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Written by Gregg Shapiro
Jan 13, 2011
Ewan McGregor and Jim Carrey play characters who are very much in love in “I Love You Phillip Morris.” – Photo: Courtesy
By far one of the darkest gay romantic comedies to ever hit the silver screen, the long-delayed “I Love You Phillip Morris,” according to the film’s opening, “really happened.” In the film’s first few minutes we watch as Steve (Jim Carrey), a devout Christian police officer with a wife, Debbie (Leslie Mann), and daughter, undergoes a remarkable personal and sexual transformation after surviving a serious car accident.
Coming out of the near-death experience forces him to come out of the closet and begin life anew. He does so with Jimmy (Rodrigo Santoro). At the same time Steve embraces his homosexuality, he also unleashes an unpleasant side of his personality, pushing himself up through the corporate ranks via a series of lies and scams. Busted for his illegal behavior, Steve goes to jail, where he meets the mild-mannered Phillip (Ewan McGregor).
The most unlikely, tender and touching of romances unfolds between Steve and Phillip. They are each other’s physical and emotional comfort. Following the end of his incarceration, Steve presents himself as Phillip’s lawyer and, in spite of having no formal law school education or a degree, he assists in Phillip’s release.
From there, the couple begins to build a life together on the outside. But, unknown to Phillip, it’s not long before Steve is back to his scamming ways. Once again, the law comes knocking, and so it goes, with each of Steve’s successive jailbreaks and hair-brained schemes.
Throughout it all, we never doubt for a moment that Phillip is the love of Steve’s life. In the ultimate display of his love, Steve even fakes having AIDS to be reunited with Phillip.
It’s a non-traditional love story to be sure, but “I Love You Phillip Morris” is a welcome, if tiresome, addition to world of queer cinema. All the credit goes to Carrey and McGregor, who give the most offbeat performances of their careers.
