"ME, MYSELF & IRENE"
(2000) (Jim Carrey, Renee Zellweger) (R)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Moderate	Moderate	Extreme	Minor	Moderate
Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Moderate	None	Mild	*Heavy	Extreme
Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Heavy	Mild	Minor	Mild	Heavy

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QUICK TAKE:

Comedy: A police officer must contend with his split personality disorder while trying to save a woman who's on the lam from criminals, crooked cops and corrupt government officials.

PLOT:

Charlie Baileygates (JIM CARREY) is a seventeen-year veteran of the Rhode Island police force. Mild-mannered to the point of repeatedly being ignored and/or taken advantage of, the motorcycle cop stoically accepts the many indignities thrown his way, the most major being when his wife, Layla (TRAYLOR HOWARD), runs off with a dwarf limo driver (TONY COX) after he fathered their three African-American boys.

With the years passing, those boys -- Jamaal (ANTHONY ANDERSON), Lee Harvey (MONGO BROWNLEE) and Shonté Jr. (JEROD MIXON) - have grown into well-educated, but foul-mouthed young men who love and respect their dad. Unfortunately, no one else in their town does and after receiving one too many affronts thrown his way, Charlie finally snaps. As a result, his psychologically deranged alter ego, Hank (JIM CARREY) emerges as a vengeful cop determined to offer a lot of payback to those who were previously disrespectful to him.

Diagnosed and medicated for a case of advanced delusional schizophrenia with involuntary narcissistic rage, Charlie is assigned by his superior, Colonel Partington (ROBERT FORSTER), to escort the indignant and ticked off Irene (RENEE ZELLWEGER) back to upstate New York where she's to face questions about her knowledge and involvement in fraud and embezzlement committed by her boss and possible former lover, Dickie Thurman (DANIEL GREENE).

Once Charlie delivers Irene to local cop Lt. Gerke (CHRIS COOPER) and federal agent Boshane (RICHARD JENKINS), he thinks his assignment is complete. When someone later kills Boshane's partner while looking for Irene, however, he's suddenly pulled back into the case. Hitting the road to protect her but forgetting his pills, Charlie tries delivering her one more time to Gerke, but after a close call involving him and the suddenly reemerged Hank, they decide they must stay on the road and out of sight.

As such, and after picking up an albino waiter, Whitey (MICHAEL BOWMAN), Charlie and Irene try to figure out what's going on and save her from danger. With the police, federal agents and Charlie's three sons all looking for him, the improbable road trio tries to solve their dilemma, all while dealing with repeated appearances by Hank who's prepared to take on anyone or anything in his way.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?

With Jim Carrey in the dual lead role and the Farrelly brothers ("There's Something About Mary") behind the camera, it's a good bet many teens will probably want to see this film.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R

For sexual content, crude humor, strong language and some violence.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:

JIM CARREY plays both a mild-mannered, pushover of a cop and his deranged and vengeful alter-ego (who reside in the same body). He/they use strong profanity, presumably have sex with Irene after a night of drinking, and then basically fight each other while trying to control their one body.

RENEE ZELLWEGER plays a miffed young woman who finds her life in danger due to her association with her corrupt/criminal boss. She briefly uses some profanity, admits to smoking some pot and apparently sleeps with Charlie/Hank after a night of drinking.

ANTHONY ANDERSON, MONGO BROWNLEE and JEROD MIXON play Charlie's streetwise triplet sons who are super intelligent and well educated, but spew profanity like there's no end.

DANIEL GREENE plays Irene's corrupt and criminal boss.

CHRIS COOPER plays a corrupt local cop working with Dickie, while RICHARD JENKINS plays a federal agent determined to find and stop Hank/Charlie.

MICHAEL BOWMAN plays an albino waiter who tags along with Charlie/Hank & Irene.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

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Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

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OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

Here's a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated comedy. As with all of the Farrelly brothers movies (such as "There's Something About Mary"), none of what occurs or is said is meant to be taken seriously, but it's possible that some members of the various groups used as comic fodder here may be offended at one or more points in the film.

