood-red covered book for his birthday entitled, Number 23. His son Robin (Logan Lerman), later that day, gives him a coffee mug emblazoned with a hand-made "World's Greatest Father" logo lettered onto it. Over the next few days, Walter begins to read the book, and he notices immediately strange overlaps between the life of the main character, Fingerling, and his own.
"Jim Carrey was absolutely extraordinary in this role."
Even the Fingerling thing strikes a note because he remembers reading a book about Fingerling when he was a child and loving the name. He points out these odd coincidences to Agatha who's also just read the book, but she poo-poos them and says that he's nothing like Fingerling. As Walter continues to read the book and listen to the ways in which Fingerling's life is influenced entirely by the evil behind the number 23 and the suicide of Fingerling's father to protect him from the number, he, himself begins to notice the influences of the number 23 in his own life. Everything from the digits in his license plate, to his birthdate, February 3 (2 3), to his driver's license to his social security card. The number 23 is everywhere. He even sees kids running cross country near by and number 2 runs past number 3. He doesn't know how the book is doing this to him or why, but he becomes convinced that through the book the number is now taking a hold of him. No amount of contradiction from his wife will lead him to believe otherwise. Likewise, he becomes fascinated with the surreal life of Fingerling in the book who meets up with beautiful women in his job as a brilliant detective. Eventually, the book, written by Topsy Kretts, reveals to him the trail of a long misunderstood murder of a co-ed named Laura Tollins. And it is this revelation, ultimately, that fuels his final plunge into a long and windy trail of hidden truths and parts of the mind best left walled off and out of range of thought.
Jim Carrey as Walter Sparrow devouring the book Number 23(Click Still Photo to Purchase)
As Walter reads the book, the life of Fingerling unfolds on screen with Mr. Carrey portraying, also, Fingerling, and Ms Madsen portraying his lover Fabrizia. Seeing this darker side of Carrey with his tattooed arms and long locks using his facial expressions and dulcet tones to calm the suicide blonde are but a part of the difficult range he must muster to carry this role. His sad, glassy eyes and mournful pained look reveal a truly tortured, mind-bent soul. Jim Carrey was absolutely extraordinary in this role. Ms Madsen and Logan Lerman were also very good with Maden doing double duty this weekend in her role in The Astronaut Farmer. Joel Schumacher, probably one of the few directors capable of actually controlling this plot keeping it from spinning wildly out of control, holds the tension and the drama just right. He deftly understood the complexity of this Fernley Phillips written screenplay as he adapted this book within a book within a book recursive narrative story. It seems some find the ending unsatisfying and predictable. The plot is actually such that nothing is really predictable except that without a gimmick, there is only one possible explanation for the way things unfold and the truth of the past behind them.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring The Number 23 (2007)
Cast Members
Jim Carrey
• Virginia Madsen • Logan LermanDirector
Joel Schumacher
Writer
Fernley Phillips
| CD Soundtrack | DVD | VHS |
The Number 23 (2007) Review-lite [150-word cap]
Jim Carrey did the right thing considering where to take his career. The Joel Schumacher-directed The Number 23 was an edgy but, nonetheless, wise choice as it showcases all sides of his. The film The Number 23 itself represents an incredible psychological plunge into grandiose paranoia set in motion by a father who believed that the number was ruining while ruling his very existence. A dog catcher named Walter Sparrow (Jim Carrey) is given a very special blood-red, covered book for his birthday entitled, Number 23. Soon after, the number starts to take over his life as well. In a dual role as Fingerling, Jim Carey presents his darker side with tattooed arms and long locks while using his facial expressions and dulcet tones to carry this role. His sad, glassy eyes and mournful pained look reveal a truly tortured, mind-bent soul. Jim Carrey was absolutely extraordinary
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