The Number 23 - The Next Great Film on Your List

On opening night I went to the movie theater in my area in search of a great film that was worth 8.75 to see. I found one called The Number 23. I had been anticipating this film for the last month- another Jim Carrey drama. No matter what anyone says, I think comedians are the best actors because they have to be loud and soft at the same time. Acting is all about timing and comedians have to know when to get it right. Jim Carrey is one of the best of those people.

I love Jim Carrey in Man On The Moon, Bruce Almighty, The Truman Show and his greatest performance in my humble opinion Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Whether you like the film or not, Carrey is magnificent. In The Number 23 Carrey plays a family man who becomes obsessed with the book The Number 23 after his wife gives it to him for a birthday present. It's a very strange film in which the main character Walter finds a correlation between his life and the book, between the numbers that surround his life and the numbers that surround a character in the book.

Written by Fernley Phillips and directed by Joel Schumacher, this film takes shape in the first fifteen minutes. It reverts from a family mystery drama to a psychological thriller with exquisite cinematography and new age special effects that aren't there just to be new age, but to tell the story. As the main character is reading this book 65% of the film, the cinematography and art direction shine as a way to see into Carrey's character's head. A dreamlike fantasy appears on-screen as Carrey does voice-over for the film while reading the book.

This film also stars Virginia Madson as Agatha, Walter's wife and their son Robin is played by Logan Lerman, a fairly new talent. Madson is the faithful dutiful loving wife but she also has her own character and her own problems. Her concern for her husband rings true with all of her actions. Lerman is the young teen who really looks up to his father without having to say so. He's involved in the story without it being forced.