User reviews

There has been a great deal of critical scorn directed at 'The Number 23', which almost made me rethink my decision to see it, despite finding the concept very enticing, being impressed by the promotional materials, and generally liking Joel Schumacher as a director (yes, Batman and Robin was awful, but he's directing some very good films like The Client, Phone Booth and The Lost Boys) And after seeing the finished product, I find myself asking why the knives are out for the film. Now, I'm not saying this is a brilliant film, because it isn't. It's rather easy to guess the plot twists, the script does tend to patronise the viewer and the final segment of the film casually abandons the central premise in favour of a more generic 'mystery' storyline. But I found quite a few things to like about the movie, such as strong performances from Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen, very stylish direction and (for most of the movie)a genuine undercurrent of tension as the events unfold. It's not going to be remembered as a highlight on the careers of anyone involved, but if you enjoyed conspiracy theory novels such as The Da Vinci Code or shows like the X-Files, you are more likely to see past the critics and enjoy this film.

Final Score 6 (which is 2x3)/10

I can't say that either Jim Carrey or Joel Schumacher have done anything impressive lately, but they do an okay job here. The number 23 is strangely entertaining. With its moody tone, its claustrophobic and haunting photography, its convoluted storytelling, and a lot of walls defaced with black ink, the movie frequently resembles John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness. This one is not quite as creative, and even though it occasionally gets clumsy, the film is fairly intriguing and might be worth checking out if you like scary thrillers.

Jim Carrey is Walter Sparrow, a mild mannered dog catcher who has a nice family and a dull life. On Chrismas week, his wife buys him a strange memoir entitled 'The number 23'. Sparrow is a little sceptic at first, but once he starts to read he quickly gains interest, and is surprised to discover that the story has remarkable resemblance to his own life. One aspect in particular has gotten his attention. Sparrow starts to notice the number 23 itself appear everywhere, in dates, names, times... It gets him quite excited. Soon however, this hysteria will take him down a dark road as he seeks to find out the truth about what is really going on. What does the number mean? who wrote the novel? and what does it have to do with him?

The funny thing about the movie, is that the whole 23 concept ends up being kind of eluding and irrelevant. It feels like little more than a plot element to throw the viewer off track so we cannot figure out the movie before it is ready to give us the climactic twist. Depending on how focused you are on the picture, it may or may not work. The ending is strangely predicable in a way, although not too blatantly.

I can't say much for the acting (esspecially Carrey) but the cinematography and music are quite eccentric. There are times when the Number 23 feels like a cross between a Jazzy scored film-noir and a comic book.

I guess in the end, the movie could use a little work, but of course nothing is perfect. Try it and see what it does for you. It's not 2 bad3 .

I knew when I bought THE NUMBER 23 on DVD that I haven't to expect too much after reading the critics on this link. I watched it with high attention till the end and I have to say that it worked on a fair level as an average thriller. There are some points in this film that weren't logic for me. Anyway, if you have really nothing to do this one offers many mysteries and puzzles to solve but not great suspense. There were perhaps some unnecessary bloody scenes. I was very positive surprised seeing Jim Carrey giving a great and respectable performance in a thriller. I cannot share some opinions that he was misplaced here because he has no doubt a great talent and I can imagine him in other roles of this genre. And director Joel Schuhmacher made finally a better movie than his last ones. Final number: 6/10.

Carrey KILLS it in this movie. He was perfect for the role and acted the hell out of it. I just know one of these days he's going to have a career renaissance and come back as a serious actor and knock everyone's socks off.

Film full of tension and mystery. Worth watching for the beautiful performance of Jim Carrey. If i could assign a custom note it would be 23.

