Two Movies, Two Careers

What goes up must come down.

This is true of rocks thrown in the air, my bank account, and the careers of movie stars.

But sometimes it comes back up...

In the case of movie careers, we are often cursed to witness the fall, but every now and again privileged to see a reversal of fortune, a return, however tentative, to form.

I was recently able to see an example of both directions of fate, in the form of two movies and two careers.  

'The Day The Earth Stood Still', a remake of course of the 1950's classic, featured Keanu Reeves as Klaatu, the alien come to earth to decide whether the human race lives or dies.  After asking to speak with the leaders of our world at the UN, he forgets that request and instead decides our fate over fast food with a fellow alien disguised as an elderly Chinese-American.  The rest of the movie is all about an attractive scientist (Jennifer Connelly) trying to convince him to let us live.  Aside from the ill-advised plot changes from the original, and assorted weaknesses in continuity, the movie is still visually enjoyable.  Too bad then we are forced to watch Keanu hit the self-destruct button on his career.

Reeves, after an interesting role in 'Street Kings', reverted to his Matrix formula for this one, and dripped out a performance that made Klaatu's mute robot guard seem effusive.  If it is possible to reduce a living actor to a CGI creation, then the makers of this movie have achieved the feat.  Keanu Reeves looks increasingly like all of the living force has been squeezed out of him, and there's no emotion left in him to act.  If his next project doesn't show some range, or force him to do more than clench his jaw muscles and give an occasional expressive look, he'll soon find himself joining Morpheus on CSI.

'Yes Man' - not a remake, but all too similar in conceit to 'Liar, Liar', is Jim Carey's comeback to pure comedy.  And, despite critic's complaints, it's a fun film.  He plays a sympathetic character that gets involved with an eccentric played nicely by Zooey Deschanel, and the two even make a believable pair.  The central joke of the film centers around a decision Carey's character makes after landing in a self-help seminar led by a fiercely charismatic Terence Stamp - to say 'Yes' to everything.  All sorts of predictable, but still funny, hijinks ensue.  

Not as outrageously funny as the best moments in  'Liar, Liar', but also showering us with less of the sappy silliness of that earlier movie's ending, this new movie gives Jim Carey a chance to be a comic again.  Only this time the comic has grown up, toned down, and learned to pace himself.  We are treated to some of the great schtick we've come to expect in a Carey film, but with a dash of the mature comedy on display way back when in 'The Truman Show'.   This could be Carey's turnaround film, bringing him back to feature film comedy success.  Or, he might just be a defeated and deflated actor, sleepwalking through a role he'd rather not have taken.  Let's hope it's the former.