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Is the New Jim Carrey Comedy “Too Gay” For American Audiences?

Posted on Friday, March 20th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta

i love you phillip morris

Britain’s Times Online is claiming that I Love You, Phillip Morris (not to be confused with I Love You, Man, which is in theaters today) might be going direct-to-dvd in the United States. The Jim Carrey/Ewan McGregor comedy premiered at Sundance in January to fairly good reviews. Distributors were turned off by “the graphic homosexual sex depicted in the film,” and the film has yet to score domestic theatrical distribution.

According to the report, the movie is currently being re-edited in “a last ditch attempt to find an American distributor. If it fails to do so, it will go straight to DVD.” I haven’t seen the movie, but I’m shocked that a film like Brokeback Mountain or Milk can get theatrical distribution but a comedy starring Jim Carrey is thought about as unmarketable.

The movie is adapted from Steve McVicker’s 2003 novel, and based on a true story. Carrey plays Russell, a criminal who falls in love with his cell mate, Phillip Morris (McGregor). After Morris’ release from prison, Russell attempts a variety of bizarre prison escapes in hopes of reuniting with the love of his life. The movie was apparently pitched as “Catch Me if You Can meets Brokeback Mountain“. The screenplay was written by the team who did Bad Santa. Film School Rejects said the film feels like “a mixture between the silliness and absurdness of a Farrelly brothers movie, but with the intelligence of a Coen brothers flick.”

I understand there is a graphic gay sex scene in the first 10 minutes, but I think audiences in more liberal cities don’t really care. This film doesn’t need a huge wide release. It was filmed independently for only $13 million, and has already sold theatrical distribution in UK markets. It seems strange to me that an American distributor wouldn’t at least take a chance putting the film out and a few hundred theaters. I would think that Jim Carrey’s star value alone would be enough to make the money back. As Devin from Chud said, “you can make 30 to 40 million on this movie if you’re smart”.

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  • frishack
    Career suicide for Carrey. Nobody buts gays will go see this.
  • Kalebarkab
    I want to find good pop music. Help me please.
  • Curtis
    sorry Screen Rant, but comparing gay people/sex to pedophiles is a classic conservative tactic to link consensual activities to an act of rape. It was weak and insensitive at the very least and can be easily interpreted as hateful and homophobic . If you have a visceral negative reaction to gay sex it says more about your own insecurities with your own sexuality and masculinity than it does about anything inherent about gay sex. I think you do need to challenge yourself to confront your discomfort since you are clearly using it as a crutch to justify burying gay themes form public view.
  • Again, I'm not relating the two to each other (but thanks for trying to make it look like I am, speaking of classic liberal tactics). I'm just trying to get across the visceral reaction.

    And I'm sick of holier than thou people trying to tell me (and others) that our revulsion for watching gay sex is due to our "insecurities." What a bunch of bullshit.

    So if people don't like to watch hard core S&M sex or coprophilia that means they're insecure? Yeah, brilliant.
  • Hey, how about YOU "get the fuck over it." Are you uncomfortable with the idea of watching a fat, hairy 50 year old have sex with a 5 year old? Then maybe you're being a fascist against pedophiles and you should be forced to watch that so you can get comfortable with it.

    I don't want to see two guys making out or having sex and feeling that way doesn't make me uptight, weird or otherwise. It's a natural reaction. And based on the downvotes on your comment, I'm not alone.

    Vic
  • if you don't want to watch something - just don't. Nobody is forcing you. People have a right to choose: what they want to eat, what they want to drink, what they want to watch. And there is a certain difference between homosexuality and pedobeary - you should study the subject before making stupid statements.
  • That's exactly right, but some people here seem to be saying that if people DON'T want to watch it something is inherently wrong with them and they should "get over it," and go watch it.

    As to the pedo comparison, I'm not making a "stupid statement." My only point was to try to get across the visceral reaction to that as a comparison.
  • ok. sorry for offence :)
  • Brand0
    That's funny that people have no problem watching movies like Saw (or worse), but gay (male) sex is just crossing the line.
  • Just goes to show you how scared Hollywood studios are of "offending" people. That's why none of the "Saw" movies were ever released. Oh wait...

    If the movie does get picked up by American distributers, I bet you money it's Focus Features/Universal. If not Focus Features/Universal, then Lionsgate. Then if it's neither of those, then it will probably go direct to DVD in the end.