Profanity is rated as extreme due to at least 56 uses of the "f" word, while many other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered, all intended for laughs. That also holds true for the sexually related material and dialogue that appears in the film. It includes implied sex and masturbation, the repeated sight of a large dildo (and comments about its use) and a visible (under the pants) erection sight gag, while some brief nudity also occurs.

Various forms of scatological humor are present (including the graphic site of a dog defecating, a scene featuring uncontrollable urination, and another showing a man with a live chicken sticking out of his bare rear end), while various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes. Since much of that and other behavior is played for laughs, impressionable kids may want to imitate some/all of it hoping to get their own laughs.

Violence consists of one person who's fatally shot, another whose thumb is shot off (with some blood and a later view of the severed digit), various scenes of people hitting or threatening others (including one who does it to himself due to suffering from a split personality disorder), and some slapstick style material. Meanwhile, some smoking and drinking are also present, and a brief reference is made to a major character smoking pot and thinking nothing of it.

Should this summary not answer your concerns about the film, its content and subsequent appropriateness for anyone in your home, you may want to take a closer look at our more detailed content listings that offer more detailed accounts of what occurs/is present in the film.

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ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE

Charlie and Layla have beer while on a picnic.

People have beer at a backyard picnic.

Dickie and Gerke have drinks.

Some government agents comment on the marijuana roaches Irene left in her apartment. She then asks if that's some sort of crime and one of them responds that it is.

Some ballplayers drink beer in a parking lot.

Hank buys supplies for him and Irene and we later see that this includes a bottle of booze.

Irene and Charlie/Hank have rum and Cokes (which may have led to them sleeping together) and the next day a comment about a hangover is made.

BLOOD/GORE

We see a dog graphically defecating on Charlie's lawn and then see several piles of excrement there.

Hank retaliates for that by going over to the neighbor's lawn, pulling down his pants, and squatting there (the scene is then inter-cut with some soft-serve ice cream dripping down to make it look like something else, at least momentarily).

We see all sorts of bugs smashed on Charlie's face and teeth as he rides on his motorcycle.

We briefly see some slightly bloody bullet holes as they "form" in man's shirt as he's shot.

We see Charlie standing at a toilet (from behind him) and then see his urine stream hit the wall at an extreme angle. He then tries to control/deflect the stream into the toilet, with varying degrees of success (all played for laughs).

We see a cop handcuffed to some object with his pants around his ankles a live chicken sticking out of his butt (we see his bare butt where the chicken's head is located - this a result of Charlie's sons having a bet about doing something similar).

We see a little bit of blood on Charlie/Hank's hand from his arm being grazed/struck by a bullet.

Charlie's hand is bloody after his thumb is shot off (we later see the severed digit - with a bloody tip - floating in some water).

Irene has a small bloody cut/gash on her forehead.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE

Although none of what occurs is meant to be taken seriously, the film pokes fun at those with mental disorders such as schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder, dwarves, obese people, women with yeast infections, injured cows and albinos.

Dickie, Gerke and others have both for being criminals and/or assisting criminals.

A limo driver has a chip on his shoulder and takes it on Charlie.

Layla has an affair with a limo driver (and bears his three children) and eventually leaves Charlie for him.

A friend of Charlie's tries to open his eyes about Charlie's three young sons obviously not being his in a biological sense (since they're black and he and his wife are white) and then makes some disparaging/racist remarks about them (saying they have a year-round tan, that water beads off their hair, and that their "d*cks are bigger than those sausages" (that Charlie is cooking).

Charlie's next-door neighbor lets his dog defecate on Charlie's lawn and then berates him for asking about his own paper (that the neighbor's wife has taken).

Some men ogle a woman's breasts/cleavage and comment on her "rack" (comparing her breasts to "a dead heat in a zeppelin race" and other things).

