I Love You Phillip Morris

Theatrical Release Date: 2010 12 03 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 031398134008

Studio: Lionsgate

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Adult Humor, Profanity, Sexual Situations]

Summary: Bad Santa co-screenwriters Glenn Ficara and John Requa re-team for this fact-based black comedy starring Jim Carrey as a Texas police officer-turned-con man who makes the leap to white-collar criminal after being sent to prison and falling in love with his sensitive cellmate. Steve Russell (Carrey) is a small-town cop. Bored with his bland lifestyle, Russell turns to fraud as a means of shaking things up. Before long, Russell's criminal antics have landed him behind bars, where he encounters the charismatic Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor). Smitten, Russell devotes his entire life to being with Morris regardless of the consequences -- which could well include a life sentence. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Category: Comedy

Awards: Film Presented – Sundance Film Festival Best Adapted Screenplay – Writers Guild of America Best Adapted Screenplay – Writers Guild of America

Features: Filmmaker commentary
The making of I Love You Phillip Morris
Deleted scenes
Theatrical trailers

I Love You Phillip Morris

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 04/05/2011

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Alternate Wide Screen

Audio: DHMA null

Runtime: 98 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: Blu-ray region A (North America, Central America, South America, Japan, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia)

Jason Buchanan

I Love You Phillip Morris opens with the cheeky preface "This Really Happened" rather than the staid "Based on a True Story" or the standard "Inspired by Actual Events" -- a creative decision that playfully prepares audiences for the sheer lunacy they're about to witness. Steve Russell (Jim Carrey) was a small-town cop. Bored with his bland marriage to reverent wife Debbie (Leslie Mann) and inspired to come bursting out of the closet following a near-fatal car accident, Russell turns to fraud to maintain his flamboyant new lifestyle, only to discover that crime doesn't pay when he's handed an extended prison sentence. But life behind bars proves a blessing in disguise when Russell falls head over heels for kind-hearted convict Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor), who's serving time for failing to return a rental car. Smitten, Russell devotes his entire life to being with Morris regardless of the consequences -- which could well include a life sentence when, after both are released from prison, Russell cons his way into a high-paying position as CFO for a prominent medical management company. Later, when Russell's misdeeds land him in prison yet again, the tactics he uses to regain his freedom are nothing short of staggering in terms of sheer gall and creativity. As many times as Russell manages to escape incarceration in order to be with his one true love, however, he always seems to end up back behind bars. In exploiting the more preposterous aspects of Steve Russell's incredible career as a con man, I Love You Phillip Morris director/screenwriters John Requa and Glenn Ficarra have created the perfect cinematic vehicle to showcase the diverse talents of comedy icon Carrey, whose flair for drama has been gradually catching up with his killer comic timing ever since he stunned audiences into silence in The Cable Guy back in 1996. Carrey's portrayal of Russell sits so comfortably alongside his previous roles in films like Me, Myself & Irene, Liar Liar, and Fun with Dick and Jane that if it weren't for the fact that the screenplay was based on author Steve McVicker's true-crime tome of the same name, odds are moviegoers wouldn't even blink if Requa and Ficarra's names were secretly replaced by Peter and Bobby Farrelly in the opening credits. Much like the writers who collaborated with Carrey on some of the actor's biggest films, Requa and Ficarra seem more interested in milking the concept for comedy rather than attempting anything serious or thoughtful with the material (a brief attempt to expose the root causes of Russell's criminal behavior is quickly sidelined for a throwaway gag, and his continual betrayal of Morris is largely played for laughs), but when dealing with a subject like Russell, absurdity just seems to come naturally. Still, Carrey handles the dramatic beats in I Love You Phillip Morris with enough conviction to hold his own opposite McGregor, who is captivating in his role as the timid inmate who quickly falls for Russell's disarming charisma. The talented Mann disappears far too quickly after Russell embraces his new lifestyle, and Rodrigo Santoro lends the film its greatest amount of dramatic weight in his role as Russell's former lover Jimmy. The whole endeavor is held together by Nick Urata's effervescent score. A key member of the Denver, Colorado-based outfit DeVotchKa (who first gained widespread recognition for their contributions to the Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack), Urata displays an intuitive understanding of the art of film composition by giving I Love You Phillip Morris a distinctive signature hook that vividly encapsulates the protagonist's whimsical true nature, and strikes the perfect tone for a lighthearted film that flirts with heavy drama. Much like Steve Russell at that crucial crossroads that nudged him into a life of crime, I Love You Phillip Morris never feels like it really knows what it wants to be. But it's Russell's talent for BS and Carrey's ability to humanize the character that ensure that our attention stays riveted to the story, even after it becomes apparent that the filmmakers aren't interested in much more than playing his life story for laughs. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Luc Besson  Executive Producer 
Andrew Lazar  Producer 
John Requa  Director 
John Requa  Screenwriter 
Glenn Ficarra  Director 
Glenn Ficarra  Screenwriter 
Far Shariat  Producer 
Nick Urata  Composer (Music Score) 
Jim Carrey  Actor 
Ewan McGregor  Actor 
Leslie Mann  Actor 
Rodrigo Santoro  Actor 
Antoni Corone  Actor 
Brennan Brown  Actor 
Michael Mandel  Actor 
Annie Golden  Actor 
Marylouise Burke  Actor 
Dave Jensen  Actor 
Dameon Clarke  Actor 
Clay Chamberlin  Actor 
Louis Herthum  Actor 
Morgana Shaw  Actor 
Joe Chrest  Actor 
Griff Furst  Actor 
Aunjanue Ellis  Actor 
Devere Jehl  Actor 
Michael Showers  Actor 
Beth Burvant  Actor 
Deyne Ladson  Actor 
John Kennon Kepper  Actor 
Andrew Sensenig  Actor 
David Stanford  Actor 
Bill Dykes  Actor 
Tony Bentley  Actor 
Kathrin Middleton  Actor 
Donovan Guidry  Actor 

Country: USA