Me, Myself & Irene Reviews

A disappointment that mines the same vein of gross-out romantic comedy as THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, without that film's oddball charm. Worse, it's completely overwhelmed by Jim Carrey's slapstick antics as Rhode Island state trooper Charlie Baileygates, a human doormat so deep in denial that he was the last to know his beloved wife, Layla (Traylor Howard), was carrying on with another man, even though the other man was black and so are the Baileygates' triplets. Layla walked out on them 18 years ago and Charlie's been sucking it up and smiling ever since. Or was until the day he snapped, unleashing a smut-talking, chain-smoking, Mr. Hyde-like alter-ego named Hank. Charlie is medicated to keep Hank Hyde under wraps, and given the low-stress task of escorting a winsome motorist named Irene (Renee Zellweger) back to her hometown. But an ugly surprise awaits: Irene used to manage a swanky local golf course whose owner — unbeknownst to her — was involved in shady business. Now he's under investigation and desperate to silence anyone who might testify against him. Charlie's routine assignment becomes a life-or-death mission, complicated by the fact that he's falling in love with Irene and has forgotten his medication in a hastily vacated hotel room. Reenter Hank, who asserts himself at all the wrong moments and tries to sweet-talk the outraged Irene by calling her things like "candypants." Carrey mugs, swaggers and beats himself up, none of which is as funny as he seems to think. The narration, in the style of vintage Disney nature specials, also wears out its welcome long before the movie's over. The movie is stolen right out from everyone by Charlie's loyal sons, trash-talking high school braniacs Jamaal (Anthony Anderson), Lee Harvey (Mongo Brownlee) and Shonte Jr. (Jerod Mixon). The movie picks up whenever they're on-screen, which isn't often enough.