    What a shame it would be to send a movie with such promise and such big talent straight to DVD.
  • Just goes to show you how scared Hollywood studios are of "offending" people. That's why none of the "Saw" movies were never released. Oh wait...

    If the movie does get picked up by American distributers, I bet you money it's Focus Features/Universal. If not Focus Features/Universal, then Lionsgate. Then if it's neither of those, then it will probably go direct to DVD in the end.

    What a shame it would be to send a movie with such promise and such big talent straight to DVD.
  • 790
    Its one thing to tolerate alternative lifestyles its another to embrace them,,, I won't be seeing this film as there's really no redeeming value in it.
    MILK, was a film that at least had an educational message. This just seems out to be a big gay mind trip, on the weaker of the species....

    This will be huge in West Hollywood and in The Village, but other than that it will bomb at the box office.

    Another great choice in projects Jim,,,
  • fucking mpaa
  • Jake
    the fact is people in america are fine with gay themed films as long as one of the characters gets murdered for his or her cause. when it comes down to gays loving each other in comedies theyre always the butt of the joke. Sorry folks, its 2009 and we still cant accept gays in modern society without some sort of caveat
  • i think that is unfair... and quite dumb... hope i hits the theatres.
  • Branden
    Why are people so afraid of gay sex? You see a hell of alot of hetero sex scenes and people are fine with that.

    Get over yourselves, people. Release the movie in the States, at least in limited release.
  • Why the heck is America still so homophobic? So fucking living in the stone age? So if this movie had a straight sex scene in the first ten minutes this wouldn't be a problem?
  • One time Devin from CHUD has a point, if someone were to market this as the next Jim Carrey comedy, it's going to be number one at the Box Office opening weekend.
  • freemachine
    @ StarBlazer's comment about America not being the land of the free...blah, blah.

    That has to be the stupidest comment I've read on /film. Our country is quite permissive when it comes to the distribution of content deemed to be controversial, and Hollywood is becoming more progressive when it comes to producing films with challenging subject matter. Likewise, audiences are becoming more and more interested in, and accepting of, subjects that were once considered too taboo to even discuss. Need I remind you that Brokeback Mountain won 3 Oscars and was very profitable?

    Oh and don't even try to compare the US with countries like France, which many people erroneously think is so liberal. Paths of Glory was banned in France for nearly 2 decades simply because of it's portrayal of the French Army.

    So, when was the last time your right to freedom was abridged?
  • Trystan
    Are we ever gonna have a "gay" demographic? Cuz when that happens all I will be able to say is, "Finally!"
    Then we could get to just having good movies and not worrying about if the characters are better off gay or straight. It would have an audience at that point no matter what.
  • "Is the New Jim Carrey Comedy “Too Gay” For American Audiences?" See that's what I thought about Paul Blart.
  • F. McGee
    Agreed. We're not moving back to 50 years ago, but we're not moving forward either. Progress is not inevitable.
  • People will watch this cause this is a Jim Carrey comedy, so someone should get smart and distribute it...
  • i like how a movie about love has trouble finding a distributor but a movie like hostel can get it quite easy and warrant a sequel. killing is better then love how neat.
  • F. McGee
    I agree, and I think we need a lot more movies about gay people just being people. I know Hollywood can't and shouldn't lead us all on the path to enlightenment, but I think people can get used to ideas they see in the popular media. Back during the election, for instance, people were worried about the Bradley effect with Obama, but a smart political theorist I like to follow pointed out that, since the 1980s, we've seen a lot more black people in positions of power - even the presidency - on TV, and that as a whole, the idea of a black president doesn't seem like an alien concept. I think it could work the same way with gay people: get some movies going with people who are gay, but whose gayness isn't their entire purpose in the plot. Because being gay isn't different from being straight, really.
  • Bob
    Americans have no problem with movies about gay people. This is just an attempt to generate some publicity.
  • Greggory Basore
    Wait a sec let me get this strait... you're saying that a movie having trouble finding a theatrical distributor is a publicity stunt? Really? Like the film makers are turning down offers to get distributed or asking studio's not to offer to distribute it so that they can get press about it? That they're publicly considering watering the film down to appeal to distributors in the hopes that releasing a lesser version of the film will get movie goers more excited to see it?