The Number 23 (2007) is a movie I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline follows a family that becomes fascinated by a unique book. The husband as he reads the book finds he can uniquely relate to many aspects of the storyline and begins thinking the book is about him. His wife tries to keep him from ruining their family with his obsession but the more he digs the more he appears to be losing his mind.... This movie is directed by Joel Schumacher (A Time to Kill) and stars Jim Carey (Ace Venture), Virginia Madsen (Candyman), Danny Huston (The Aviator) and Corey Stoll (Ant-man). The storyline for this is very clever and intricate. I absolutely loved seeing Carey in this role and don't think they could have picked a better leading actor. The script was very good and Carey delivered a very relatable character. The murder mystery aspects were fairly intense and you have doubts right up till the end of the movie. I also loved how this movie concluded, very smart. Overall I think this movie is a little underrated and deserves a solid 8/10 score and I'd strongly recommend seeing this once.

It's interesting to see Jim Carrey in such a role, I think he did a good job. When I watched it for the first time, I was a teenager and I was amazed, it's not a "wow" movie but I think you will enjoy watching it.

Despite the critical negativity surrounding its initial release, I was quite excited when I heard that The Number 23 was coming out on DVD soon; I was strangely drawn to the promises of trashy, pseudo-intellectual entertainment made by the trailer and its absurd yet curiously intriguing plot. Such promises are unfortunately unfulfilled.

Walter Sparrow (Jim Carrey) receives a book for his birthday. As he reads, he notices some parallels between the life of the novel's protagonist, Fingerling, and his own. Not an uncommon experience, many readers would argue. However, little details and numerical coincidences pop up more and more, and soon Walter's simple life is consumed by the novel.

Soon, the lives of Walter and Fingerling blend together, allowing for some acting flourishes from Carrey as his typically oddball character descends into one of his typically neurotic characters at a questionably fast pace. His performance is well contrasted by Virginia Madsen, who takes on the role of his wife, and for the most part, the audience, as she criticises Walter's small revelations. Having read the book, she admits "I didn't get it". The idea is that by the end, we'll come around. But we don't.

For some reason, at around the halfway point, it lunges forward as if the middle act has been left on the cutting room floor, perhaps in a bid to keep the running time at an ADD-friendly 90 minutes. Carrey is suddenly a lunatic, despite being a little over halfway through the novel at best, and 23 turns into a Scooby-Doo-ish murder mystery as the family jump in the van and track down an escaped murderer. It just falls apart and leaves you wondering what might have been.

The expository ending ties up the loose ends re-establishes some coherency on the disorder, but nevertheless, the film ends with its biggest question left unanswered: if your surname was Sparrow, why would you name your son Robin?

I like Jim Carrey, not because he is a comedian, but because he emerged as a serious actor in attempting to select good roles that will give him the variety of dimensions to display his talent.

The story of the movie is about a happy married man Walter Sparrow (Jim Carrey) and his wife Agatha (Virginia Madsen) and son Robin (Logan Lerman). One day as a gift his wife presents him with a novel The Number 23. On reading it Walter realizes the similarities the novel has with his life. The novel turns out to be a thriller with a murder mystery. Walter gets engaged into the paranoia of number 23 and tries to find a running parallel in real life to identify the characters and solve the murder mystery. Like a detective Walter traces the murderer and unknown writer of the novel. One clue leads to another, and another – until the end, the real murderer is exposed. I won't tell you the secret. Just a clue that the novel is written by someone named Topsy Eret.

The narrative of the movie is a bit puzzling, and I think the Director Joel Schumacher must have intentionally worked on it that way. Why I say this is because after the movie got over, I had the urge to see the movie again to understand the early half properly, and get more clarity in why the story is told in this manner and how the events are unfolded. But will I go and see the movie again, not really.

The movie is good, but not brilliant. It eclipse on the fringe areas of brilliance but falls shorts due to its direction. In the past Joel Schumacher has struggled to make commercially successful movie even with a good storyline on his hand. Here too he flounders. The saving grace of this thriller is one and only – Jim Carrey, who carries the whole burden of this movie on his shoulder, and makes us believe in the magical number 23.

