DVD Review: 'The Number 23'

By Matthew Price

Published: July 27, 2007

Jim Carrey plays Walter Sparrow, an animal-control officer who becomes obsessed with the numerological significance of the number 23 in "The Number 23.” Walter's wife, Agatha (Virginia Madsen), buys Walter a used book for his birthday, a red-covered novel that appears to have been published by the author, "Topsy Kretts.” As Walter begins reading the novel, he finds many similarities between himself and the protagonist, a detective called Fingerling who becomes obsessed with the number 23.

Carrey plays the role of Fingerling in the noirish flashbacks to the book; Madsen plays Fabrizia, the masochistic girlfriend of the novel.

As Walter's obsession deepens, he wonders about the connection between the novel and an unsolved murder of a college student 13 years earlier.

Director Joel Schumacher previously worked with Carrey on "Batman Forever,” and, as he did in that movie, he makes a movie that looks pretty but doesn't make a whole lot of sense. "The Number 23” lacks coherence in plot and features a twist ending that isn't really a twist.

Extras: Commentary by Schumacher, trivia track, deleted scenes, documentaries and behind-the-scenes featurettes. The DVD contains the theatrical version and the unrated cut, for viewers who want to immerse themselves in this bog for three additional minutes.

— Matthew Price

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