Everyone's a critic: 'The Number 23'

A half star (out of four)

I could think of at least 23, or maybe 32 (because that's 23 backward) reasons not to see this movie. Walter leads his everyday, mundane, boring dog catcher life until he receives a book for his birthday about the number 23. Throw in the white boxer (wow, could they pick a scarier dog?), Ned, "guardian of the dead," and he is off and running into his own mathematical journey into insanity. "The Number 23" has a plausible premise to make an awesome thriller, but obviously writer Fernley Phillips did not find it nor did Joel Schumacher capture it. The movie doesn't even deserve the terms "horror" or "thriller." The movie is filled with so much chaos that you never know where the story is trying to go. The scenes are cheesy, and the acting is overplayed. Jim Carrey needs to stick to what he does best, and that is comedy. This has to be one of the worst movies I have seen in a while. However, I will give it 1/2 star for having a good enough preview to get you to waste your money.

--Brenda Euler

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One star (out of four)

This movie should have been in black and white (like those old detective movies). I will never think of the number 23 the same again.

Jim Carrey is not one of my favorite actors anyway, but this movie role was not the character for him to play. I am so used to his comic roles that, at times, I couldn't help but laugh at his acting. You see him trying to be so serious, but that comedian still shines. The twist comes near the end when it is discovered who wrote this crazy book about the number 23. All the evil he has hidden for so many years comes pouring back in. The best part of the whole movie is when the innocent man who had been in prison for 13 years for a crime he never committed is set free and the remains of the girl that was murdered are found and laid to rest.

This review is as confusing to you as the movie was to me. This will not be added to my DVD collection anytime soon. I give this movie one star just because Carrey was funny at times.

-- Tiana Hughes

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One star (out of four)

Jim Carrey is in his first "dark" film, portraying a man with an obsession. His character is obsessed with the similarities between him and a man he reads about in a book given to him for his birthday by his wife (Virginia Madsen).

The compelling strange book titled "The Number 23" captures his attention immediately and takes control of his life. Carrey has dialogue throughout much of the film that is appropriate in its content. Unfortunately, I kept thinking, "This is Jim Carrey trying to be serious." He didn't completely pull it off.

Although the answers are revealed in the end, I was expecting something more. The film's cinematography was creative, edgy and appropriate for the story. It was a good try for Jim Carrey, but after movies like "The Truman Show" and "The Number 23," I think he should stick to comedy.

-- Josh LaMar