After seeing the movie, I remembered my Dad who has paranoia of number 5. The amazing past time my Dad and Mom together had was when they found ways to add, subtract, multiply and divide any number to arrive at an answer that was 5. It is a unique ability and obviously paranoia. But it is amusing.

The same paranoia has been presented here with a mysterious thriller storyline. To some extend the director achieves success to telling us this novel story of number 23.

Jim Carrey looks haggard with age, but has played the character brilliantly. Virginia Madsen and Logan Lerman have acted decently but nothing worth historic to mention here.

Go and see it if you are a Jim Carrey fan or if you have a fascination for NUMBERS, both ways you will enjoy this movie.

(Stars 6 out of 10)

I remember when this film came out in 2007 but for some reason I didn't see it at the time, then i stumbled across it many years later in a cheap dvd store so grabbed it, I like Jim Carrey as a comic actor but as this was billed as a horror i was intrigued to see how he'd fare in this.

Carrey stars as Walter Sparrow, a rather goofy, likeable animal control officer, and when he is bitten by a dog called Ned (which Sparrow comically refers to as nasty evil dog) it caused him to be late while meeting his wife in a bookstore, she then advises him to read a fairly old, scrappy looking book called "The Number 23", by Topsy Krets, so he does and is soon enthralled by the book, noting similarities between his own life, including the name/nickname of the books main character, "Fingerling".

The more Walter reads of the story he comes across a character called "the suicide blonde", who explains that the number 23 is cursed and appears everywhere around her, as he reads this, Walter too becomes obsessed with the number, as well as the main character, who he is convinced is somehow about him, his wife dismisses the idea but his son seems to agree with him and Walter is determined to find out more as well as track down the elusive Topsy Kretts, who it seems has no other body of work except for the novel Walter is reading, and a clerk at a bookstore, finds no information on Kretts.

As the story unfolds, it appears there is more to the whole story than meets the eye, as dark turns and twists occur, and we get an insight into Walters past, and just why he thinks the novel is somehow based on his life.

The film for me definitely lost a bit of steam as it went on, the constant flashes of Walter, as fingerling interacting with characters in the book became somewhat distracting after a while, and the more you learned about 23 it kind of took away the mystery, however the film was enjoyable in parts, and I did enjoy Carreys performance, even though I kept thinking he'd go full on rubberface mode (he didn't), it bought some humour into a somewhat bleak story.

Overall this film wasn't that good, but it was decent and I did thoroughly enjoy the first half hour or so, and I don't regret watching it I wouldn't go too far out of my way to endorse either.

6/10 Very mild recommendation.

2+3=5 and also that's the highest this movie deserves.

I watched this by accident. I was looking for another movie, a comedy about a man who thinks he's a character in a novel (which turns out to be STRANGER THAN FICTION). Comedy, Jim Carrey, I thought this had to be it. I was wrong, and boy, am I glad I goofed.

Carrey plays Walter Sparrow, a fairly ordinary-seeming man, an animal control officer whose wife Aggie (played by Virginia Madsen) happens to buy him what seems to be the only copy of a self-published novel, THE NUMBER 23. But as Walter reads the book, the story of a homicide detective named Fingerling, he finds the character reminding him of himself. As he reads of the character Fingerling's descent into obsession and madness, he becomes increasingly disturbed himself, and goes hunting for the pseudononymous author, determined to find out what it all means. The answer uncovers a dark secret involving a murder committed over a decade ago, and alters the lives of Walter and his family permanently.

I won't say more, it would give away too much, but I found this wonderfully acted, beautifully written, and altogether involving. Carrey excellently plays both Walter Sparrow and Dec. Fingerling (in scenes from the novel shown as Carrey reads it), Madsen shines as loving housewife Aggie and novel character Fabrizia, and the supporting players turn in excellent performances, particularly Lynn Collins as the novel character Suicide Blond. The photography is frequently dark and threatening, which fits the plot, the sets are marvelous, and the climax is perfect.

