"Yes Man" stars Jim Carrey as Carl Allen, a guy whose life is going nowhere--the operative word being "no"--until he signs up for a self-help program based on one simple covenant: say "yes" to everything...and anything.  Unleashing the power of "YES" begins to transform Carl's life in amazing and unexpected ways, getting him promoted at work and opening the door to a new romance.  But his willingness to embrace every opportunity might just become too much of a good thing.
Peyton Reed ("The Break-Up," "Bring It On") directed "Yes Man" from a screenplay by Nicholas Stoller and Jarrad Paul & Andrew Mogel, based on the book by Danny Wallace.  The film is produced by Oscar^®-winning producer Richard D. Zanuck ("Driving Miss Daisy," "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street") and David Heyman (the "Harry Potter" films, "I Am Legend").  Marty Ewing, Dana Goldberg and Bruce Berman serve as executive producers.
"Yes Man" also stars Zooey Deschanel ("Bridge to Terabithia"), Bradley Cooper ("Wedding Crashers"), John Michael Higgins ("Fred Claus") and Terence Stamp ("Get Smart").  Rounding out the cast are Rhys Darby, Danny Masterson, Fionnula Flanagan, Sasha Alexander, Molly Sims, Brent Briscoe, Rocky Carroll, John Cothran and Spencer Garrett.
The film's behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Robert Yeoman, production designer Andrew Laws, editor Craig Alpert, costume designer Mark Bridges and composers Lyle Workman and Mark Oliver Everett.
"Yes Man" will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

