The Number 23

A dog catcher (Jim Carrey) gets an odd birthday present from his wife (Virginia Madsen): a self-published novel by someone named “Topsy Kretts” about an obsession with the number 23; soon the obsession infects him as well, and he imagines parallels between the book and his own life. Despite what that synopsis may suggest, and despite the presence of Carrey, Fernley Phillips’ script isn’t a comedy—but it is (not to put too fine an edge on it) a silly-ass crock, riddled with cavernous plot holes and filled to overflowing with howlers (that author’s name, for example) and eye-rolling coincidences. Despite all the raving nonsense, director Joel Schumacher and his actors (including Tony Huston, Lynn Collins and Logan Lerman, nearly everyone playing double roles) squeeze some entertainment out of it.