I hope Carrey does more serious roles. This movie proves he's not just a funny rubber face.

The Number 23 is directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Fernley Phillips. It stars Jim Carrey, Virginia Madsen, Logan Lerman, Danny Huston, Lynn Collins and Rhona Mitra. Music is by Harry Gregson-Williams and cinematography by Matthew Libatique.

Walter Sparrow (Carrey) becomes obsessed with a novel that he comes to believe is written about him. As his obsession increases and the number 23 comes into play, the similarities arise and danger lurks at every corner.

Topsy Kretts at A Novel Fate.

A tough film to recommend with confidence, as the most divisive critical notices would suggest, The Number 23 is for some a genuinely intriguing movie with style to burn. The complex narrative structure, visual styles, gumshoe type narration and nods to classic era noir movies, certainly makes this more of interest to noir fans than your average horror/thriller seeker. The premise of the 23 enigma is quite a hook, especially for the conspiracy theorists out there, while the blending of paranoia and distortion of reality really puts a bleakness over the plotting to keep it edgy. Unfortunately much of it doesn't hold up under scrutiny, big leaps of faith are needed and the finale fizzles out in a whimper. But mostly it's thought provoking for the right reasons.

Suicide Blonde.

Visually it's a most arresting piece. The present world inhabited by Walter and his family is filled with bold reds and greens, while his flashback world, where he is detective Fingerling, is full of oblique decor, high contrast lighting and skewed angles. Carrey came in for some criticism, but he sits the role(s) well, especially as Walter's mind starts to fracture. Everyone else is up to scratch with par performances, while Williams provides a score that mixes eerie foreboding with the rumbles of psychological unease. There's much strange about the whole production, a sort of trippy/feverish dream where the editing jolts you out of the comfort zone and begs you to be involved in solving the mystery of The Number 23.

Not for everyone, obviously, and it asks a lot of forgiveness for its faults. Yet there is a better film here than I was led to believe it was. Perhaps for you as well? 7/10

The trouble with many actors that do only a particular type of film, is that once they go outside of their box, it's just too weird. This is true to Jim Carrey. We've become so accustomed to his comedy flicks that this throws us off guard. I kept waiting for him to crack jokes, but they never came. This is a true drama/thriller that keeps you guessing until the end.

Carrey plays a man who starts reading a book that more and more sound like it was written just for him. Then strange occurrences of the number 23 keep popping up and the story gets weirder and weirder. But trust me, stick with it--the twist is a jaw dropper.

I have to say it was a bit odd to see Carrey in the sex scenes-- I kept waiting for him to jump up and say "ssssssmokin!!!" I thought overall it was a great movie.

Hrmm... where to start.

Matthew Libatuque is about as good of a cinematographer as there is working, and for the visually inclined out there, this one is a feast.

Jim Carrey.... hrmm... Jim Carrey. I like it when comic actors play dark, as long as it's done well. He does this one well, but he's still the wrong actor for the role. There's a difference between being dark and playing dark, and unfortunately, he was just playing. This one was SCREAMING for Colin Farrell, but instead we get Jim Carrey proving that he really can act.

But as for the movie, I can simply say it's a mixed bag, and the fault there goes to Joel Schumacher. He gets credit for being a mainstream director who likes the dark material, but once again (*ahem* 8mm) he either doesn't understand the material, or isn't willing to stick up for it's integrity in the face of his big studio bosses. Either way, David Fincher could have done wonders with this, or Christopher Nolan, or any of the other directors who have a talent with solid, dark material.

The ending is the ultimate fault of the movie. Obviously, some suspension of disbelief is required for something like this, but the ending so strains credulity that it ruins some otherwise noteworthy work in the rest of the film. There are so many excellent directions this could have gone, but Schumacher opted for clever, and that relegates this one to little more than a renter.

