Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

thesteppenwolve The title caught me. I came to IMDb to see how many others had figured it out. I've combed through many pages of disparaging reviews but what I haven't found is any reference to Robert Anton Wilson's "Cosmic Trigger I: The Secret of the Illuminati". Perhaps the reason so many people didn't enjoy this movie is because it's a bit incomplete without that book. The references to the Illuminati in the opening credits were a subtle reference. Then the fact that the Doctor who treated young Sparrow was named...Dr. Sirius Leary is the big yellow arrow pointing to Robert Anton Wilson. The endless Jungian synchronicities in the movie just add to the fun. If you figured this out, congratulations. If not, you have now found your way to the real secret message in this movie which, if you choose, will lead you down the real rabbit hole. Big thumbs up to the writer, Fernley Phillips, though maybe he hid his inspiration a little too well, and it therefore went a little unappreciated. I'm sure there's a lot of Robert Anton Wilson's readers out there who's attention was caught by the title alone.

jaredpahl The Number 23 is a psychological thriller from director Joel Schumacher, and while the film contains an interesting premise and a juicy role for its star, it never coalesces into the taught adult entertainer it is trying to be.The story focuses on Jim Carrey's Walter Sparrow, a dog-catcher whose life is soon thrown into turmoil as he begins reading a book titled "The Number 23". The book seems to be based on his own life, and it details the seemingly supernatural aura surround the number 23. Through his reading, Walter begins to obsess over 23. The plot makes more than a few major leaps in logic in order to spice up Walter descent into madness. I won't say these logical forgivings are deal breakers. In fact, there are some neat ideas in The Number 23 (The hook about the titular number is at least mildly intriguing), but Schumacher and company don't do enough to mold these ideas into something entertaining.Jim Carey is the main attraction here, turning in a rare dramatic performance. Carrey has an excellent track record with dramatic material (The Truman Show, Man on the Moon, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), but here the focus of those three wonderful movies is not there. Walter as a character has no defining character traits beyond obsessive or psychotic. Carrey tries his best to energize the role, and he is the most interesting part of the film, but his performance is really nothing special and it certainly doesn't make the plot any less silly.I think Joel Schumacher is often unfairly criticized for directing the worst film interpretation of one of the most popular superheroes ever. Schumacher is a competent director and he can (and has) done great things when paired with good material. In The Number 23, he is lost. This film treads just too close to Lifetime movie territory. The emotional beats never quite hit, the story is clumsy, and the characters are foggy archetypes. The Number 23 has an interesting Jim Carrey performance and it made me look at 23 in a new way (which is something), but there is not much to recommend with this messy thriller.35/100

tiskec I think that most people will find this movie very interesting. Jim Carey really puts on a really good performance in this particular film, seeing how he rarely ever does anything except comedy or drama. He pulled off the part as a typical husband and father pretty well. Wait, or was that what he was? This movie is a huge twister.All these stories are twisted up into one plot. They're all about the same man, and they all come from this book, written by some guy that used the alias "Topsey Crets." Laaaaammme. In this novel, Jim Carey's character becomes more and more obsessed with the number 23. He starts to see it everywhere and in everything. It slowly drives him into insanity. The movie has really good all around acting and will sit good as a descent horror/mystery film. It gets predictable at the end, but Jim Carey becomes bad-ass in this movie. It really bring out the nut job in him, and he fits it well. This movie will blow your mind. You haven't seen obsession until you've seen this movie.

Python Hyena Number 23 (2007): Dir: Joel Schumacher / Cast: Jim Carrey, Virginia Madsen, Logan Lerman, Rhona Mitra, Danny Huston: Psychological thriller about the search for traumatic beginnings. Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen play a married couple as well as characters inhabiting a book called Number 23 for which she gives him on his birthday. Now everything he encounters seems to relate somehow to the number 23 to the point where he feels controlled. Directed by Joel Schumacher who previously directed Carrey in Batman Forever where he played the Riddler. Here he must also solve a riddle of sorts. This is a very different role for Carrey whose birthday gift turns into an obsession to solve a murder to the point where he feels that he is becoming a danger to his own family. Madsen does well as his wife whom attempts to help him solve his dilemma only to have secrets surface. She will put herself in harm's way for the sake of her husband and his declining mental state. Logan Lerman plays their son whom also assists in solving the case and becomes an inspiration for life. Rhona Mitra plays a college student who was murdered after having sexual relations with her professor. Danny Huston is also cast as Isaac French and Dr. Miles Phoenix but the role is standard. It is her dismiss that needs solving. It creates an intriguing portrait of the Biblical scripture that sights sin finding you out. Score: 8 ½ / 10