Carrey's Crash

In a piece timed to ride the marketing back of Number 23 (New Line, 2.23), the Joel Schumacher creeper about a face-painted wackjob obsessive played by Jim Carrey, industry journalista Kim Masters has written about Carrey's career "crash" in the new Radar, which will hit the stands in about two weeks. Radar's publicist won't show me the article, but it's at least partly about the big-studio plug-pullings of Used Guys and Ripley's Believe It Or Not, both of which Carrey had intended to star in.



Posted by Jeffrey Wells on January 30, 2007 at 10:00 AM

comment #1

actionman Author Profile Page says ...

from what I've read, Ripley's is back on after the producers brought the budget down. Sure, Used Guys got shelved, but EVERY major star has a movie shelved at some point in their career. Audiences like exactly 1 type of Jim Carrey--the clown. Every attempt at branching out (excluding The Truman Show, still one of my all-time favorite movies) has failed at the box office.

Posted by actionman Author Profile Page at January 30, 2007 10:18 AM

comment #2

T. S. Idiot Author Profile Page says ...

When the 23 trailer ran before a showing of Pan's Labyrinth this weekend, several people sitting near me were shaking their heads or smirking. It looks really bad. And why is it Number 23 anyway? So we won't confuse it with all those other 23s that aren't numbers?

Posted by T. S. Idiot Author Profile Page at January 30, 2007 10:20 AM

comment #3

Colin Author Profile Page says ...

actionman - how many attempts has he made at branching out? As you note, The Truman Show was a success. The Majestic was a failure. Eternal Sunshine did fine for what it was. IMDB estimates the budget as $20 million, and it made $34 million here, and $37 million overseas. I guess you could include Man on the Moon, which didn't do so well, but he was a clown in that one.

T.S. Idiot - before my Pan's screening, most of the audience, myself included, were laughing throughout the whole trailer.

Posted by Colin Author Profile Page at January 30, 2007 10:46 AM

comment #4

Doug Author Profile Page says ...

People fail to mention the other "Used Guy" - Ben Stiller. How many studios are pulling the plug on Ben Stiller projects these days?

Posted by Doug Author Profile Page at January 30, 2007 11:21 AM

comment #5

Colin Author Profile Page says ...

I'm going to guess that after Night at the Museum, Stilller is doing okay, but who knows?

Posted by Colin Author Profile Page at January 30, 2007 11:24 AM

comment #6

lesterg Author Profile Page says ...

Radar is the Jason Vorhees of glossy mags. Why won't it just die?

Posted by lesterg Author Profile Page at January 30, 2007 11:38 AM

comment #7

christian Author Profile Page says ...

what would hack journos do without the meme of "who's not hot in hollywood at this second"...

Posted by christian Author Profile Page at January 30, 2007 11:56 AM

comment #8

Arizona Joe Author Profile Page says ...

When I heard the advertisments about the number "23," it sounded gimicky and like a big hype, so I just tuned out and dismissed the whole thing. I did catch the allusion to 9/11, and thought that was in putrid taste.

Jim Carrey is like a seldom-used seasoning, like turmeric. It's bright sometimes, but you don't want too much of it.

I guess I am getting old and crotchety, because I have become sated by Ben Stiller and Will Farrell also, and their studied goofball routines of the everyman. When they need to punch it up, they inevitably throw in a bodily humor.

Posted by Arizona Joe Author Profile Page at January 30, 2007 12:29 PM

comment #9

Captain Midnight Author Profile Page says ...

Colin -- The reason that Radar doesn't die is that too many people love it and buy it.

Posted by Captain Midnight Author Profile Page at January 30, 2007 1:06 PM

comment #10

Webster Author Profile Page says ...

Actually, Radar's been nothing but a money pit. The notion that "too many people love it and buy it" is laughable (and this is coming from someone who was suckered into a subscription).

Posted by Webster Author Profile Page at January 30, 2007 2:09 PM

comment #11

lesterg Author Profile Page says ...

Webster: "Actually, Radar's been nothing but a money pit. The notion that "too many people love it and buy it" is laughable (and this is coming from someone who was suckered into a subscription)."

I enjoyed Radar the first two times I subscribed. There's no way in hell I'm doing it again until they pass the magic "third issue" mark.

Posted by lesterg Author Profile Page at January 30, 2007 2:45 PM

comment #12

nemo Author Profile Page says ...

Ugh, Colin Farrell on the cover. Weren't his 15 minutes up about 3 years ago?

Plus why is he wearing underwear apres sex?

Posted by nemo Author Profile Page at January 30, 2007 3:02 PM

comment #13

Dan Revill Author Profile Page says ...

Nemo, because he's a classy guy!

As for Carrey, Number 23 looks blah, which in my books, is worse than boring. And what's with Virginia Madsen taking crap after hitting it out of the park in Sideways (with the exception of A Prairie Home Companion)?

Posted by Dan Revill Author Profile Page at January 30, 2007 3:05 PM

comment #14

Captain Midnight Author Profile Page says ...

Webster, everything is a money pit until it turns a profit. The average magazine takes about five years to turn a profit.

The idea of people buying it is not laughable because each copy sold about 71,000 issues on the newsstand in 2005 -- that's more than Interview, W, Entertainment Weekly and others.

The fact that Radar has found investors again so quickly indicates that they know the magazine's viability as an investment, unlike the last set of investors.

Time will tell.

That's actually Farrell's stunt double posing for the cover.

Posted by Captain Midnight Author Profile Page at January 30, 2007 5:25 PM

comment #15

Webster Author Profile Page says ...

Yeah--each of its THREE 2005 issues.

Posted by Webster Author Profile Page at January 30, 2007 5:44 PM

comment #16

Ju-osh Author Profile Page says ...

Colin takes one more step toward Burt Reynolds-dom.

Posted by Ju-osh Author Profile Page at January 31, 2007 7:37 AM

comment #17

Breedlove Author Profile Page says ...

jim carrey,and colin farrell for that matter, are both going to be around for a long time. i love these knee-jerk pieces that so-and-so's career is over. give me a break. carrey hasn't had a home run in a couple of years, had a couple of high-profile projects fall apart, and has a joel schumacher thriller opening in february at a less-than-opportune time. he'll bounce back. he's built up plenty of goodwill with audiences and made plenty of money for everyone and will keep getting offered big movies. my guess is he has some great movies left in him. hell, he probably will get an oscar some day. colin farrell is an excellent actor, the camera loves him, as do a-list directors. he ain't going anywhere either.

Posted by Breedlove Author Profile Page at January 31, 2007 4:03 PM

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