Genres

Visitors Review

2013-05-23 17:29:43

Interesting movie

This review is from: The Number 23 (Amazon Instant Video) Jim Carrey is a very good actor in serious roles (check out The Truman Show). People should not dismiss every movie he does that is not a comedy. Let Jim show you what it would be like for an ordinary guy to find a book like this and experience the mystery. The Number 23 is about a man who is given a book as a gift, and finds that the fictional character (Fingerling) had experiences as a child that reminds him of his own personal life, so okay, then he'll read a little bit more even if he is not really into reading fiction. What a coincidence, and the wife brushes it off because there is no way that he is like Fingerling (she already read further than him). But then the number begins to be noticed more in his own life as he reads on, and he begins to be haunted by the number and images from the book. He then feels driven to investigate the mysteries hidden in the book and the number that the book calls a curse. This begins the twists and turns of the story and ultimately reveals the horrible secret hidden in its pages.

arsalannims 2013-05-23 02:43:01

Really Different

The Number 23 is one of the most Different movies I have seen in mylife. I love to watch movies with mysteries with lots of thrill and youwill find plenty of it. The most compelling thing about this movie isits execution and Jim Carry's Performance. Both are simply out of thisworld. I love how the movie has been executed. But the movie hasn'tbeen targeted to the masses. The best part of the movie is howdifferent mysteries been unfolded and that will keep the audience stickto the seats. Highly recommended to the Mystery Lovers if you arelooking for Surprises. The most important aspect of the movie is itsdifferent story and excellent execution. Oh man I Just Love Jim Carryin this movie. He's damn different in this movie and he really acteddifferently. Not the Best Thriller of all time of course NOT. But stillits worth it..you must watch it

2013-05-22 22:57:30

Great movie

This review is from: The Number 23 (Unrated Infinifilm Edition) (DVD) I show this movie in class (senior class) just to get them thinking about the role of numbers in every day life. The kids are always interested in the concept and appreciate Jim Carrey's appearance.

katdawg620 2013-05-22 02:15:31

Not the best...

I just got back from the movie with my mom and it wasn't all that greatto say the least. I admire Jim Carrey, but I didn't think this was hiskind of movie because I have always seen him as a really funny guy, andhis humor still flowed throughout the film. The storyline was originalthough. It was freaky how all those dates and letters and numbers andstuff add up to 23...hence the title, right? But yeah, if you'relooking for a scary movie to clench up to someone else at, then pick adifferent one because overall it wasn't that suspenseful or scary. Itwas more, "Oh, duh...I never thought of that equaling 23" and stuff.But good originality.

algjgg 2013-05-20 10:11:49

Joel at his very best.

The Number 23: a seductive, obsessive, and remotely crazy movie. I'mnot going into any detail about its plot, but here only to say thatthis movie really got me going. Normally, I'm not a fan of Schumacher's work, basically because heruined the spirit of Batman. But this film definitely got me on hisgood side for once. The primary goal of this movie is focusing on 23.Trust me by the time you finish this movie, you're probably gonna bewatching out for it yourself. Thats what I did, and there's no othermovie like The Number 23. This is definitely not Jim Carrey at his best (he's done WAY betteracting), but that doesn't shy away from the fact that this movie isstill worth watching. It's twisted, repulsive at times, and if anyone has seen it in theaterschances are someone asked other people what their cell phones and homephones equal up to.Watch this movie and see what Joel Schumacher can really do.

rust37 2013-05-19 19:01:55

Jim Carrey at his best

There is only one reason to see this movie, and this is Jim Carreydoing some serious playing or, say, rather playing for serious.I was intrigued by local reviews telling this so I decided to check outmyself. Well, in fact I'm really impressed by the palette and the depthof what he can portray as an actor. Thank almighties, Ace Ventura isdead. Jim is very convincing in this new emploi so I'd bet he'll becomepopular for dramatic roles from now on.As for the rest of The 23.. It was OK. No revelations, but certainlynot a disaster. Watchable. It could have been way more interesting ifthey've tuned it up to Lynch's wave.I wish there were separate votes for performance/script/camera/etc.This would produce 6.5 instead of plain 6 I gave.

