The Number 23

Name: The Number 23
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Released: February 23, 2007
Duration: 98 min
Cast: Jim Carrey, Virginia Madsen

2007

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Generally favorable reviews based on 92 Ratings

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6.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 92 Ratings

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The Number 23

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Movie Details & Credits

New Line Cinema | Release Date: February 23, 2007 | R

Starring: Jim Carrey, Virginia Madsen

Summary: Walter Sparrow becomes obsessed with a novel that he believes was written about him. As his obsession increases, more and more similarities seem to arise.

Director: Joel Schumacher

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Rating: R

Runtime: 98 min

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User Reviews

TheNikoHero

Apr 24, 2016

The number 23 is an AMAZING movie, with one hell of a plot twist! Jim carry really shows us what kind of actor he is. He is a man with alot of faces, and boy do you see it in this movie.

The movie is an almost never ending exciment, the only thing that I thing is a bit dull, is probablyThe number 23 is an AMAZING movie, with one hell of a plot twist! Jim carry really shows us what kind of actor he is. He is a man with alot of faces, and boy do you see it in this movie.

The movie is an almost never ending exciment, the only thing that I thing is a bit dull, is probably the start. But thats just my opinion, I wont say any spoilers though.

The movie plot isnt a plot where you have to guess what "actually" happend, it gives it pretty much straight forward. But there is some minor plot points that the movie doesnt explain, which is nice for people who love to speculate!

9/10, great movie, great acting, great storytelling!… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

Lokar

Apr 15, 2012

Wow. This is a strange, creepy horror film that steadily ramps up the fear as the plot chugs along. There are a few spots when it's a little tough to keep your disbelief out of the way, but you'll enjoy this film more if you just let go and have fun with it. It made me want to get booksWow. This is a strange, creepy horror film that steadily ramps up the fear as the plot chugs along. There are a few spots when it's a little tough to keep your disbelief out of the way, but you'll enjoy this film more if you just let go and have fun with it. It made me want to get books about strange math and science phenomena. Also, the cast did well. Jim Carrey's character starts out as a seemingly normal person, whose life gets increasingly caught up in a trap of obsession with the title number. Try to watch this film and not start counting stuff afterwards! :)… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

annbd

Jan 24, 2018

A great mystery that personally confuses me, because of the Jim Carrey-acting-in-serious role thing. He is an amazing actor, that immerses himself in his roles, including this one. The movie is about obsession, which is a disease that people really suffer from, makes them live painfully,A great mystery that personally confuses me, because of the Jim Carrey-acting-in-serious role thing. He is an amazing actor, that immerses himself in his roles, including this one. The movie is about obsession, which is a disease that people really suffer from, makes them live painfully, confused and frightened. The movie was interesting, tortuous, with plot twist, that will make you give high score to it.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

moviebuff_420

May 19, 2012

I've watched many Movies of Jim Carrey.When he did something different than comedy in Man on the moon ,The Truman Show,Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind,These movies were so great.
When i watched the trailer of this movie. My expectations got high.
After watching the movie i wasI've watched many Movies of Jim Carrey.When he did something different than comedy in Man on the moon ,The Truman Show,Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind,These movies were so great.
When i watched the trailer of this movie. My expectations got high.
After watching the movie i was disappointed.Clearly it is a psycho-thriller movie with neo-noir style.I quite liked the visual elements and Jim Carrey did a good job.Despite of the good concept.The movie is not that good.
It has a promising start but when Walter starts to read book,slowly slowly everything goes wrong and somewhat boring.
It's plot is too thin and movie is unimpressive in many parts.
Cheesy dialogues bring it down and movie is never that creepy the way it should be.
Overall, it delivers a rambling, confusing narrative with only a few stylistic elements thrown in.it could have been much much better as for JIm Carrey
But i liked it in parts.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

FilipeNeto

Nov 25, 2018

We know that the so-called "conspiracy theories" have become popular. To their fans, there is virtually no detail of our everyday life that isn't likely to be associated with any weird conspiracy. In this case, the film associates this idea with numerical obsessions and the search forWe know that the so-called "conspiracy theories" have become popular. To their fans, there is virtually no detail of our everyday life that isn't likely to be associated with any weird conspiracy. In this case, the film associates this idea with numerical obsessions and the search for patterns and relations between totally distinct occurrences. The concept explores the surreal, and is quite original, in that it's uncommon in thrillers (at least, I don't remember any thriller with this recipe before).

The screenplay tells how Walter, a perfectly ordinary man, begins to feel threatened and chased by a number after reading a disturbing book. He seeks, and finds, these number attached to different facts and situations, and we begin to question ourselves about his sanity. The film starts well: the initial credits, graphically elegant, were an original way of introducing the theme to the audience and giving it some credibility. I also liked the way Walter is introduced, and how the film emphasized his normality. He's just a guy just like any other, with values and integrity, trying to get his life, who ends up getting caught up in an obsessive whirlwind. His transformation is evident and, at that moment, we're already attached to him because we gain some sympathy for Walter, and our curiosity is fed by every discovery.

However, certain things become too predictable... for example, it's clear from the outset that Fingerling will be a negative alter-ego of Walter. Predictability should have been avoided and corrected, but it's still a minor problem... the biggest problem is the end, which leaves the guiding line too long and ends up having a disappointing and anticlimactic result. A more built and less conventional ending would have made this movie exceptional. At that point, it was a missed opportunity.

I have nothing to say about Joel Schumacher's direction. He's far from being a very good director but has succeeded here. On the other hand, I have a lot to talk about Jim Carrey. I am increasingly convinced that this actor has been underestimated. He became popular thanks to comedies and got very attached to them in our head, so we were surprised when we realized that he can also be a great dramatic actor. But let's be honest: it wasn't his first dramatic film, on the contrary. He seems to be making an effort to show us versatility, and it's up to us to realize that. He was very good here, made a solid and well made work... and I believe I realized, I can see better the potential of this actor. Harder to swallow were the sex scenes. In fact, I felt that, sometimes, they were left in the film. But it's alright. Virginia Madsen also did a good job here, as a dedicated wife and companion or a fiery Italian, with somewhat nymphomaniac outlines (the two actors played two characters, ego and alter ego).

Technically, the film has some brilliant moments. Cinematography begins with warm tones but suffers a violent concussion with Fingerling, carrying itself of cold tones, light-dark, emptiness and shades. From then on, as the obsession progresses, everything becomes colder. I also noticed some excellent camera shots, including the intelligent use of reflexes.

This movie is one of those that can get us mad... it had everything to be very good. An original idea, excellent actors, an able director and good production values. The script started well and was convincingly developed... but when they should have put the cherry on the top, everything collapsed like a house of cards. Frustrating.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

JP32

Mar 25, 2020

With a middling to bad script in The Number 23, [Schumacher] is lost. This film treads way too close to Lifetime movie territory.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

FredoFred

Aug 1, 2017

Pretentious and laughable. Stay away! Far away...
This neo-noir thriller promises a lot and fails misserably.
The worst part? The obsession of the main character with the number 23 is completely random and never explained. Those frisky scenes sex scenes are cringe worthy. Lots of scenes inPretentious and laughable. Stay away! Far away...
This neo-noir thriller promises a lot and fails misserably.
The worst part? The obsession of the main character with the number 23 is completely random and never explained. Those frisky scenes sex scenes are cringe worthy.
Lots of scenes in this film are obvious filler time.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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