Courtney Napier
SED 104
Vickie Nicholson
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Media Review:
Me, Myself, and Irene Me, Myself, and Irene is a classic, and hilarious comedy that was released in 2000. It includes the amazing actors, Jim Carrey and Renée Zellweger. Jim Carrey plays a nice-guy cop, Charlie Baileygates, whom happens to have a split-personality disorder. Renee Zellweger plays a blonde, sweet woman wanted in her hometown for murder. Charlie sets out on an assignment to deliver Irene to the police station but instead wind up on the run from some corrupt police officers and a crazy ex boyfriend. During all these events Charlie loses his medicine subscribed by his doctor or help with his disorder, thus releasing Hank at the most inappropriate times. Charlie’s split-personality disorder began when his wife left him for their limousine driver, leaving him taking care of their three grown children. All this inner anger developed Charlie’s alter ego, known as Hank Evans. Hank is caused by advanced delusionary schizophrenia with involuntary narcissistic rage. Hank is the complete opposite of Charlie. Hank is crazy, and aggressive, more outspoken than Charlie but not in a good way. Charlie is assigned to escort Ms. Irene Walters to upstate New York where police wanted her in her hometown. Upon arrival Irene realizes that her ex-boyfriend is actually setting her up for murder. Charlie then takes her under his protection from the corrupt cops and crazy ex-boyfriend. In the middle of all this madness, his prescription that keeps his disorder under control is lost. Charlie and Irene are now on the run from both the police and the crazed boyfriend, not alone though. Hank makes his appearance at the worst possible times when Charlie’s medicine wears off. Despite his disorder along their hilarious journey together Charlie and Irene form a bond, Hank also has feelings for Irene. Irene has no feelings for Hank because she feels that his random appearances both disgust and terrify her. Charlie’s disorder gets in the way a lot along the way, one time Hank even had plastic surgery on Charlie’s face leaving both him and Irene in shock. Hank also makes his appearance when Irene and Charlie stop at a restaurant when he insulted Whitey, young albino waiter. Hank makes fun of Whitey, repulsing Irene. Later when Charlie has returned to his normal self he decides to apologize and talk to Whitey about the events that had taken place at the restaurant. That is when Whitey calmly recounts the story of how he brutally murdered his family with a hammer. You truly get to see how bad Charlie’s disorder is when he leaves the room to buy some sodas. While attempting and failing to obtain the sodas from the machine a man walks by mocking him. Hank returns to the room where he tells Irene that he may have suppressed Hank in his moment of anger, fully believing that he did. The next morning after finding out that Hank had sexual relations with Irene, Charlie walks outside and there you see the soda machine dent in with soda’s falling out of it. Hank had not been suppressed; in fact he had taken control that night. I had watched this movie many times before, probably more than twenty. Before I focused on the humor that Charlie’s disorder brought to the movie, but after watching the movie and focusing on the disorder itself you realize that this disorder would actually be devastating to a human being, not comical. Although I still find the movie completely hilarious, I empathize those who are fighting with this disorder. The disorder proved to be many obstacles in Charlie’s life. Between plastic surgery, insulting people, beating soda machines, and having sexual relations with the woman whom he loves, Hank was a burden on Charlie. Hank did come in handy in some cases, but one can imagine that Charlie would rather not have him. Although Charlie’s family was not shown in the movie, his children seemed to deal with his disorder well because they were not exposed to it. Irene proved otherwise because she was exposed to his disorder. Watching this movie again from a different view gave me a new perspective on this disorder. This movie did an excellent job portraying this disorder and showing what it can do to a person, both good and bad. If I was someone suffering from this disease I would be glad to be in this movie. I would want the humor to be brought out of my disorder, while still portraying the struggle that people with this disorder go through everyday and how it affects their everyday lives. The next twenty times I watch it I will be sure to be more aware and respectful of the disorder than beforehand.