The long grift

I Love You Phillip Morris

Crit

What says Christmas like a gay prison romance? And seeing this today made me think of my Christmas movie eight years ago, Catch Me If You Can, which is largely the same story, only heterosexual. But while it would be inaccurate to suggest that the gay slant isn't important in this one, it would be equally inaccurate to suggest that it's the only or even the main thing that matters. What is notable in this good, not great, film is that the same-sexness of the central couple is incidental to their story and their difficulties. It is as sweet and honest a male-homosexual love story as I can recall being portrayed on the screen--Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor are convincing but thoroughly unclichéd as men who prefer men. Carrey's Steven Russell has issues with truth, it's true--but his roles as husband and father actually involve much more truth than do the roles that land him, repeatedly, in prison. And in the end, a movie truth that may or may not be a life truth prevails: the truth of love covers a multitude of lies.