The Rocket

Issue date: 3/9/07 Section: Focus

Media Credit: MCT Campus Jim Carrey plays the role of Walter Sparrow in "The Number 23." [Click to enlarge]

Devin Hester ran back the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI. Hester's number is 23.

Michael Jordan is regarded as the greatest NBA player of all time. Jordan's number was 23.

Dr. Pepper is the most delicious carbonated beverage in the world, and it has 23 flavors. Look around you and you just might go as crazy as Jim Carrey's character in his new twisty thriller "The Number 23."

In "23," Carrey plays Walter Sparrow, an average Joe animal control officer who becomes obsessed with a mysterious book and the two-digit terror that just keeps popping up everywhere.

Sparrow's social security number, his name, his address and several coincidental dates in his life all add up to 23. The similarities between Sparrow's life and the Fingerling, the main character of the book, don't stop with the number. Everything the book describes seems to share an element with Sparrow's life.

As Sparrow gets deeper and deeper into the book and the obsession, he finds himself questioning his sanity and his life.

Could he have the mind of a killer hidden behind his normal exterior? Is his wife Agatha ("Sideways'" Virginia Madsen) involved in an affair with her psychologist friend? Why does everything keep coming back to that darn number? All of those questions are answered when the film comes to its dark, surprising end.

Carrey has taken some decent dramatic turns throughout his career. From his squeaky clean, oblivious Truman in "The Truman Show" to his scarily spot-on Andy Kaufman in the biopic "Man on the Moon" through his underrated role in "The Majestic," Carrey has proven his flair for the dramatic.

In "23," Carrey gets to play two different roles as the likeable and cool Sparrow and the mysterious, brooding Fingerling. One thing Carrey accomplishes in "23" that sets it apart from his other attempts is it makes you forget you are watching the man that was Ace Ventura and The Mask. Those over-the-top pop culture icons with their catch phrases and jerky movements are a distant memory as Carrey finally pulls off playing a normal human being.

Virginia Madsen also gets to take on two roles in "23," first being the loving, beautiful wife Agatha, and second being the steamy, sex-freak Fabrizia.

Talk about two extremes.

As the film continues, the line between Sparrow and Fingerling blurs more and more, but Madsen's two characters have to remain complete opposites through the entire film. That's something Madsen pulls off very well.

Joel Schumacher, who has been regarded as the man who ruined the 1990s "Batman" franchise with "Batman Forever" and "Batman and Robin," does a pretty good job with "23."

There are some fun shots that grab the viewer and shake them out of their comfortable viewing zone. This is accomplished with techniques as simple as a camera shake but there, are also some zoom effects that will keep your eyes moving and creep you out.

Since 1999's "Fight Club," it has been hard for audiences to watch any other movie with multiple personalities without making unfair comparisons. Movies like "Secret Window," "Identity" or almost anything from M. Night Shyamalan get generalized and tossed aside because someone will say, "Oh, 'Fight Club' did that first." It might be time to leave "Fight Club" generalizations behind.

"23" isn't without its flaws, but they are small.

Sparrow falls into the book's trap almost too quickly and a lot of coincidences take some suspension of disbelief. There is also one scene at the end that could have been one of the better scenes of the film and ended up almost ruining it like Cary Elwes' overdramatic crawling in the first "Saw" film.

Also, there is a lot of suicide in the film to the point where the emotional stress of suicide can be taken away.

Still, "23" is fun to watch and the story can really suck you in. After you see this film, every time you see the number it'll make you think.

So try mathematically manipulating your social security number, phone number, address or shoe size. If it comes up 23, you should probably see this movie. If it doesn't, you'll still have a lot of fun trying.

Ivan Moore is a senior communication major and a regular contributor to,/i> The Rocket.