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FilmLover wrote on 05/04/2011:

All you have to say is Ewan McGregor and the gays come running, but throwing the not-unattractive Jim Carrey and Rodrigo Santoro into the mix of a gay prison story, and you should have the makings of a gay tsunami.

And yet 'I Love You Phillip Morris' underperformed when it was released (held up by their distributors for 2 years didn't help after a Sundance premiere). For all the ways that the boys should have come out to see the Carrey-on-McGregor action, its tame portrayal of their relationship probably didn't help word-of-mouth.

Perhaps justifying its premiere at Sundance, known for films with wacky premises and performances, 'Phillip Morris' is the Jim Carrey show from start to finish, in the role that Carrey would have wanted during his 'take me seriously' phase (think 'Man On The Moon'). The directing team here inject Carrey's character with so much chutzpah and cunning that even the staunchest homophobe roots for the unabashed con man to reunite with Phillip Morris (McGregor) - which was perhaps the creative team's tricky point in making the film in the first place.

If you're into bravura performances and films on the high wire, you're not going to get much ballsier than Carrey who puts his all and more into this supremely unique character. Some will love this film, as wacky as in terms of storyline, soundtrack, plot, etc as you'll find in a Hollywood film.

On the other hand, McGregor is never given much chance to show why his character is so alluring to Carrey's, so the story you wanted to see never really materializes and the whole thing generally becomes more of a fascinating film than it is a captivating one.

Amos Lassen wrote on 01/24/2011:

“I Love You Phillip Morris”
A True Story
Amos Lassen
There has been a great deal of brouhaha about “I Love You Phillip Morris”. We have heard about it for two years, we have waited to see it for two years and it seemed as if it had vanished. Then came Christmas, 2010 and “PM” suddenly had a short commercial run (with great reviews) and is now awaiting DVD release. I first wrote about the movie in 2009 when I read about its Arkansas connection and then I heard nothing else about it. Well the wait is over and before you know it, all of you will have a chance to watch it at home.
The film is the true story of a conman and his path from small town businessman to big time criminal. Steven Russell (Jim Carrey) has a very strange life. He plays organ at his church, he and his wife, Debbie, are happily married and he is a member of his local police force. Then he has an automobile accident and everything changes—he realizes that he is gay and now he is determined to live life as a flamboyant gay male with no regard for the law (or his wife). He becomes a conman and he runs frauds to pay for his excesses and ultimately he is caught and sent to prison, to the state penitentiary and there he meets Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor) who becomes the love of his life. He is determined that they shall be together and he is determined that they get out of jail and build a life together. McGregor and Carrey are perfect and even though they have broken the law, we love them and root for them which is a tribute to how well the actors took on their roles. They give gay life humanity and the performances we get from them are brilliant and totally believable.
This is a true story but it seems like fiction because it is so strange. The big surprise here is Jim Carrey—so often he is Jim Carrey being himself but here he is Russell totally. McGregor plays the innocent one of the two and he is to be lauded for his understated acting of the quiet man he portrays. I have been asked if this is a gay movie and I answer yes it is but that is not all it is about—it is about people loving and doing all for love. The gayness here is the background for the action and although it cannot be ignored, it is not all important.
The film is as close to perfection as one can get and I am amazed that we could not see if for so long. It is the kind of movie that you can watch over and over and love it every time and that is one hard combination.