The Movie Guys: Split personality plagues Carrey’s latest effort

Friday, June 23, 2000 | 9:19 a.m.

The Movie Guys, starring Jeff Howard and Dave Neil, appears Fridays in the Sun. They can also be seen on the 11 a.m. Friday newscast on KVVU Channel 5. Plus, check them out online at lasvegassun.com/sun/sunlife/ movies and themovieguys.com.

Grades: Jeff D, Dave C-.

Starring: Jim Carrey, Renee Zellweger, Chris Cooper, Robert Foster.

Screenplay: Bobby Farrelly, Mike Cerrone, Peter Farrelly.

Director: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly.

Rated: R for crude humor, sexual situations, strong language and adult themes.

Running time: 115 minutes.

Playing at: UA Green Valley Cinemas, UA Showcase 8, UA Rainbow Promenade 10, Century Orleans, Century Cinedome 12 Henderson, Rancho Santa Fe 16, Las Vegas Drive-in, Regal Cinemas Boulder Station, Regal Cinemas Colonnade 14, Regal Cinemas Texas Station 18, Regal Cinemas Village Square 18.

Synopsis: Charlie Baileygates (Jim Carrey) is a mild-mannered, hard-working, always helpful, devoted and loving father of three sons who is a proud 17-year veteran of the Rhode Island Police Force. Unfortunately, he suffers from a split personality disorder, which allows his hyper-aggressive alter ego, Hank, to surface any time Charlie can't handle a stressful situation. The two personalities clash over the affection of a beautiful fugitive, Irene (Renee Zellweger).

Jeff: It took the demented vision and abnormal humor of brother filmmakers Peter and Bobby Farrelly ("Kingpin" and "There's Something About Mary") to draw out the hidden, raunchy side of funnyman Jim Carrey. It's a side we haven't seen to much of lately, but is welcomed back. "Me, Myself & Irene" accomplishes all it sets out to do, by way of offending just about everyone watching.

The Farrellys are masters of the sight gag and no doubt pushed the limits of the MPAA ratings board with many gags, some of which are too off-color to mention here. As did last summer's "South Park" movie, the Farrellys attack from all sides without warning and many jaws were left scraping the theater floor in shock and amazement. You couldn't wait to see what they would attempt next.

Dave: Carrey plays the likable Rhode Island patrolman Baileygates, who has been repeatedly taken advantage of his entire life. For starters, his wife Layla (Traylor Howard) leaves him after her affair with the same feisty, small-pint limo driver (Tony Cox) who picked them up on their wedding day. That is not before their romance produces triplets and leaves Charlie as the sole parent. Keeping his anger and turmoil bottled up inside, he goes on with his life, allowing the rest of the town to disrespect his feelings and authority.

Fifteen years pass before Charlie finally snaps into his alter ago, Hank, a foul-mouthed, over-sexed lunatic who begins to vent all the frustration that Charlie has built up. In the rude and crude fashion audiences have come to expect from the Farrelly brothers, Charlie, er, Hank, moves an illegally parked car after the owner refused, nearly drowns a little girl for her potty mouth, nurses from a busty blonde mother for no real reason and defecates on the lawn of a neighbor who has been stealing his morning paper and letting his monster-sized dog soil Charlie's front yard.

Jeff: Within the confines of this picturesque Rhode Island community, the story flourishes, but it's a shame that it doesnt remain there. It's when the lovely Irene (Renee Zellweger) blows into town and is arrested on a warrant for a hit-and-run accident that Charlie becomes involved in a criminal plot stemming from Irene's shady ex-boyfriend, Dickie (Daniel Greene). She knows too much, and now, along with Charlie/Hank, she takes a powder. The couple are on the run from Lt. Gerke (Chris Cooper), who's a crooked cop, and Agent Boshane (Richard Jenkins).

The movie becomes formulaic, jostled and one big chase. It's a feeding ground for one gag after another, with Charlie and Hank going back and forth between consciousness, becoming less funny each time. Hank insults a waiter about his albino appearance, assaults a motorist with a Coca-Cola machine and attacks a baseball player who discards cigarette butts on the ground.

Each event ends with Irene pleading for understanding. "It's not his fault," she cries. The split personality becomes a spilt plot, with the second half being labored and interspersed with vulgar gags to cloak the lack of an entertaining story.

Dave: The directing and co-writing of the Farrellys have capitalized on the sick and twisted in such a delicate manner that they never forget to center their lowbrow antics around a sophisticated storyline. And by reuniting with superstar Carrey, who lent his talent to the Farrellys' 1994 blockbuster debut "Dumb and Dumber," I would have expected a much more stylized brand of humor instead of a road movie fueled by Carrey's worst impression of Dirty Harry.

That's not to say that the film doesn't possess a few shining comical moments. The triplets -- Jamaal, Lee Harvey and Shonte Jr. (Anthony Anderson, Mongo Brownlee and Jerod Mixon) -- were raised on Richard Pryor movies and Charlie's wholesome nature. They are all grown up and supply plenty of comic relief.

Jeff: The triplets were the highlight of the film and stole almost every laugh from the rest of the cast. I was shocked to see parents bringing young children to the movie. This isn't "The Mask," but a very hard- hitting adult comedy. Leave the kids at home. Fans of Jim Carrey will enjoy his trademark mugging and facial antics, but will tire of "Me, Myself & Irene" rather quickly as Carrey tries every trick in the book to keep our interest.