I love you, Phillip Morris (4 Stars)

This is the true story of Steven Jay Russell, a notorious American con man and prison escaper. He's the only person in America ever to have escaped from prison four times, including twice from a maximum security prison. That's quite an achievement, a work of genius, but obviously Steven wasn't smart enough to stop himself being re-arrested. Or maybe he has an Achilles heel, as the film shows. Tragically, his love for Phillip Morris has been his downfall.

Steven Russell and Phillip Morris met in prison. Steven was in prison for insurance fraud, Phillip was in prison for "stealing" (i.e. not returning) a rental car. The film suggests that Phillip's crime might have been an accident, maybe he just forgot that the rental time had expired. Steven was already a hardened criminal at this time, revelling in his trade as a con man. They spent a few months sharing a cell, their own personal love nest. Steven's skills as a con man kept him in money, even behind bars, and they lived in relative comfort. It wasn't until they were separated that Steven decided he had to escape. Whenever he escaped he went straight to Phillip's home, which made it easy for the police to find him.

Steven's cons were so bold that they were magnificent. During his career he impersonated a doctor, a lawyer, a judge and an FBI agent. His most extravagant escape was by faking his own death. While watching the film I couldn't believe it really happened, it seemed too crazy to be true. But it did. Check his Wikipedia page.

Jim Carrey was the perfect choice to play Steven Russell, the man with many faces. Ewan McGregor also fits in well with his subdued portrayal of the shy Phillip Morris. I've read that the original version of the film had to be toned down because the homosexual scenes were too explicit. It's sad that prejudice like this still exists today. On the other hand, seeing Jim Carrey in any sex scene is somehow unsettling. I can't remember him having a sex scene in any film so far. In the first 10 minutes of the film we see him singing in church, having sex with a woman and having sex with a man. I don't know which of these three scenes is the most disturbing.

"How does a person who doesn't exist go on existing?"

This film's big quote jumped out at me. It was unmissable, and as usual I paused the film to write it down. Maybe it's something that just applies to me and my psyche. The question touched me deeply, but maybe I'm taking it out of context. In the film it's the soul-searching question of a deceiver who never lets anyone see his real face. For me it's more a matter that I'm a person that nobody really knows, because my life has moved through drastically different phases. It's not that I'm hiding the past, I've just left it so far behind that I'm unrecognisable as the same person. I'm like a ghost floating through this world. I want to touch people I meet with acts of kindness, but I don't believe I have ever done anything truly memorable. I continue my existence by re-inventing myself for each new phase of my life.

My regular readers probably know that I'm a big fan of Jim Carrey, especially his serious films. Despite occasional comic elements I'd say this is a serious story. It's not so much his skill as an actor that attracts me, it's his choice of films. What I mean is, seeing Jim Carrey's name in a film's credits is the guarantee that it's a well written story, whatever it's about. I feel tempted to do a Jim Carrey film marathon, but now isn't the right time. I'll just weave in a few of his films with my regular viewing.