A little girl, who's jump roping in the street, disregards Charlie's advice for her to get out of the street, tells him that her daddy say he's a joke, and then uses strong profanity at him.

A man from town tells Charlie to move his car for him after the trooper informs him that he needs to move his car.

Hank gets on a grocery store PA system and repeatedly asks for a price check on some medicine for a yeast infection. He also asks her what the problem is and if she has "some cheese on the taco" and that she's making a loaf of bread and he thinks that it's sourdough. He then goes on to insult other people and even suckles on a nursing woman's breast.

Those sensitive to violence against animals probably won't like a comically intended scene where Charlie and Irene come across an injured/very sick cow lying in the road. When they realize it's still alive, Charlie decides to put it out of its misery by shooting it in the head. He then does so (we hear the shot but don't see anything too graphic), but the cow doesn't die. As such, he fires more shots and then hits the cow with his gun, and then eventually tries strangling it while pulling its nose backwards and having Irene kick it (we later see, however, that the cow is okay beyond wearing a neck brace).

A ballplayer flicks his used cigarette to the parking lot.

Hank steals an ice cream cone from a little girl's hand and then takes a woman's cigarette from her. He then goes on to make fun of an albino man (calling him a giant cue-tip among other things - and that man later says that his nickname is "whitey").

A man makes fun of Charlie having problems with a soda machine.

We see that Charlie's sons have abducted a police officer, handcuffed him to his car door, taken his gun and then take a police helicopter to rescue their dad.

FRIGHTENING SCENES

It's possible that some scenes listed under "Violence" (especially those involving guns being used to threaten/wound others and a scene where an unconscious Irene floats down a river and through some rapids) may also be tense/unsettling to some viewers, but nothing that occurs is intended to be taken seriously.

GUNS/WEAPONS

Nunchukas: Repeatedly used by an irate and midget limo driver to hit Charlie.

Handguns: Carried by various members of the police.

Handgun: Used in several attempts by Charlie to put a sick/injured cow out of its misery.

Handgun: Used by a mask thug to shoot and kill a government agent.

Electronic zapper: Used by a man to zap Hank into submission.

Machine guns/Shotguns: Carried by various law enforcement officers.

Whitey goes into a gun store to buy a gun and ammo, but they won't let him (we see various weapons in the place).

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR

Phrases: "He's a funny m*therf*cker," "F*ck you," "F*ck face," "F*ck that," "Who the f*ck are you?" "Cut the bullsh*t," "Sh*tter" (toilet), "This is serious sh*t," "Sure as sh*t," "You're a dumbsh*t," "Blow job" (oral sex), "Dumb sh*t," "Bitch," "You have a major screw loose," "This is a bunch of crap," "Gal" (woman), "I'm not here to twist your nibblets (or nipplets), "Piss," "Candy pants" (what Hank calls Irene), "My ass," "Skinny ass bitch," "The guy's nuttier than squirrel turds," "Scary ass," "Who the hell are you?" "Jeez," "Get your head out of your ass," "Shut up," "Sorry ass," "Screwed" (nonsexual) and "Bastards."

An old TV special featuring a standup performance by Richard Pryor shows him grabbing his own clothed crotch during a routine.

Hank holds a little girl's head under the water in a fountain (the same girl that earlier defied him when he was Charlie).

Hank and Irene push a car over the edge of what looks like a quarry cliff.

Hank and Irene run and try to get on a moving train (she gets on but then has to jump off the moving train).

Hank empties a trashcan into a convertible parked in a handicapped spot, smashes the windshield with it and then tears off the headrests. He then urinates into the gas tank (we see him standing there).

JUMP SCENES

None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)

A mild amount of suspenseful/action-oriented music occurs during the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)

It sounded like one song contained 3 uses of the "f" word (used with "mother"), while another contained at least 1 use of the "s" word.