bob the moo 2013-05-17 21:45:10

Has potential but the foundation of nonsense is never overcome

Lowly dogcatcher Walter Sparrow has his life changed when he comes intocontact with a self-published novel by a mysterious author. Reading it,Walter finds eerie parallels between his life and the writer (TopsyKretts – no, really) but more than that he finds that the fictionalobservations may well be true. The character in the novel claims tohave stumbled across the evil power of the number 23 – finding it woveninto all aspects of life. Walter starts out just interested in thestory but as he looks into this claim he finds it to be true andquickly becomes obsessed with getting to the bottom of it all.I like a good conspiracy-type film I do. My cynicism and bitternesssets me up to easily accept something much bigger than me ultimatelyworking against me in ways that I cannot ever defeat. Sadly The number23 is not a "good" film by any means and, although it all looks slickand professional, it is really very weak when you take away all theprotection of budget and packaging and look at it in the cold light ofday. In fact, it doesn't even take the cold light of day to expose 23for what it is because it is hard to take it seriously when you arewatching it. The problems are all the way from the very idea throughthe script because it never convinces and indeed scenes where thenumber is discussed ("32 – or 23 reversed") are just ridiculous and Iwas never able to get passed this and get into the mystery any morethan this.It is a shame because deep down there is a nice idea here and I likethe gradual twist but the delivery doesn't make the most of it. Perhapslost in the silliness of it, the film cannot make the number thingwork, even when it sort of becomes a side issue (in some small way). Itall looks good and I thought the visual design of the film was quiteimpressive – as was the device of having Walter putting himself withinthe novel as he read it; not only does it make things easier for theviewer but it also points to the root of the obsession. Carrey isactually OK here despite my worry that he would be really badlymiscast. He works and even while the audience is snickering, one canbelieve that at least he believes if even if nobody else does. Madsenwas better than I expected although generally she was best "within" thenovel bits. Huston hangs round the edges failing to do much though.Overall then this is a professional enough film that is slickly puttogether and has potential in every way if only some other device otherthan that bl00dy stupid number had been selected as the focus. As itis, the idea of destructive obsession is lost as many viewers will betoo busy shouting "nonsense" at the screen while the script tries andfails to grip the audience with a thriller based on such tosh.

2013-05-17 09:52:47

Eh ...

I agree with most others here because, well, we're supposed to all follow the heard. No this isn't Jim Carey's finest moment, but consider what he gets paid for his name on the marquee.The ideas of numerology being a hidden, arcane type of communicating by the Illuminati types that truely run the world is an old legend type thing, but interesting enough to be the basis for a movie with rather significant backing by the movie industry. Hmmmmm ... maybe the Hollywood types are the ones ruling the world.Very intriguing premiss that just missed the mark. Good renter if you want to see a fairly realistic vision of someone slowly sinking into paranoia.

2013-05-17 10:42:17

My son just apologized for wasting two hours of my life.

I am a Jim Carrey fan, as well as a huge thriller/horror fan, but the two just didn't work together in this film. I thought a few times that it wasn't sure what it was supposed to be: sex thriller, detective noir(ish, psychological thriller, etc...It had it all but I never bought into any of it. And my kid was wrong, it wasn't a total waste of my two hours. I did kinda laugh when I saw that tribal tattoo.

2013-05-16 21:46:20

23

the movie was very good, a little confusing in the middle, but an over all good movie

lemonenemy 2013-05-14 02:51:41

I haven't seen a movie this bad, in the theater, in years!

It's kind of funny that the first review suggests watching paint drybecause I do believe I would have had a better time doing that verything.This movie was just laughable....and by laughable, I literally mean mywife could not hold in our laughter during the "climatic" scene towardsthe end. "I'm a murderer.. I murdered someone!!" exclaimed Sparrow...That pretty much summed up how deep the movie was. The story wassub-standard to begin with so you can't blame the actors at all; theyhad nothing to work with.I do suppose if you are a 16 year old high school kid, you might findthis flick somewhat "spooky".This movie isn't even worth renting... for free. However, I do have tosay, chuckling about it afterwards was entertaining, because, as Istated earlier, I haven't seen a movie that bad in quite a long time.

pc95 2013-05-13 15:32:57

The Number Awful

A humongous steaming pile of dung, "the number 23" is a truly awfulmovie. It is as convoluted as it is contrived causing any astute viewerto wonder where on earth his robbed time has gone. This movie stars JimCarrey venturing into thriller material but ending up tainting analready dumb weak-minded premise - the same premise that causes peopleto believe in all that they hear in horoscopes with every inch offaith. Virginia Madson who has been in some good projects in the past,has picked a true stinker to latch onto unfortunately. *spoiler* Themovie starts out boring for the first 3rd starts to pick up a bit andthen ventures into the absurd and finally tries to wrap it up nice andtidily for the unwitting audience. Filmmakers please edit your ownawful stories before bringing to picture. Unrecommended waste of time.

