How To Lie to The Mask and Me, Myself & Irene
Jim Carrey's "Liar Liar", "The Mask", and "Me, Myself, & Irene" as comedic allegories for the tension between authentic and fake
Comrades: Jim Carrey is a schizophrenic comedic genius.
In the 1990s, he starred in most of America’s funniest movies. Three of his best films share a similar character arc: Liar Liar, The Mask, and Me, Myself & Irene. He outwardly displays a man’s inner struggle between how he presents himself and how he wants to express himself. In his singular slapstick style, he contorts his face and body to unleash feelings that have been suppressed by societal norms. The id of disagreeable authenticity bursts through the ego of agreeable fakeness with hilarious results.
In Me, Myself & Irene, Carrey plays Rhode Island state trooper Charlie. He is a loving family man and dutiful police officer who gets taken advantage of. Charlie dotes on his triplet sons, even though it is obvious that he is not their biological father due to his ex-wife’s infidelity. He tries to remain civil and pleasant, but eventually cracks after one too many insults.
“Do you ever notice that your kids have sort of a year-round tan?”
Nice Charlie turns into a mean split personality named Hank. A psychiatrist prescribes Charlie medication to manage Hank’s “advanced delusional schizophrenia with involuntary narcissistic rage”. However, it keeps emerging at inopportune moments. Both personas compete for Irene, a love interest who needs their help. This movie could never be released today and was Carrey’s highest-grossing R-rated film.
“What’s the matter, honey? Little extra cheese on the taco?”
Charlie’s sons deserved a spinoff after stealing every scene:
In Liar Liar, Carrey portrays a divorced defense lawyer named Fletcher. He is a charismatic, but sociopathic liar in both his professional and personal life. After he breaks another promise and misses his son’s birthday party, the boy makes a wish that his father will not be able to lie for one day.
The wish comes true and Fletcher starts losing it. In and out of court, he cannot help but tell the truth about his cases and opinions. Anyone can appreciate his cathartic roast of his co-workers. The concluding message is wholesome as Fletcher realizes that life is much better when he is honest and acts consistently with his words. Imagine if this happened to all journalists and politicians.
“I just want to get from my car to the office without being confronted by the decay of Western society!”
“He’s a pedantic, pontificating, pretentious bastard! A belligerent old fart! A worthless steaming pile of cow dung! Figuratively speaking…. Retard! Degenerate! Slut!”
In The Mask, Carrey transforms from bland, bumbling bank teller Stanley into Loki. Unlike the other two movies, he crosses the chasm from human to cartoon. The exaggerated confidence and swagger turn him into a hero who saves the day and wins the girl. Nothing can stop him. The green mask brings out who he really is inside.
“We all wear masks, metaphorically speaking.”
Cameron Diaz stole America’s heart in her first big screen appearance:
Jim Carrey is one of the most successful comedians in movie history because he is a relatable, regular guy. Audiences pull for the underdog doormat to stand up for himself. Can a normie become based? We live in a world where everyone is faking it and lying, but we have to go along with it to get along. The urge to confront with hard truths instead of placating with pretty lies is universal. The Mask, Liar Liar, and Me, Myself & Irene provide comedic release as we navigate this tension.
Ace Ventura and Dumb and Dumber are classics without the character arcs and would be considered controversial today:
“Einhorn is Finkle! Finkle is Einhorn!”
“Could you do it the other way around?”
Carrey was also brilliant in The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind:
How To Predict the Future (Part 4) - The Truman Show
Comrades: In case I don’t see ya - good afternoon, good evening, and good night.
Wedding Crashers was the last great R-rated comedy in 2005 before it devolved into clapter:
Interesting take! I've been thinking a lot about authenticity lately. It seems that our public personalities are suffering from an epidemic of disconnection and fakeness. The strange thing is that they don't even seem to realize it. These aren't the pathologies or strategies of a few maladjusted people. They are class-wide social realities.
I suspect they indicate a culture which has become so stratified and comfortable that certain well-connected people can essentially live their entire lives on 'pretend' mode. And we're all forced to play along.
When was the last time you saw an interviewer or journalist question the authenticity of one of these ridiculous people? Surely EVERYONE realizes they're full of shit?
Don't forget his tour de force as The Cable Guy, which explores the tension between his aggressively demonic character and the humble everyman played by Matthew Broderick (not sure who would be considered authentic and fake?). Jim was also married to the super-based Jenny McCarthy for a while, so maybe a little of her vaccine realism rubbed off on him.