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I confess I haven't seen the movie yet. I have heard the advertisements, and seen the trailers on television. It obviously had no interest in accurately portraying schizophrenia. In fact the film confuses multiple personality disorder (which isn't even called that anymore) with schizophrenia. Jim Carrey plays a cop with two personalities one good, one bad; hence the media slogan "gentle to mental". They are both in love with the same woman.
A coalition has formed in Canada and in the US as well, to try and prevent the movie from being released, or at least released with disclaimers at the beginning of the movie that the film does not accurately portray mental illness. Some of the promotional material is very disturbing to the Canadian coalition, capitalizing on the ignorance of a public that knows very little about schizophrenia. Does this film discriminate? Is the movie a kind of hate literature? What does freedom of speech mean when a population suffering from a very destructive illness is ridiculed in a comedy for profit and profit alone. Should some of that profit be dedicated to educating the public about what schizophrenia really is? I really believe in freedom of speech. Such freedoms reflect back on society though. People forget that "Me, Myself, and Irene" is market driven. It is being sold because the producers think many people will go to see it, although I've yet to meet anyone who is a Jim Carrey fan. I've been told he has great appeal for a younger audience, particularly teenagers. Nonetheless is censorship justified? Is it justified when pornography or anti-Semitism is at stake. Personally I don't think so in either case. Freedom of speech is market driven, and as such it can reflect issues in society that we may find abhorrent, but they are certainly a part of our culture. But, and it's a big but, even I think the US should have tougher gun laws. Has "Me, Myself and Irene" crossed the line where prosecution is justified? Who knows? Maybe it is true "That any publicity is good publicity". I tend to lean that way. In my apartment with the radio on, I'm hearing advertisements for a movie about schizophrenia. I've never experienced that before. Maybe the movie will raise awareness that schizophrenia affects a large number of people, and is worth learning about. Maybe everyone will love Jim Carrey in the movie, so much, they go out and hug someone with schizophrenia. Go To Page: 1 2
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