PICK OF THE LITTER: Jennifer (Jennifer Aniston) and John (Owen Wilson) make their selection in Marley & Me.
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YES MAN No one can really blame Jim Carrey for returning to the same spastic well time after time. When the actor attempts to stretch, as in Man on the Moon or The Number 23, audiences usually stay away in droves. So, yes, Yes Man finds the elastic comic working a variation on his patented routine from such hits as Bruce Almighty and Liar, Liar. The difference here is that there's a winning romance to go along with his hyperactivity – for once, he's as sweet as he is sweaty. Much of the credit goes to Zooey Deschanel, who matches up better than Jennifer Aniston, Renee Zellweger, or any of the other past movie g.f.s expected to stand aside as he cut loose. Carrey stars as Carl Allen, a perpetually gloomy introvert whose entire life changes after he's convinced by a self-help guru (Terence Stamp) that he must say "yes" to every situation that comes his way or risk a spell of bad luck. Thus, Carl ends up saying "yes" to a homeless man (Brent Briscoe) needing a ride, a nerdy boss (New Zealand actor Rhys Darby, very funny) who invites him to a Harry Potter costume party, and so on. Into this mix comes Allison (Deschanel), a free spirit who responds to Carl's newfound sense of adventure. As is often the case with Carrey, his shtick alternates between appealing and exhausting, and the film itself runs too long for its own good. But the sequences between Carrey and Deschanel provide the picture with a needed boost, as her off-kilter personality allows him to maintain his goofy brand of humor while also displaying a softer side. Is Yes Man worth seeing? Yes ... but feel free to wait for the DVD. **1/2
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