I Love You Philip Morris
★★★★
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: A story this odd could only be true. Steven
Russell (Jim Carrey) is a happily married police officer who
suddenly comes out as a gay man. Following his revelation, he
becomes a con artist in order to finance his extravagant lifestyle.
While serving in prison, he meets the man of his dreams, Philip
Morris (Ewan McGregor). After he is released from prison, Steven
steps up the con artistry to truly amazing levels as he tries to
spring Philip from the pen and maintain their lavish lifestyle.
WHAT WE LIKE: When Jim Carrey is allowed to actually act
instead of presenting just a never-ending stream of sight gags,
the guy is more unstoppable than The Mask. Jim and Ewan
make a really adorable couple and one has to commend both
the actors and the producers of this film for having the courage
to make a frank and explicit gay love story. This film will raise a
few hackles…and that’s awesome.
Now playing at the State Theater in Ann Arbor.
Casino Jack
★★★
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Remember Jack Abramoff? Lobbyist extraordinaire who worked closely with
the Bush administration and was subsequently caught defrauding Native American tribes out of
tens of millions of dollars? Abramoff has now been “honored” with his own biopic chronicling his
misdeeds, with Kevin Spacey portraying him. A great, riveting story about greed run amok, Casino
Jack has earned Spacey a Golden Globe nomination—and it’s richly (pun intended) deserved.
WHAT WE LIKE: After playing the hotheaded movie producer in Swimming With Sharks and the
mysterious Keyser Soze in The Usual Suspects, Spacey finally gets another chance to play a
charismatic slimeball. Kev hasn’t been this great since American Beauty, and any movie starring
the wonderful Native American actor Graham Greene is OK with us.
Now playing at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor.
