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List Price: $19.98 | | Label: New Line Home Video
Salesrank: 5432
Released: July 24, 2007 |
| Our Price: $4.82 |
| Used Price: $0.64 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
In Joel Schumacher s psychological thriller THE NUMBER 23 Jim Carrey takes on another dramatic role. Carrey s character is similar to his roles in THE TRUMAN SHOW and ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND: he portrays an average man thrust into quite extraordinary situations after a series of strange events cause him to question everything he s ever taken for granted. On his birthday Walter Sparrow is given a mysterious and tattered book called THE NUMBER 23 by his loving wife Agatha (Virginia Madsen). As Walter reads the book he quickly notices its alarming similarities to his own life. Rather than stop reading he continues unknowingly inviting the book to take over his life. The deeper Walter gets into the plot the more he sees himself in its protagonist Fingerling whom we see through highly stylized sequences in which Carrey appears as the seedy detective character. Madsen is also present in these scenes cast as Fingerling s pain-loving girlfriend Fabrizia. As Fingerling and Fabrizia s love affair inches towards its fiery conclusion we learn the role the number 23 has played in their story and will play in Walter s future if he cannot keep his growing obsession with it at bay. While Carrey and Madsen are adept at playing a man gone mad and a headstrong wife in crisis they are most fascinating as their dark counterparts and Schumacher succeeds in creating a truly intoxicating noirish underworld of sex and death through those sequences.Runtime: 95 minFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS Rating: R UPC: 794043106880 Manufacturer No: N10688
Description of The Number 23 (Unrated Infinifilm Edition):
Jim Carrey as a schizophrenic murderer isn't convincing, in this melodramatic film about a man obsessed by the Number 23. Joel Schumacher (Batman Forever, St. Elmo's Fire) has unintentionally managed to make a comedy of horrors that really is quite humorous in parts. Walter Sparrow (Carrey) becomes engrossed in a homespun novel about Detective Fingerling, whose life degrades into mayhem because of his obsession with 23's esoteric numerical puzzles. Sparrow's preoccupation with the book follows his botched attempt to catch a nasty dog that bites him, leading one to believe that Sparrow's contraction of rabies might be the cause for his mental degradation. As the story progresses, Sparrow retreats further into Fingerling's world, rife with suicidal sexpots and hardboiled detective sleuthing. His wife, Agatha (Virginia Madsen), also plays Fingerling's girlfriend, sex-crazed Fabrizia, who taunts Fingerling until he stabs her. Back in reality, Walter aims to solve the unresolved crimes in the book, taking it as a murderer's diary rather than as an imagined work. The story is half-baked, though Carrey's portrayal of a mentally disturbed person is what makes The Number 23 comedic. Long, contemplative stares, and over-dramatized acting renders Sparrow a clichéd character, rather than one odd enough to engage viewers. For a better version of almost the exact plot but with a terrorist's twist, see Thr3e instead. --Trinie Dalton
The Number 23 (Unrated Infinifilm Edition) Reviews:
Painful 
2008-07-08 - This bizarre and, ultimately, sucky movie was brought to us by garbage-pusher Joel Schumacher, and stars Jim Carrey. Carrey is completely wasted in this boring, badly directed, badly written, badly acted snooze-fest. Leave it on the shelf, it'll just put you to sleep!
Plot-wise, it concerns Jim Carrey's growing obsession with the number 23, a murder mystery, and lame, yawn-inducing drama. You won't care, and each twist is as unimpressive as the last.
TURKEY!
Weak... 
2008-06-04 - Jim Carrey is a great actor and it disappoints me that he would stoop to this movie.
The overall idea is kind of interesting and fun to play with, but the execution of the writing, acting, and directing was just sort of pathetic. The story stretches out well, only to be very rushed at the end (and the ending was sort of weak overall). Throughout the movie, the main character is reading a book and they play out parts of the book while he is reading it, now these fictional flashbacks are just cheezy. The only good part about them is that Rhona Mitra (Who is amazingly good looking) is in them, but that does not salvage horrible film making.
Something just wasn't right about Jim Carrey playing the lead 
2008-05-26 - He didn't do a bad job, but there was something not "right" about it. The film would have been much better with someone else cast in that role. He just didn't fit.
It's worth watching if you like convoluted movies and have some spare time to watch it. The premise is interesting, even though the actors aren't quite right. It could have been a much better film had it been better casted.
WOW I really loved this movie! 
2008-05-14 - I just had to place a 5 star "vote" in here for Jim Carrey and the other actor(s). It was so creepy and I was very surprised at the end. I am always pretty good with the predictability of movies so I am impressed how it kept me guessing. (Mini spoiler) no one in the reviews mentioned the fact that the real reason as to why the obsession with 23 began was because of the suicide of the father (who was obsessed with the number). It's almost scary how well Jim can play such mentally troubled roles like this and Cable Guy; I suspect he taps into his own dark side for these roles!
Lost interest 23 minutes into the film
2008-04-22 - Taking a look at the concept behind The Number 23 left me curious which then led me to check it out. Unfortunately while watching my curiousity quickly disappeared as sheer bordem set in. This had to be one of the worst I have seen in a while. It was another unfortunate case of being so bad that it couldn't be salvaged even for laughs.
The story begins with dog catcher Walter Sparrow(Carrey) as he gets bit by a dog which leads him to be late from picking up his wife at her store in town. As she is waiting outside she stumbles into the bookstore next to her shop and begins to read a book titled "The Number 23." Once Carrey gets there she suggests that he picks up the book and read it himself. The book has a disclaimer which states if the reader has any similarities with the main character or any of the events that take place the they should no longer read the book. As Carrey starts reading he feels as if the book is about his life but chooses to read on. Sounds pretty cool right? Well it isn't. This is where the downward spiral begins and never looks back. As carrey becomes more and more obssesed with the book you will become more and more bored.
This one is a real waste of time. It really has nothing to offer except an extremely predictable story in which you could, change channels, watch something else for 20 mins, then turn it back on and feel as if you never left. Half way through they should have realized what a mess they were making and switched gears to make it into a good B movie.