2013-05-10 23:05:03

Numerology - Danger, Intrigue, Obsession

They say it is just a number. They say it doesn't mean anything, but for Walter Sparrow, the number 23 quickly becomes his whole world and he begins seeing it in everything he sets his eyes on.At first things appear to be mere coincidence--the numerical value of his name (23), his birthday (2/3), but as time goes on, the number seems to take on a life of its own and leads him down a pathway to darkness and psychosis.Jim Carrey stars as Walter Sparrow in this Joel Schumacher-directed flick and once again Carrey proves he's more than just a goofball actor. Carrey plays the serious role well. He blew me away in Man on the Moon. I loved him Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. If anything, I prefer him in his more dramatic roles than playing the funny man.Virginia Madsen did an excellent job portraying Sparrow's wife. The unconditional love she had for her husband was in every scene even when things got crazy.My first reaction as to how it all wrapped up left me wanting more, then, after thinking about it prior to writing this review, the way it all came together in the end worked perfectly.This is a movie for those who enjoy intrigue, the hidden threads of Reality and how exploring those threads leads a person down the dangerous and dark path of obsession and skewed perception of the world around them.Numerology, which plays a part in the Reality you and I live in, is dangerous and this movie shows why. Though this was a work of fiction, the dangers of getting into numerology are real. It has the potential to control you. Be careful.The only reason for the lower rating was because, despite its detailed plot, I still felt I was only getting part of the story and not a deep submergence into Sparrow's psyche.Language warning: Cursing and blasphemyContent: Contains nudityA.P. Fuchs

typicaladam 2013-05-10 21:15:03

Okay Concept, Bad Screenplay

This movie was not good.There was a 15 minute stretch towards the end of the movie that Ienjoyed. Everything leading up to, and following that were not prettybad. It was not well acted... Carrey's alter ego Fingerling wasterribly overacted. The voice-over in the movie was constant andsubstandard. Virgina Masden did a decent job, but from start to finishthe movie just didn't really have the congruency you look for in adecent movie. Some scenes were great, others terrible. Ultimately thisis the type of movie that any cinema fan not like, but there are partsyou can appreciate.

wickedhobbes 2013-05-09 16:27:48

How can this be?

I saw this movie this past week. I was very excited about it. Someone Iknow asked if I wanted tickets. I jumped at the chance to get them....Ishould have crawled. This movie was bad...no not just bad, but BAD!People laughed at the end of the movie. How could a movie with suchpotential go so wrong? Did the people who made this film even view itbefore it was distributed? …I wonder. This explains why it was releasedwhen it was. The "Hollywood Dump Factor" opens the gates of the dam,flooding us with crap, hitting each theaters early fall and latewinter. So I would say see if you want to, but be warned. Maybe checkit out at rental time of better yet, from your local library.

witster18 2013-05-09 03:56:08

better than I was led to believe..

A natural characteristic of films with many plot twists are occasionalholes in the story. Movie's aren't required to fill in these holes buttheir void doesn't mean a film is terrible.I found 'The Number 23' to be an entertaining thriller that kept meguessing. Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen both give good performancesand sell a complex, perhaps too complex, story about one mans'...makethat two mens' obsession with the number 23.I found the symbolism relating to the dog was a nice touch. Readingsome of the reviews here it is obvious that some didn't pull anythingat all from the dog in the story...I thought it added a nicetouch...and really led the audience to believe that Jim Carrey'scharacter was destined for death. An earlier review said that theydidn't like Jim's(Walter Sparrow's) narration because it gave away hisfate..that because of it they knew he would live...?????......whatplanet was that reviewer from... narrators die all the time...and thenmany times they talk after their own death... terrible comment... thisselection has been nitpicked to death... surely not for the acting, orthe direction, or the story... but because of the uncomfortable ending,the fact that Jim Carrey is playing an unfamiliar role... and becauseit's hard to predict what's going on... THis isn't a fantastic film butit is MUCH better than I expected....so if you're like me....and haveput this one off because of all the negative press... go ahead and giveit a whirl.. you might be pleasantly surprised. 60/100You MIGHT like it if you liked:Stigmata, Session 9 , and Angels andDemons.

