Yes Man (2008)
- Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed a hidden easter egg referencing Peyton Reed's previous film in the background of the opening scene.
- The original script for Yes Man was written over a decade before production finally began in 2008.
- Before Jim Carrey was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
Yes Man is a 2008 American comedy directed by Peyton Reed. Jim Carrey stars as Carl Allen, a divorced, isolated loan officer who has been saying "no" to everything in his life โ turning down invitations, avoiding friends, and stagnating in his apartment. After attending a motivational seminar led by a guru played by Terence Stamp, Carl makes a covenant to say "yes" to every opportunity presented to him.
The results are predictably chaotic โ he learns Korean, takes flying lessons, gives a homeless man a ride, and falls for the quirky Allison, played by Zooey Deschanel, a musician and running group leader who embodies the spontaneity Carl has been missing. Jim Carrey's physical comedy was deployed in service of a genuinely sweet message about openness to life's possibilities, though the film wisely acknowledged that saying yes to absolutely everything creates its own problems. Yes Man earned $223 million worldwide on a $70 million budget.