www.yesmanmovie.co.uk

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

YEScapades
Carl Allen is in a rut.  When he's not turning down loan applications at the bank where he works, he is turning down invitations from his friends, watching television alone on his couch.  He's effectively become a "No Man."
"I've been that guy," says Jim Carrey, who stars as Carl.  "I know a lot of people who are in that situation where they just avoid life.  I live in the United States of Avoidance.  To me, this is a movie about choosing to join life, and that's what drew me to it.  Sometimes saying no is saying yes to something else, to something greater that will come your way.  And sometimes saying no to an invitation is saying yes to a couch and some potato chips.  Just do what's right for you," advises Carrey.  "But it's usually not the things we say yes to that we regret; it's when we say no that we look back and think, 'Ah, I could have lived a little bit more.'"
Carl's life takes an unexpected and radical turn when he grudgingly attends a self-help seminar led by a "Yes" guru who urges his devotees to say yes more and transform their lives.  The initially skeptical Carl agrees to try spontaneity by saying yes… to everything.  "In the movie, Carl is a normal guy who just needs a jump start, and the Yes seminar provides that," notes director Peyton Reed.  "It throws him off course at first, but then it really gets him to take stock of himself and to invest in life again."
Reed was immediately attracted to the story after reading the script based on the best-selling memoir by Danny Wallace.  "I dug into the script and subsequently into Danny's book, and I was really struck by the fact that Danny actually did embrace this philosophy for a period of time," states Reed. 
When Wallace was dumped by his girlfriend years ago, he decided he needed some time to "just sit around and be a boy and play video games, and not really do anything," he recalls.  "My mates were a little bit worried about me.  They kept phoning up, leaving messages and texting me with various opportunities and invitations.  And I was always saying 'no.'" 
A chance conversation on a London bus turned things around for Wallace and inspired his book.  "Someone happened to mention to me, 'You should say yes more.'  It was probably just a casual remark, but I thought that it was the best advice--like every self-help book in the world distilled into three words.  And that launched my 'yes-capades!'  I bought a car off a bloke at a party just because he said, 'I don't suppose you're interested in buying a car, are you?'  I went to see a band called General Onion and His Shocking Castanets.  Thanks to a cleverly-worded advertisement, I flew to Singapore for the weekend.  Not really a weekend destination, you know?" he laughs, "but I had a great time.  The way I see it, you're as likely to meet the love of your life at a bad party as at a good one, but if you've said no, you'll never know."
"I definitely liked the very positive spirit of the material," Reed enthuses, "and the basic idea of someone really taking on life, but in our case, in a very random way.  A guy like Carl getting into these situations is funny, and I knew that with Jim Carrey playing Carl the comic possibilities were endless.  Jim's physicality and delivery just take what's funny to a whole different level."
"I thought the concept was really cool," says Carrey.  "To sit back and imagine all the things you can get into if you say yes, is pretty fertile territory."
Producer David Heyman, who discovered Wallace's book and brought it to the studio, had become a big fan of the author after reading his first book, Join Me.  Heyman's take on Yes Man was no different.  "The generosity of spirit that informs Danny and his work is something that really appeals to me," the producer notes.  "When I read Yes Man, I loved it.  The idea that if you say yes--if you're open to the possibilities that life throws before you--then great things will happen, was very intriguing."
Immersed in the latest "Harry Potter" film at the time, Heyman contacted Richard Zanuck, hoping to interest the veteran filmmaker in joining forces to produce "Yes Man."
Zanuck had no hesitation about joining the project, and thought "casting Jim Carrey in this role couldn't be better.  There's no one else who could really perform it like he does," smiles Zanuck.  "I said 'yes' to everything--the script, the cast.  I just liked everything about it.  It was fresh, it was new.  It was life-affirming and funny."   
He met with Reed and the two hit it off right away.  "Dick Zanuck is responsible for so many of the movies that I watched as a kid, and which made me want to make movies," says Reed.  "From the original 'Planet of the Apes,' which he greenlit when he was running Fox, to 'The Sting' and 'Jaws,' both of which he produced, he's just the man!"
"We had a wonderful meeting," remembers Zanuck.  "I admire his films, and he's such a personable, talented guy.  I think he has a very strong future ahead of him." 
Reed collaborated with screenwriters Nicholas Stoller, Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel and spent time with Jim Carrey during preproduction, fine-tuning the spirit of Wallace's very British memoir into an American story set in Los Angeles.  "I really wanted to create a tone in the film which was somewhere between what Jim does comedically and in his more serious work," explains the director.  "A tone that would allow his character to go on comic flights of fancy as only Jim can, but that's a little more grounded, too."
The Scottish-born author, humorist and television personality Danny Wallace had trouble keeping his feet on the ground when he was approached by the filmmakers about transforming his memoir into a film starring Jim Carrey.  "I was thrilled when I received a phone call regarding turning my book into a Hollywood film.  Clearly I was going to say 'yes!'" Wallace grins.  "I had been a fan of Jim Carrey's work since 'In Living Color.'  They all did a brilliant job of 'Americanizing' the story to bring it to a wider audience; the spirit has remained exactly intact."
"What can you say?" offers Carrey.  "There would be no 'Yes Man' without him.  The man came up with a concept that's right up my alley.  I'm always looking for something that can be really hilarious but also has some aspect that you can chew on afterward.  After seeing 'Yes Man,' the audience can go home and wonder, 'How much do I say no?  Should I say yes a little bit more?'"
Both Carrey and Reed say they are glad they said yes this time.
"I had a blast working with Jim," says Reed.  "I'd never met him before but I really felt like we were two peas in a pod; our senses of humor are very similar.  And because we spent time together during preproduction, by the time we began shooting, Jim and I really had a shorthand and a very clear idea of what we were after for the film, and of who the character of Carl was."
Carrey concurs.  "I know Peyton comes from an improv background, but still, literally, this was the first movie where I sat back on the set and let somebody make me laugh all the time.  He just made me howl.  There are certain things an actor's gotta do at least once, and I think working with Peyton Reed is definitely one of them."

