I Love You Phillip Morris

“This really happened. It really did.”

            The disclaimer flashes on the screen seconds before the opening of the movie. I ponder it for a second, and then shrug it off. So I guess it’s a true story then? I’ve gone into this film nearly blind, knowing nothing save for the fact that Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor play homosexual lovers. Little did I know that I was in for one of the most incredible, hilarious, tender, romantic, and genuine films I’ve seen in quite a while.

            Steven Russell (played by Jim Carrey, in one of his most interesting roles since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) is a con artist. He is also gay. While serving his first term in jail, he meets Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor) and immediately falls in love. The problem is, Phillip is transferred to another jail the next day. Their relationship blossoms through a series of smuggled love letters until Steven is able to con his way into getting transferred to Phillip’s jail. After finding a way out of prison, Steven impersonates a lawyer and gets Phillip out too, and the two start their life together. From that point on, it’s a tale of love, lies, and lots and lots of prison breaks, including one particular escape that must simply be seen to be believed. The most incredible part of this fantastic story is that the whole thing is entirely true. It actually happened.

            In telling Steven Russell’s story, the film performs a balancing act between being playfully humorous and surprisingly dark and serious. Its tone is light-hearted, and most scenes are truly funny, but occasionally you’ll see the dark side that is brought out into the open by Steven’s falsehoods and lies. Steven is a troubled man, ultimately realizing that he truly has nothing to hold onto but Phillip. It is both for and because of Phillip Morris that Steven does all the things that he does.

It is a very complex relationship, and it wouldn’t have worked were it not for the strength of the actors involved. Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor play their roles incredibly well and they deliver a pair of superb performances. For being two heterosexuals, the two develop an incredible chemistry during the course of the movie. Their relationship feels real. An impressive feat, no doubt.

The entire film is an impressive feat. Directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa manage to make the extraordinary romp of a plot and the truly convincing love story mesh into an incredible whole. I Love You Phillip Morris is a resounding success. As long as you’re able to handle the sight of two men kissing, this underrated film can’t be missed.