Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

The Number 23: A very, very strange movie, indeed. A weird storyline based around a wacky phenomenon. I have to tell you - the beginning was so slow I had to pry my eyelids open to stay awake. But if you can make it to the second half, at least you'll be rewarded with some excitement.

This movie stars Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen, both in dual roles. In "real time", they are Walter and Agatha Sparrow, a happily married couple. One day he runs late picking her up, so she spent her time browsing in a book store. She comes upon a book called The Number 23 and gives it to him to read. You wouldn't think a book could totally change one's life, but that's exactly what happens. Because the author of this book (pen name Topsy Kretts - say it out loud and you'll notice how silly this name really is) is completely obsessed with the number 23. The book is his autobiography detailing this obsession. He starts seeing this number appearing everywhere he goes - in the number of letters in various phrases, in important dates, pretty much everywhere. Here's just one example: 09/11/2001. Add up the digits. The author of this book is driven completely crazy by this obsession, as he's convinced the number is "following him", driving him mad.

As Walter reads this book, we get to "see" the book's action played out, as Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen play the book's main roles of Fingerling and Fabrizia. Fingerling, who is obsessed with the number, and Fabrizia, his girlfriend who pays the ultimate price for Fingerling's madness.

But as Walter continues to read the book, he starts seeing the number 23 everywhere he goes, thus the madness has spread.

It takes a while to set this up, but eventually the movie gets to the point where we watch scenes from the book's action unfold, alternating with scenes of Walter's emerging madness. But when Walter starts noticing that the story in the book seems earily familiar, that the events of the author's life seem to mimic his own, that's when things get really strange.

I won't say any more about the movie's plot, except that it was at this point that I stopped having trouble staying awake.

I enjoyed Jim Carrey very much in this movie. He is so much better in serious roles, or in this case, two serious roles than he is in those really silly comedies that marked his early career. Bear in mind that Fingerling is quite different looking from Sparrow. Despite being played by the same man. Fingerling is creepy, to say the least, and Sparrow is "normal". (Well as normal as Jim Carrey can ever look). Virginia Madsen was fine in her roles, too, and other actors have small dual roles as well. But really this movie is all about Jim, and I'm glad it was he who was chosen for these rules.

I enjoyed how they showed the number 23 to be pretty much everywhere Walter and Fingerling looked. From important dates in history, to the names of the characters in the movie, to the addresses shown, no stone was left unturned showing 23 every possible place. I don't believe there's any particular "magic" about this number, but it was entertaining to see what the director came up with, in order to make it appear that the number has a supernatural quality.

I enjoyed the "look" of this movie. Especially the scenes taken from the book. It took on the look of an old film noir from back in the old days.

So what went wrong?

Well, the first problem is that a good portion of the viewing audience probably left or fell asleep before the second half of the movie got underway. It was just dreadfully slow.

The other problems are the ridiculous reliance on coincidence and the plot holes. Starting with the fact that the wife comes upon this particular book. OK, even if that happened, how come she was able to read it, without becoming obsessed by the number, whereas Walter's obsession started with chapter 1? We are also shown some flashbacks into Walter's life, some of which lead to more questions than answers. In another scene, the couple bring their son with them to an event that no parent would ever bring their child. There are scenes where the timing of various events seemed to be "off". Basically, there are just a lot of things that really make no sense.

I enjoy movies about wacky phenomena, but this movie simply didn't work. I blame the director, Joel Schumacher. It seems like the second half of the movie was thrown together too quickly, and was left a bit rough around the edges. Unforgivable after making us sleep-walk through the first half.

Recommended: No

Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age