DJG / The Number 23

The Number 23 * * ½
Directed by: Joel Schumacher / 2007

Growing up, my favorite number was 23. It was the number that Michael Jordan wore on his Chicago Bull jersey, as he basketball-baptized my bright eyes in front of the television and on my bedroom wall posters. I couldn’t wait to match my favorite number to my age. However, 23 was one of my worst as I dropped out of school, moved to a big new city and into a cavernous, cold and dilapidated home at the edge of the Kansas City ghetto, flat broke and with a ton of roommates who never wanted to do the dishes or take the trash out. We made the most of it and I have some fond memories, but 23 was still my worst year. However, that year isn’t nearly as bad now in comparison to the Joel Schumacher suspense cheese fest “The Number 23”. I can’t help but admit that I enjoyed watching it for a little while and managed to make it through Jim Carrey and all of his cheesy, terrible suspense acting, bad-tatt-sax playing gory as it took him what seemed like two weeks to get to the poor payoff of a half-inch thick book that he seemed to be voraciously reading through. It just so happened to be January 23 when my wife and I popped this one into the player, but by January 24 I had forgotten I’d even watched it.

-djg