Learning to Say Yes

Last night, I watched Yes Man, a relatively new movie that was recently released on DVD and that arrived through my Netflix this week.

Jim Carrey movies, as far as I'm concerned, tend to be more miss than hit, i.e. I have disliked more of them than I have liked. But I was intrigued by the concept of this film. It is based on a true story about Danny Wallace, a British author and journalist who spent a year answering yes to any and all questions and offers and cataloguing the results of his experiences.

I should further add that I do not necessarily recommend this film, as it has a couple of those "uncomfortable" parts that I found myself fast forwarding through. In fact, the only Jim Carrey movies I would recommend would be The Truman Show and The Majestic, both of which feature Jim playing it straightly dramatic.

What I did like about the film was its message of being willing to break out of one's shell and comfort zone to try something new, because you never know what the (hopefully positive) results may be.

Jim plays Carl Allen, a man who goes through the motions in life and really doesn't feel inspired to do much of anything outside of his routine. He lives vicariously through the DVDs he rents at the video store, all the while brushing off his friends, who encourage him to join them at various social activities - never picking up his phone when it rings or saying that he's always too busy when he does answer. His best friend warns him that if he keeps this up, he will look back at his life in a few years' time and will realize that he has been completely lonely.


Then, he attends the "Yes Man" seminar, during which he is put on the spot in front of the entire audience. He agrees to begin saying yes to opportunities that come his way, no matter how ridiculous or strange they may seem.

At first, Carl is very skeptical of the "Yes Man" approach. But the more he says yes, the more positive things begin to happen in his life. Saying yes to a homeless man who asks for money and a ride indirectly leads him to meeting someone who becomes his girlfriend. Taking a chance at work ends with his being promoted. He learns to speak Korean and picks up the guitar. He goes bungee jumping. The LDS missionaries even knock on his door, and he lets them in and listens!

I guess the message is an obvious one: When we say no to the opportunities that abound all around us, whatever they may be, we close ourselves off to the possibilities and to potential happiness. When we say yes, however, we give ourselves the opportunity for growth and reaching our potential.

That is a reminder, I think, that we all could use.