I Love You Phillip Morris

Review by Anthony Morris

It's been a long road to Australian screens for I Love You Phillip Morris - and as it's only screening at the Nova in Melbourne, it hasn't completely made it yet.

While it's perhaps not that hard to figure out why this 2009 film struggled to get a release in the US - Jim Carrey gets it on repeatedly with Ewan McGregor, and while it's not that explicit compared to your average heterosexual romance, it was clearly a problem for some - don't let the long delay fool you into thinking this isn't worth a look. 

Based on the true story of a con man who repeatedly broke out of jail across the American south in the 80s and 90s, this is a love story that's both funny and touching. 

Carrey is Steven Jay Russell, a former small town cop who, after a brush with death, decides to be true to himself : he quits work, quits his wife and family, moves to Miami Beach, and discovers that being gay  - the way he wants to be gay at least - is out of his price range.

Busted for a series of scams, he meets Phillip Morris (Mcgregor) in prison, they fall in love, and when they get out Russell quickly falls back into old habits - habits Morris does not approve of. 

It is a fairly slight film, but it is funny, and Carrey once again proves he's a far better actor than his mainstream comedies would have you believe.

3.5 out of 5

I Love You Phillip Morris
Australian release: 14 th April, 2011 (Limited Release)
Official Site: I Love You Phillip Morris
Cast: Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor
Director:  Glenn Ficarra & John Requa