"Oh.  Hi.  Did you just take my picture?"
  Carl's journey off the couch and into life may start when he steps out of the Yes seminar, but he begins to really appreciate the possibilities when he encounters Allison, an intriguing woman who comes upon him late at night as he's filling up a gas can and facing a long walk back to his empty car.  She offers him a ride; he, of course, says 'yes.'
"Allison is a free-spirited girl," offers actress Zooey Deschanel, who plays the role.  "She is cool.  She's in a band, she paints and she takes photographs… she's very creative and spontaneous.  She's sort of naturally the way that Carl is striving to be."
Carrey describes love interest Allison as "quite a conundrum.  Inside an enigma.  Wrapped in an odyssey.  The romantic element to the movie is so important, because one of the greatest things in life you can say yes to is love, so you want that chemistry to work.  Zooey has such a wonderful, sweet, human quality, and at the same time she's quirky and original."
"Zooey is a terrific actress, and she has this very eccentric quality," comments Reed.  "She has a whole different energy from Jim, and it's a nice chemistry they have on screen.  She also has great musical talent, and that really lent authenticity to Allison, a character who sings with a band."
Also saying yes to "Yes Man" was Bradley Cooper as Carl's best friend, Peter, who is repeatedly frustrated by Carl's refusals to take part in life more than two years after his divorce.
"I wanted to have that feeling that these two guys have been friends for a long time," says Cooper.  "And like any best friend, you go through the travails with the people that you love.  In the film, Peter is not only his friend, but also sort of the audience's eyes, watching and enjoying this really out-of-the-ordinary behavior come about in Carl."
"Bradley has a great energy, and he brought that to every scene," says Reed.  "You watch Jim and Bradley together and you really believe that they have been longtime friends."
Carl's change of heart was initially jump-started when he ran into a former colleague, Nick, played by character actor John Michael Higgins.  Nick introduces Carl to the Yes way of life after ambushing him outside the bank. 
"Nick adores the seminar guru Terrence; he's a total acolyte," explains Higgins.  "He says yes to everything in life.  Carl doesn't see it early on, but if you really say yes to everything, you will probably end up something like Nick, which is not entirely sane," jokes the actor.
"Nick is a pretty strange character," furthers Reed.  "There's something a little off about him.  He's incredibly enthusiastic--he has seen the light, he has discovered this thing called The Power of Yes.  He gives Carl this pamphlet and says, 'I just see by the look in your eyes, this is something that you need.'  Michael is really great at playing these extreme, unhinged characters, but giving them a real kind of grounding and sense of humanity.  It was fun seeing him in those scenes with Jim, with Jim essentially being the straight guy and Higgins being the guy who is a little nuts."
No one is happier than Nick to discover Carl at the seminar, and he is quick to draw the spotlight, and the attention of the Power of Yes creator Terrence Bundley, to the dubious newcomer.  Terence Stamp portrays the pivotal role. 
"My character is on what's laughingly called the guru circuit, you know?" smiles Stamp.  "He's figured out a new angle where people will pay him to inspire them."
Terence Stamp is a very charismatic guy, you know?  He's Terence Stamp," admires Reed.  "He's got an amazing, deep, resonant voice, and that's half of it right there because he's very seductive.  So when his character, Terrence Bundley, tells Carl everything that is wrong in his life, Carl is left to wonder, 'Wow, does this guy have some sort of power?'  It's extremely disconcerting, and that obviously gets through to Carl."
Carrey was especially eager to work alongside the veteran actor.  "Terence is the consummate actor, classical, with incredible depth and history.  He's just going to lift everything to another level."
One of the first to benefit from Carl's newfound positivism is his boss at the bank, Norm, who is delighted when Carl seemingly shows a greater interest not only in his work, but in Norm's frequent party invitations.  New Zealand actor/comedian Rhys Darby makes his film debut as Carl's nerdy boss. 
"Rhys was my first and only choice to play Norm," says Reed.  "He's just hilarious!"
Carrey adds, "He's one to watch.  He's so committed and he's got the lunacy behind his eyes that Peter Sellers had, and it just leaps out of the movie." 
Darby's character hosts what turned out to be an especially memorable party for longtime "Harry Potter" producer Heyman.  "Obviously, for personal reasons the 'Harry Potter' sequence was one that I took particular pleasure in.  The approach to it was full of heart; it wasn't just a gimmick.  And seeing it in the dailies just made me laugh a lot."
Carrey found the Harry Potter costume party an opportunity to laugh at himself as well: "I looked like David Letterman at Hogwarts."
The "Yes Man" ensemble also includes Danny Masterson as Rooney, Carl's slacker pal who takes advantage of his 'yes' directive, going so far as to become his freeloading roommate; Molly Sims as Carl's ex, Stephanie, who begins to see Carl in a new light once he's turned over a new leaf; and Fionnula Flanagan as Carl's rather randy neighbor, Tillie.
"The cast was great fun to be around," offers Zanuck.  "There was an esprit de corps on set that I found very refreshing and I'm glad I said 'yes' and became a member of the Yes Man club."
Reed echoes the sentiment.  "What a terrific experience it was working with all of these amazing actors.  They all brought such a spark of believability and humor to Carl's world."

Yes is the new No
The heart and humor of "Yes Man" lie in watching the journey of Carl, an everyman in a rut, who opens his life up to possibilities when he begins to say yes.
"The world is full of 'no men,' unfortunately," remarks David Heyman.  "However, I feel that life has been good to me by my being more of a 'yes man.'  I wanted to be in the film business, so against conventional wisdom, I moved 3,000 miles to New York, then 3,000 more miles to London, which was insane.  But it's worked out okay for me."
"The underlying story here is that one has to take chances with one's life.  And the chances don't come when you say no to everything, when you close doors," says Zanuck.  "I hope audiences will take that away with them, along with their enjoyment of a really funny movie."
At various times in preproduction and writing, we would have these days where we would literally say, 'We are going to say yes to everything,'" director Peyton Reed reflects.  "And really, when you start being open to things more, it is a weird, wonderful feeling.  I don't want to sound like some oddball guy who is living the movie, but it really did affect, I think, the way that we all approached things.  It's just about being more open to experiences."
"I have had some 'yes' moments," declares Carrey.  "And there have been many times that I've thought, 'What possessed me to say yes to this or that?'  But at the end of the day, you go, 'That's living, man.'"

