In Yes Man, Jim Carrey portrays a guy who, after developing a habit of saying no to everything, forces himself to say yes to any question asked of him. It’s a premise very similar to Carrey’s 1997 effort Liar Liar, in which a compulsive liar is forced to tell the truth and nothing but.

Coincidentally, I caught Liar Liar on cable the other day. I always remembered it as the last time that Carrey only did zany, anything-for-a-laugh movies. And it was, because his next film was the much more dramatic The Truman Show. But Liar Liar really plays more like the Carrey comedies of late: a mix of physical humor and schmaltz.

Yes Man is a step up from some of those recent efforts, including Fun with Dick and Jane and the criminally-overrated Bruce Almighty. Nonetheless, it doesn’t distance itself from the pack enough to stand out in Carrey’s filmography.

Carrey plays Carl Allen, a loan agent whose life is stuck in a rut largely due to his hesitance to involve himself in anything.  Thanks in part to a divorce and a dead-end job, he brushes invitations aside and ignores people’s phone calls. He’s not outwardly rude in this behavior, but the snide attitude reminds me of David Spade’s characters.

An acquaintance of Carl’s persuades him to come to a seminar hosted by motivational speaker Terrence Bundley (Terrence Stamp). The rallying cry is simple: say “yes” to every question you get. And what if he decides to renege and say no? Terrence ominously warns that “when you break a promise to yourself, things can get dicey.”

Carl does tempt this fate, saying no to the advances of an elderly neighbor. The disaster that results scares him to permanent yes-ness, and his universal agreement leads him to try new things, experience new sensations, and strike up a relationship with a spacey girl named Allison (Zooey Deschanel).

The chemistry between Carrey and Deschanel is odd. In both their initial rendezvous and the aftermath of their inevitable conflict, they don’t seem to mesh. I’d wager this is likely due to Deschanel, whose performances vary from enchanting to uninspired. She is in both of those modes here, so when Allison and Carl really hit it off, she shines and thus the film shines as well. Their relationship is given time to evolve, and the couple manage to be cute without being cloying.

The romantic aspect is the strongest thing going for the film. The comedic aspect is hit-and-miss. At times, Carrey is content to be a verbal comedian, employing low-key delivery and subtle wordplay. At other times, Carrey slips on the old rubberface mask for bouts of over-the-top humor. Whether or not it works depends on one variable: has Carl consumed liquids?

Let me explain: in one of the early scenes of Carl’s friends testing his “yes and only yes” mettle, Carl gets completely hammered in a bar. This leads to hot sauce snorting, a manic round of Dance Dance Revolution and a passionate kiss with a woman which upsets her muscular boyfriend. When he asks if Carl wants to fight, Carl drunkedly gives it a go, with predictably disastrous results. Carrey is a hoot during this very energetic scene.

Another scene, which the trailers have almost completely spoiled, involves Carl meeting Allison’s jogging group immediately after an all night Red Bull-induced rave. As predictable as it is to have him act really hyper thanks to the substance, this is Carrey’s wheelhouse and he performs the scene with jubilance and verve.

Now, let’s look at some other moments that don’t quite work. Carl exchanges funny glances with his boss which results in him spreading tape over his face a la Pee-Wee Herman. Carl bumps into a waiter and slips on the dropped food. An elderly neighbor attempts to seduce Carl. Carl goes to costume parties with Harry Potter and 300 themes (nice cross-promotion, Warner Brothers). All time-consuming and all not that funny. Perhaps the drink is the thing.

Yes Man is a harmless antidote to the onslaught of serious Oscar-minded films that glut December. A lot of the comedy is enjoyable and when the romantic aspect clicks, it’s immensely enjoyable to watch. But the film’s many dead spots stop me short of recommending it. You’ll be fine catching this either on DVD or even cable. As great as Jim Carrey is in dramatic roles, it’s too bad his comedic career has been relegated to films like this that aren’t bad, just easily forgotten. He needs another comedy classic under his belt, and I’ll be waiting for it.