PROFANITY

At least 56 uses of the "f' word (38 used with "mother," 1 used sexually, 1 in subtitles), 33 "s" words, 5 slang terms for/using male genitals ("c*ck," "d*ck," "willie" and "weasel"), 4 slang terms for/using female genitals ("p*ssy"), 2 slang terms for breasts ("t*t"), 26 asses (6 used with "hole"), 14 damns, 14 hells, 5 S.O.B.s, 5 craps, 12 uses of "G-damn" (1 in subtitles), 5 of "Oh my God," 4 each of "Jesus" and "Oh God," 2 of "God" and 1 use each of "My God" and "Swear to God" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY

Layla shows cleavage in her wedding dress.

Layla has an affair with a limo driver (not seen, but she later bears his three children).

As Charlie sadly reminds Layla (as she's leaving him for a limo driver) that she said she'd eat whale blubber for him, the limo driver states, "She'll be eat blubber, alright, just as soon as I free Willy" (a penis reference). He and Layla then exaggeratedly French kiss.

Some men ogle a woman's breasts/cleavage and comment on her "rack."

After a man tells Hank (thinking he's Charlie) that his son got a part in the local musical, Hank replies that he guesses that the "son likes c*ck after all."

Hank spots a woman who's breast-feeding and before she knows it, he's at her breast, exaggeratedly sucking at it like a baby (we see the top of it as well as his mouth sucking and tugging on the nipple). We later see him with a "milk mustache."

Charlie's sons make some sort of comment about a "blow job."

Charlie comments, "My ass has taken a pounding," and then realizes the double meaning (although he was referring to the effects of riding a motorcycle).

Irene sneaks into Charlie's motel room to find him soundly sleeping next to her mug shot and then notices the bottle of hand lotion and the used tissues next to his bed (implying masturbation). When he wakes and realizes she sees all of that, he tries covering it up with an excuse.

Hank buys supplies for him and Irene and we later see that this includes a bottle of booze and a large, flexible dildo.

Irene tells Hank she knows what he's up to (thinking of a rope and shovel in the trunk). He, however, thinks she's referring to the dildo she found and then replies that he was going to "ram it home," and then ease it in "inch by inch."

As Irene stumbles, Hank catches her, ending up with his hands covering her clothed breasts.

Hank tells Irene that he hopes they'll get to know each other better and then asks if she swallows (presumably related to oral sex). She then slaps him.

One of Charlie's sons tells a cop "If your f*cking is anything like your police work, you couldn't hit the g-spot on a twelve-pound p*ssy."

Irene sees a bulge growing down the length of Hank's pants leg and then sees it lifting up his leg (an erection joke) as he leers at her.

We see Charlie/Hank and Irene wake up under the sheets of the same motel bed. He then gets up to use the bathroom (we see him in his briefs), has problems and then asks Irene why he's peeing like he was up all night having sex. Moments later, he pulls the large dildo from the back of his pants and says, "Well look who joined the party." He then addresses the dildo and asks if it had fun while quickly shaking it back and forth says, "Yes I did." He then tells Irene that he guesses that a little hanky panky wasn't enough for her, but she replies that the dildo wasn't for her, but was instead for him.

Moments later, we see Charlie sitting in the bathroom sink, washing his bare butt (we see the side of it).

After talking about the fun Irene had the night before with Hank, Charlie complains that all he has is a swollen prostate after the above.

We see a cop handcuffed to some object with his pants around his ankles a live chicken sticking out of his butt (we see his bare butt where the chicken's head is located - this a result of Charlie's sons having a bet about doing something similar).

Referring to the dildo once more, Charlie complains that Irene stuck it up his "ass," but she replies that he did it himself. He then replies that she's the one who can't keep her legs closed.

