Fans of Carrey Will Find a Sleeper-Hit in ‘The Number 23’

thenumber23posterJoel Schumacher’s “The Number 23” originally seems like a bland hybrid of successful movie genres, combining conspiracy theory elements from films such as “Seven” and “Saw,” while incorporating quick camera shots and flashback elements made famous in films like “Pulp Fiction” and “Fight Club.”

However, after watching it, it’s obvious that while it seems to be inspired from the success of other films in its genre, the way it achieves its success makes it completely original and equally as entertaining.

Known for years as a comedic actor, Jim Carrey [The Majestic, Batman Forever] has proven time and time again that he can do a lot more than make people laugh. In “The Number 23,” Carrey plays the protagonist, Walter Sparrow and does an amazing job of portraying a normal every day Joe, to only find out his world is nothing like it seems.

Helping create that notion of disbelief are both Virginia Madsen [Sideways, Dune] and Danny Houston [The Aviator, Marie Antoinette]. Madsen plays the concerned wife, Agatha, who stands by her husband during his horrific self-discovery and Houston is the suspiciously-concerned friend. Together with the stellar performance by Carrey, “The Number 23” has the talent on-screen to survive and entertain.

But like most films Schumacher directs, that doesn’t necessarily mean the movie has the luster and polish to be enjoyed by the masses.

Fortunately for Schumacher, the plot of “The Number 23” is well thought out, witty and is soaked with charisma. Seeing Carrey transform into an obsessed lunatic because of a book, to only see his whole world change because of it is an amazing experience that any fan of thrillers like “Seven” will surely enjoy.

Throughout the film, while Carrey is obsessing over this number and what its purpose is in his life, the viewer seeS that the number appears everywhere, in license plates on the cars passing by, on the clothes worn by extras, even on billboard signs, giving this huge conspiracy theory the biggest focus of the film.

The successful way that Schumacher and cinematographer Matthew Libatique [Gothika, Inside Man] manage to incorporate the theory in every facet of the film is what makes the story one of the biggest reasons for its overall success.

By the end of the film, one thing becomes apparent; this role was tailor made for Carrey. Utilizing his humor early in the film on a toned-down scale makes him a believable character and makes his plummet much more shocking and entertaining. Fans of his work may be a bit apprehensive to watch the film because they see Schumacher’s name in the directors credits, but have no fear, even he can surprise us once in a while.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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