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One thing you have to say about Jim Carrey: He's not one for half-measures. If Carrey is cast to play a gay Texas con man, he's going to play him extra gay with a side of gay. Carrey plays Steven Russell, a small-town cop who becomes a major con artist — and when he lands in jail and falls for a young gay inmate, Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor), Russell figures out how to game the system and get himself and Morris out of prison and living the good life. Writers and first-time directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra provide the sort of scathingly grown-up comedy you might expect from the guys who wrote "Bad Santa," and they neatly channel Carrey's comic gifts to fit this inventive true-life character. Alas, the messy reality of Russell's character makes for a messy narrative, and Requa and Ficarra don't always navigate the plot's sharp curves smoothly. HHhj
I Love You, Phillip Morris
Opens Saturday, Dec. 25, at the Broadway Centre Cinemas; rated R for sexual content including strong dialogue, and language; 100 minutes.