There are a lot of unbelievable elements in the psychological thriller "The Number 23," but most astounding is the idea that
anyone could actually be psychologically thrilled by it. The story is melodramatic hooey. As a thriller, it's funnier than "Norbit." As a dramatic showcase for Jim Carrey, it's shallower than "Dumb & Dumber." Under the bombastic, huge-and-goofy guidance of director Joel Schumacher ( "Batman and Robin," "Phone Booth" ), "The Number 23" wants us to accept two opposing things. One, it wants us to agree that Walter Sparrow (Carrey) is crazy for becoming obsessed with the number 23. Two, it wants us to be scared of all the spooky 23-related coincidences that pop up, just like Walter is. Now, we can find the 23 stuff eerie, or we can think Walter is insane for finding it eerie, but we can't do both. I know that, and I'm not even a logician. Walter is a dog catcher in a medium-sized town who stumbles across a tattered, self-published book called "The Number 23" in a used-book store. His wife, Agatha (Virginia Madsen), had enough time while waiting for him one evening to read or skim the entire tome there in the shop; evidently Walter is a slower reader, as it takes him the next several days.
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