We see Irene and Charlie/Hank in bed together, under the sheets on a train. She says, "Wow!" and he replies that he never gets tired of hearing that (presumably about sex). Later, the other personality sees the unmade bed (as well as Dickie lying unconscious on the floor after a fight) and suggests that she and Dickie had sex (telling her to turn around and stating that he'll play "the back nine"). She then comments that someone was long in the tee but had a pretty good up and down game. She then tells Hank that she doesn't want to sleep with him. Hank then says that he was "horny" and the mentions "little p*ssy fart" (and she then warns him about bringing that up).

Although we don't see anything explicit, Hank pulls down his zipper and loudly asks if anyone wants to see his "weasel." He then runs around with his hands at his crotch (with everyone reacting to the sight of his genitals - that we don't see). He then adds, "Free hotdogs, all you can eat...get your foot-long and a bag of nuts."

During the closing credits, we see a still photo of a man's bare butt as he "moons" someone through an airplane window.

SMOKING

Hank smokes several times, while Gerke smokes once, as does a barber.

A ballplayer flicks his used cigarette to the parking lot.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES

Layla has an affair with a limo driver (and bears his three children) and eventually leaves Charlie for him.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT

People suffering from mental problems and whether this film is making fun of them.

VIOLENCE

An irate and dwarf limo driver hits Charlie on the legs with a set of nunchukas. In response, Charlie slaps him several times, causing the limo driver to hit Charlie many more times with them.

Hank holds a little girl's head under the water in a fountain (the same girl that earlier defied him when he was Charlie).

Hank purposefully smashes a car through a barbershop storefront.

Charlie and Irene come across an injured/very sick cow lying in the road. When they realize it's still alive, Charlie decides to put it out of its misery by shooting it in the head. He then does so (we hear the shot but don't see anything too graphic), but the cow doesn't die. As such, he fires more shots and then hits the cow with his gun, and then eventually tries strangling it while pulling its nose backwards and having Irene kick it (we later see, however, that the cow is okay beyond wearing a neck brace).

A masked thug pushes a pizza delivery boy aside, hits Boshane on the head and shoots his partner dead.

Gerke hits Charlie across the face with his gun and then hits him again once he's turned into Hank. Irene then hits Gerke over the head with a motorcycle helmet. Hank then sits on this man chest and punches him several times.

A ballplayer zaps Hank with an electronic zapper and then he and his buddies proceed to kick Hank who's lying in the parking lot (we hear, but don't see the latter).

Irene slaps Hank.

After Hank badgers Irene to hit him so that it looks like he's been mugged, she delivers a quick kick to his head that sends him reeling backwards over a fence and then down a hill (we only see glimpses of him bouncing along during the latter part). After that, he has a serious wheeze in his nose every time he breathes.

Hank empties a trashcan into a convertible parked in a handicapped spot, smashes the windshield with it and then tears off the headrests. He then urinates into the gas tank (we see him standing there).

Whitey tells Charlie/Hank that he killed his family with a hammer while they were sleeping, but we later learn this isn't true.

Dickie busts through a door and holds a gun on Irene. Hank then comes out, knocks Dickie's hand through a window (he drops the gun) and punches him several times. Dickie then hits Hank and Irene then uses a large dildo to knock out Dickie.

Irene kicks Hank/Charlie in the crotch.

Hank and Charlie start fighting within the same body (tripping himself to fall face first on the ground off a train, pushing himself around, bending his own finger to the point of it sounding like it's broken, etc.). He then forces himself through a plate glass window.

A cop shoots at Charlie/Hank and another shot grazes his arm.

A man shoots at Hank who then proceeds to hit him with his car.

Charlie/Hank slams their head into the steering wheel and then throws their body out of a moving car.

Charlie/Hank punches a trooper.

A man holds a gun on Irene and then aims it at Charlie, eventually shooting off his thumb.

A man throws a lawn dart that hits another man in the back, presumably killing him (he falls off into a river).

Irene falls into a river and we hear her head hit the rocks on the bottom (that knock her unconscious).

Reviewed June 15, 2000 / Posted June 23, 2000

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