The long trek for I Love You Phillip Morris is almost at an end. The directorial debut from the writers of Bad Santa played Sundance last year to much acclaim (Devin’s review) but the idea of Jim Carey having gay sex is apparently too scary for America, and distributors stayed away from it. It was finally picked up by Consolidated Pictures, who got sued by the film’s producers after not receiving the advance they were promised, and the film’s release was pushed even further back.
But Roadside Attractions and Liddell Entertainment saved the film when they picked it up back in August, and the release is now set for December 3rd in NY, LA and San Francisco, with more cities to follow in the following weeks. They just sent over this new poster for the film which is pretty amazing. Check it out (and the official synopsis) below.
I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS is the improbable but true story of a spectacularly charismatic conman’s journey from small-town businessman to flamboyant white-collar criminal, who repeatedly finds himself in trouble with the law and on the lam, brilliantly escaping from the Texas prison system on four separate occasions – all in the name of love.
Steven Russell (Jim Carrey) leads a seemingly average life – an organ player in the local church, happily married to Debbie (Leslie Mann), and a member of the local police force. That is until he has a severe car accident that leads him to the ultimate epiphany: he’s gay and he’s going to live life to the fullest – even if he has to break the law to do it. Taking on an extravagant lifestyle, Steven turns to cons and fraud to make ends meet and is eventually sent to the State Penitentiary where he meets the love of his life, a sensitive, soft-spoken man named Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor). His devotion to freeing Phillip from jail and building the perfect life together prompts him to attempt (and often succeed at) one impossible con after another. Told with an uncanny sense of humor and a lot of heart, “I Love You Phillip Morris” is an oddball tale of what can happen when the legal system, a daredevil spirit and undying love collide.