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
PEYTON REED (Director) gained national attention with his feature directorial debut "Bring It On," starring Kirsten Dunst.  Reed's take on the politics of high school cheerleading won critical raves and stayed at number one for three weeks in a row at the U.S. box office before going on to sell over 5 million copies on DVD.
Reed followed it up with 2003's "Down with Love," an homage to the sunny Rock Hudson/Doris Day comedies of the early 1960s, starring Renée Zellweger and Ewan McGregor.
In 2006, Reed helmed the smash hit "The Break-Up," starring Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston.  The comedy/drama debuted at number one at the box office, with a $39 million opening weekend, and went on to gross $118 million domestically and over $200 million worldwide.
Originally hailing from Raleigh and a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Reed began his career as a documentary editor.  After writing and directing the award-winning short "Almost Beat," he directed a series of high profile, behind-the-scenes documentaries, including "The Secrets of the Back to the Future Trilogy," "Through the Eyes of Forrest Gump" and "The Honeymooners Anniversary Special."
Reed went on to direct a diverse range of projects, including TV movies such as "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" and "The Love Bug"; music videos including Superchunk and The Connells; and some of the most critically hailed comedic television of the last decade, including HBO's "Mr. Show with Bob and David," Comedy Central's "Upright Citizens Brigade," and the WB's "Grosse Pointe." Reed currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

NICHOLAS STOLLER (Screenwriter) cut his teeth in comedy by writing for Judd Apatow's celebrated Fox television series "Undeclared."  Stoller made the transition to screenwriting by doing rewrites on numerous feature projects before co-writing, with Apatow, the remake of "Fun with Dick and Jane," starring Jim Carrey.  Stoller then made his feature directorial debut with the hit "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," produced by Apatow and starring Kristen Bell and Jason Segel.  His next film, which he wrote and will direct, is "Get Him to the Greek," to be produced by Apatow and starring Jonah Hill and Russell Brand.
Stoller's many upcoming projects include the Jack Black comedy "Gulliver's Travels," on which he serves as screenwriter, and "Five-Year Engagement," which he wrote with the film's star Jason Segel and which Stoller will also direct.  Apatow Productions will produce the film, which depicts the comedic ups and downs of a man's five-year engagement to his fiancée.  Stoller and Segel also plan to re-team to write the newest Muppet movie. Stoller, a Harvard alumnus who wrote for The Harvard Lampoon, was born in London and raised in Miami. 

JARRAD PAUL & ANDREW MOGEL (Screenwriters) are currently collaborating on "Shining City," adapting Seth Greenland's comedic novel as a feature film.  They have also teamed for the upcoming comedies "Himelfarb," which they initially wrote as a spec script, and "Harvey and Marky: A True Story of Friendship and Betrayal."  "Yes Man" marks their feature screenwriting debuts. Paul, who hails from Miami Beach, is also an actor and has appeared in such shows as "Monk" and FOX's "Action."   Mogel is a native of Bethesda, Maryland.  Prior to launching his screenwriting career, he worked extensively in film and television production, on such projects as the cult-favorite series "Freaks and Geeks" and the features "Wonderland" and "Alpha Dog."           

DANNY WALLACE (Based on the Book / Associate Producer) is a writer and television presenter in London.  He is the author of two bestselling books: Join Me, which chronicles the successful launching of his own international cult; and Yes Man, the story of what happens when you say yes to everything. Born in Dundee, Scotland, Wallace began his career at age 14 working at a videogame magazine.  At 22 he became one of the youngest producers at the BBC, producing cult radio comedies like "The Mighty Boosh," before moving into television. After a short stint as head of development in the BBC's New Comedy department, he left to pursue other ventures.
As a television presenter, Wallace recently became King Danny I in his own award-winning BBC2 series "How To Start Your Own Country," in which he declared his one bedroom flat in the East End of London an independent state.  He has also fronted some of the BBC's flagship programs, such as "Test the Nation," "Castaway" and two series of his own Saturday night quiz show, "School's Out."  Additionally, Wallace became the first presenter in 43 years to be asked to host an edition of the BBC's famous science show, "Horizon."  His latest non-fiction book will be published in 2008.  He is also working on a screenplay and a novel.   

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