MUBI

With a perfect mix of light-hearted moments and the tragedy that is the futile search for love, I Love you Philip Morris is a fantastic movie. My Kudos goes out to an American filmmaker daring to portray homosexuality both in such a hands-on fashion without feeding into stereotypes or portraying homosexuals as “different” from “normal” people. I have read loads fierce criticism by many, condemning the film’s strong (very strong) depiction of sexual acts, which, to me, is a brave, bold and most important artistically satisfying side to the movie. Despite all the craze of Jim and Ewan making out, I found that the movie quickly dismisses the “homosexuality” as key axis of the movie’s hook for good and focuses on the universal issue of finding out how you are, how you love and how you can achieve happiness. The performances are strong and apart from playing homosexuals, McGregor and Carrey should be complimented for going up and down the emotional rollercoaster of love, happiness, despair and anger without losing their artistic balance and maintaining the illusion that the movie actually portrays a long episode of tragic love and the search for it. I am not entirely sure whether all the events depicted in the movie are based on actual events, as it claims to be, but this confusion supports the core idea of the movie, evolving around a character (Carrey) whose whole existence is pretty much based on lies. The movie is very nicely crafted and features many chuckle-worthy as well as tender moments, framed by a carefully chosen and effective soundtrack (look out for an amazing version of “To Love Somebody” by Nina Simone), the costumes and sets round off the visual experience. I enjoyed this movie very much, also I lost a bit of drift towards the end when events seem to repeat itself without the director emphasizing on the inevitability of events and thus, the story arc feels a bit stretched, but that is the only issue I have with this otherwise wonderful movie. Amazing.