Yes Man
2008 · Directed by Peyton Reed
Original language: English
- comedy
- romance
The story
Carl Allen, a guy whose life is going nowhere, signs up for a self-help program based on one simple covenant: say yes to everything…and anything.
What it’s like
Bright, sun-washed Southern California in saturated daylight: sunny office cubicles, bungalow interiors lit warm and flat, and wide, cheerful establishing shots of freeways and the Hollywood Bowl that make the city look like an open invitation. The camera stays fairly conventional and tidy, with plenty of medium two-shots and quick cuts during the comic set pieces, and the palette runs on clean blues, yellows and pastel office beige. Music is upbeat pop and guitar-driven pop-rock layered over montages, with sudden silences for the physical comedy to land. The mood is breezy, silly and warm, a feel-good comedy with a sweet romantic current underneath. It suits a lazy weekend afternoon, a comfort rewatch, or a light evening with friends. Pacing is brisk and episodic, the emotional register is hopeful and playful, and its central figure, a sour, withdrawn loan officer, gradually loosens up and learns to open himself to people. The content is mild: some crude sexual humour and innuendo, a few swear words, no real violence, and nothing frightening. It is for people who want a cheerful, easy laugh with a romantic payoff.
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