Memoirs and Misinformation: A Novel

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True religion has, at its core: Love, Peace, Mercy, Justice and Freedom. If any of these elements is not fully present in a religion, the religion has been compromised.” Jeff Daniels narrating was the only reason I pushed through and finished it. But even Hungry Hungry Hippos the movie couldn't save this one for me, unfortunately. He puts the phone down. The house is quiet, and neither of us wants to break the spell. “There’s freedom in creating, man,” Carrey finally says. “I swear to God, I couldn’t live without it. I’m drawing my father, and there’s joy because I’m remembering my dad, how hurt he was in life, but still what a beautiful gentleman and joyful soul. Creating these things makes me happy.” Imagine if The Snowman ( “Mr. Police …”) had been even worse of a flop, so much so that you didn’t even notice that it was ever released, and you have Dark Crimes, a dirge of a would-be thriller that features Carrey doing his darndest to erase every single ounce of his charisma. It works, so congratulations for that, Jim, but we really need to talk about the Polish accent he tries on for the role. For all its grim seriousness, the film’s depiction of violence against women is over-the-top and exploitive, and the whole thing makes you want to take several showers afterward. There might someday be a thriller in which Carrey works as the lead; he clearly wants to keep trying. But with this and The Number 23, maybe the universe is trying to tell him something. Simon Birch (1998)

In Jim Carrey’s new semi-autobiographical novel, “Memoirs and Misinformation,” there are flying saucers and a fire-bombing on Rodeo Drive, apocalyptic fires devouring Malibu and a mega-budget Hungry Hungry Hippos movie written by Kenneth Lonergan. One moment, “Carrey” dreams of strangling his late mother; the next, he pines for Renée Zellweger (“his last great love”) and challenges Nicolas Cage, a man “whose artistic bravery had always given him courage,” to a jujitsu duel. (Warning: Cage fights dirty.)Midway through our FaceTime conversation, Carrey says he wants to show me something. Scrolling through his phone, he lands on a drawing he’s making of his father, Percy, wearing a navy suit, the only suit he ever owned. It’s a work in progress, illustrating a scene from the book in which Percy holds his son’s wounded hands (which “Carrey” had gnawed away in a fever dream, thinking they were Slim Jims) and reveals nothing less than the meaning of existence.

An engaging, fun tale that plays with the public perceptions of celebrities, questions our compulsive need to view, and contains a gloriously off-the-wall conclusion.” This is one of the weirdest books I have ever read. There was so much about it that was beautiful and tragic, and then the beauty was broken up by "what in the world am I reading?" Jim has been on the decline in my psyche for sometime now... his odd role choices in movies, his complete weirdness on Seinfields Coffee and Cars, his incredibly downer presence on the Actors Roundtable discussion, and now this book... But then Jim meets Georgie: ruthless ingénue, love of his life. And with the help of auteur screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, he has a role to play in a boundary-pushing new picture that may help him uncover a whole new side to himself—finally, his Oscar vehicle! Things are looking up!It's weird, it's dark, it's satire, it's biography ... there's aliens and celebrity bashing and even some hippos. And I still have no idea what I just read. It was the year 1994. The economy was thriving, the Twin Towers still dominated the New York City skyline, ‘Influencers’ weren’t even sperm yet and I was watching, “The Mask” starring Jim Carrey with my neighbor-friend, Amanda. Carrey was in the height of his fame and I was in love – telling Amanda that one day I will date Jim Carrey. Lofty aspirations for a 10-year old.

We get it Jim... there is no Jim. Now do you want us to take you seriously or are you just screwing around in Hollywood and New York with way too much free time and money? The final collaboration with Ace Ventura director Tom Shadyac, improbably, remains the biggest hit of Carrey’s career. Carrey dials it down a bit as Bruce Nolan, a conceited television anchor who misses out on a promotion and blames an unfeeling and uncaring God for his troubles. Then God (Morgan Freeman, of course) shows up and basically dares Bruce to do His job better, giving him His powers. Carrey has his showcase moments — though it’s worth noting that Steve Carell, as his rival anchor, has the more traditionally elastic, over-the-top, “Jim Carrey” moments, and the role would eventually lead to Carrell getting the inevitable sequel. But the appeal of Bruce Almighty was less in his theatrics and more the journey he goes on to become A Better Human Being. It’s a universal story that’s competently done, but the real star of his movie is Freeman: We don’t know what God is like, but we hope He’s like this. Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)A book begging to be read on the beach, with the sun warming the sand and salt in the air: pure escapism.