Brett Hernan 2013-05-08 14:58:30

23 Times I Nearly Fell Asleep

Having seen many examples of well done film-noir classics, I could nothelp but feel as though there was something sadly missing in thisfilm's attempts to evoke the same type of atmosphere as them, and afterit ended I realized that this was because it lacked a logical plot, wasfilled with a sense of unreality and featured drab and unimaginativecharacterizations, all of which served to repel me from being able toengage with the film in a way that took me out of my living room infront of a TV and into it's world, something that it was trying to relyupon to successfully tell its story in an entertaining way. Amongst its major plot elements though, it did have some charmingmoments but these were few and not enough to warrant a good review.Carey's skill as a dramatic actor is definitely more akin to thesetypes of interactions rather than the serious and hard-boiled characterhe attempts to portray here. The incredulity of the plot also kept meat length from wanting to believe in the story. The 'significance' ofthe number 23 as a plot device struck me as trite, confused anddownright illogical, as did the reactions of the other characters toits quasi-mystical significance, and the 'surprising plot twist' at theend of the film was a cliché that has been used too many times in thesepsychological thriller-type films over the last 10 years to have anysubstantial impact on a well-schooled viewing audience. Jim Carey is a good comic actor and he has proved himself also capableof believability in the 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind',however with this film his acting seems to be reaching to try to dosomething that perhaps, to me, his cinematic persona won't let him? Ithink that given the right roles Carey could offer the world some trulyinspiring performances, but following the road this film is on won'tbring that out of him.The evocative cover art offered a 50-50 chance that it was going totitillate and excite me, and I hoped it would because Carey would begreat to watch in a well-scripted and plotted thriller, but uponviewing this movie, at least 23 times during the ordeal I nearly fellasleep and considered turning it off.

2013-05-08 02:21:57

horror

This review is from: The Number 23 (Unrated Infinifilm Edition) (DVD) it rock this movie puts u on the edge it has lot of surprise's in it u will love it buy

2013-05-06 23:17:41

Jim Carrey is the reason to see this

Before I say anything I want you to read this before you read the other negative comments about this movie. Despite the reviews of the bad plot and blah, blah, blah horrible and judgemental reviews from the magazines.. This movie is one of my Top 5 movies of all time. Finally a mystery movie that I cannot predict what's going to happen next. No bad acting in this movie and the plot and the story are perfect the way they are.. If people were bored while they were watching this movie, then maybe they need help, because this movie is anything but boring. The way the number 23 shows up in various criminal names, bombing dates and even the characters birthday and time. Carrey plays a man that becomes obsess with the number 23 and finds out when he reads the book that it sounds like the author is talking about him and maybe the book was meant to find him. The wife thinks he's crazy, having read the book herself, she thinks it's just another book that leaves an impact on a person. However, his 13 yearold son believes what his father is saying.. Overall, the only thing I would change is to have more information on how to get the number 23 from names, dates, and words. There is many twist and turns in this movie and the story presented by Mr. Fingerling in the book is amazing and the characters are classic and realistic like the conniving people populating the world today. Buy this movie, it is worth every penny.

amunra71 2013-05-06 09:22:51

A Cumbersome Chore

Walter Sparrow becomes obsessed with an enigmatic number & the detailsof a book having similarities with his life.For a movie that was only 98 minutes long, it seemed to drag liketrying to get through the last hour of a shift at my job. The actorsaren't entirely to blame, however. Carrey is competent, although I dotire of his sad attempts at trying to humanize his characters with theinput of sprinklings of his individual brand of goofy ass comedicstyle. Other than that, he does manage to put the sell on the characterwell enough, as does his costar.The problem is that mood & pacing choices by the director have taken afairly plain story, & tried to bestow cryptic ambiance to it, & failsdismally. Plus, I was less than entertained by the formulatedabstractness, like the appearances of the dog, & the novel depictions.I just kept wishing he'd finish reading the damn book, which seemedlike a fairly academic read. I'll also add that in hindsight, Carreyjust doesn't carry the look of a rough, homicidal character well,either. It always reminds me of when he played the Axl Rose characterin the Dirty Harry movie "The Dead Pool"The ending was weak, but by that time I was just relieved to have itend, regardless. 23 this & 23 that, but what real impact did it have onthe people it affected? I just couldn't tell you. Oh well... Welcomeback Bob Zmuda.Oh yeah, & why the Hell isn't Bud Cort credited for his performance asthe weird old guy, that did that thing, that seemed important, at thetime?Blahhhh.