    Okay... wow that's the silliest thing I think I've heard, by which I mean I think that's what you're saying because I can't make sense out of your statement at all.
  • JOSH P
    ZING!
  • gah
    Andy actually makes a fantastic point. he's right on the money about that. Its so sad how misinterpreted the bible is. Not that it matters anyway, it's got more plot holes than a Michael Bay film.
  • gah
    gay guys have to be subjected to hetero sex scenes all the time. Seems like there's a double standard. I saw Milk and was able to watch it like a mature adult without going "Ew, those guys are kissing". As for the load in the butt scene, I'm sure thats an extreme exaggeration. even if they did show it they wouldnt show the actual semen or anus.
  • gah
    however you feel about his films theres no denying he has a great comedic gift. he's quite the showman.
  • Dan
    "I haven’t seen the movie, but I’m shocked that a film like Brokeback Mountain or Milk can get theatrical distribution but a comedy starring Jim Carrey is thought about as unmarketable."

    I think it's probably because Brokeback and Milk are MESSAGE movies. They're marketed in such a way to make straight people feel that by watching them, they're being oh so progressive and liberal. A movie about gay people just being people is a much harder sell. Which is unfortunate.
  • Too bad, looked like a pretty good movie
  • Infrafan
    Why does it seem that this nation is going backwards in accepting homosexuality?
  • Bull
    Is it? 50 years ago films like this would just have never been made.
  • Infrafan
    Very true, but the state where the majority of movies are born just banned gay marriage. And anytime these movies come up, the focus is on the sexuality and not the story.
  • I don't want to see it because, if you read the CHUD article, it has Jim Carrey blowing his load in some dudes butt. I've got nothing against gay men, honestly, but I also don't want to watch them making sweet monkey love. Call me American all you want but I think you'll find most men around the world agree with me at least on that point.
  • Yeah man, there's a difference between fearing gays, and craving gay sex. I don't fear gays, I'm not homophobic at all, but I don't want to watch them get it on. I also don't want to see monkeys get it on, and I also don't fear them...well, maybe if they corner me I could fear packs of two or more.
  • I love the fact that people get all up in arms over a blue penis or a comedy with a gay sex scene, but immediatly defend films like Milk and say, hey, it's cool to be gay. I guess it depends on what mood they're feeling when they choose to accept others or not.
  • Jim Carey is a great comedian. We all know he has his bad films but he has brought films that you'll remember all the time
  • The Anti-Carry
    I'm tired of Jim Carry
  • Tap Zepol
    But, and I don't mean to point fingers here, but certain people's ideologies are interfering with a movie's release. I mean, granted, it would be rather, um, silly if we were arguing the virtues or sins of homosexuality in that article about Jetfire from Transformer or even arguing racial issues in the post about the Pac-Man/Ghostbusters t-shirt, but the topic we're arguing actually, in a way, pertains to the article being posted. And as for it being just a movie, well, this is a site about movies and it looks, to me at least, that a good majority of the people here might just be passionate about movies, how they are distributed, the censorship of films, and so on. I know, its crazy, but you'll have to tolerant towards us. Thank you.
  • Tap Zepol
    *be tolerant towards etc.
  • Ugh, stupid.
  • If the movie is no good and they want to go to dvd, that's one thing. But I am upset that a movie won't get released as intended based on it's content, regardless of what the content is or how groups of people feel about it.
  • Tap Zepol
    I agree, we must stop Kate Winslet from raping anymore minors!
  • lol
  • still sounds like the sequel to Thank You For Smoking.
  • A_B
    This movie was SO GOOD! Fucking America needs to grow up. It deeply, deeply saddens me that this could happen, and that they'll be editing portions of it. I guarantee I know one of the scenes that would be cut, and it was so good and hilarious.

    POSSIBLE MINOR SPOILER

    I'll just say, for those who saw it at Sundance like I did, I'm talking about the boat scene.

    END POSSIBLE SPOILER

    If it does go straight to DVD, I recommend everyone buys this movie immediately.
    This was in my opinion, one of Jim Carrey BEST. Drama-wise. And comedy-wise, his best since the mid 90's.

    God damn stupid America.
  • Somehow I don't even think it has almost anything to do with the fact that it deals with homosexuality, well at least to certain extent.
    Maybe it's the fact that Jim Carrey (and I still find the guy has something left in him) isn't as marketable? I don't know, just an idea.
    Be it a theatrical release, or DVD release, I know I'll be watching this film.
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