Jim Carrey stars as a man who discovers a book with striking similarities to his own life. He becomes obsessed with the book and its fascination with the number 23. Eventually, he discovers the book is not a story at all but a confession of a real-life murder, and the second half of the film deals with him trying to find the author of the book (the killer).

When this came out in theaters, I was mildly interested in it. More for the number 23 than for the story or Jim Carrey. Numerology is an interesting thing, and while I don't believe in it I find it can be played out very well in films. This film is no exception -- the writer made sure to fully cover the obsession with the number as well as the rational explanation of how it can appear so often in the natural world. I appreciate the second part especially.

Many people, I think, were afraid of Carrey taking on a serious role. He does have a difficult time being perceived as serious by fans, and even I thought he seemed unnatural. Don't get me wrong -- "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is an amazing movie, and Carrey was wonderful in it. Here, too, he comes across as dramatic and dark -- a raw, sexual beast with a shady past. I never expected a Carrey of this magnitude and it's a nice change.

Tom Lenk shows up briefly, as a book store clerk. Every time I see Lenk I feel bad -- he always gets one or two lines in his movies, but never a leading role. Please, Hollywood, this is a funny man. If not a main character ,at least give hi ma supporting role that really adds to the story. If Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd can make movies where they just show up and make crack comments (thank you, Judd Apatow) then so can Lenk.

This movie has some twists and turns and doesn't really pick up until they begin to track the killer. Even then, it twists and turns some more. I suppose some people could have predicted the ending or a few of the twists, but I didn't. And that really impressed me -- an ending that made sense and was not foreseen. Sure, some parts stretch the imagination and reality a little bit, but nothing seemed impossible.

I found this to be one of the better thrillers or semi-horror (if we use horror very loosely) films to come out in 2007. Over all, this has been a disappointing year. Other than, say, "Vacancy" I really wasn't all that impressed. So, this might be the drink of fresh water some people had been waiting for. I know I was pleasantly surprised and impressed, and I hope you will be, too.

Lowly dogcatcher Walter Sparrow has his life changed when he comes into contact with a self-published novel by a mysterious author. Reading it, Walter finds eerie parallels between his life and the writer (Topsy Kretts – no, really) but more than that he finds that the fictional observations may well be true. The character in the novel claims to have stumbled across the evil power of the number 23 – finding it woven into all aspects of life. Walter starts out just interested in the story but as he looks into this claim he finds it to be true and quickly becomes obsessed with getting to the bottom of it all.

I like a good conspiracy-type film I do. My cynicism and bitterness sets me up to easily accept something much bigger than me ultimately working against me in ways that I cannot ever defeat. Sadly The number 23 is not a "good" film by any means and, although it all looks slick and professional, it is really very weak when you take away all the protection of budget and packaging and look at it in the cold light of day. In fact, it doesn't even take the cold light of day to expose 23 for what it is because it is hard to take it seriously when you are watching it. The problems are all the way from the very idea through the script because it never convinces and indeed scenes where the number is discussed ("32 – or 23 reversed") are just ridiculous and I was never able to get passed this and get into the mystery any more than this.

It is a shame because deep down there is a nice idea here and I like the gradual twist but the delivery doesn't make the most of it. Perhaps lost in the silliness of it, the film cannot make the number thing work, even when it sort of becomes a side issue (in some small way). It all looks good and I thought the visual design of the film was quite impressive – as was the device of having Walter putting himself within the novel as he read it; not only does it make things easier for the viewer but it also points to the root of the obsession. Carrey is actually OK here despite my worry that he would be really badly miscast. He works and even while the audience is snickering, one can believe that at least he believes if even if nobody else does. Madsen was better than I expected although generally she was best "within" the novel bits. Huston hangs round the edges failing to do much though.

Overall then this is a professional enough film that is slickly put together and has potential in every way if only some other device other than that bl00dy stupid number had been selected as the focus. As it is, the idea of destructive obsession is lost as many viewers will be too busy shouting "nonsense" at the screen while the script tries and fails to grip the audience with a thriller based on such tosh.