The Number 23 (2007)

8% of critics liked it
(186 reviews)
61% of users liked it
(457,527 ratings)

Upon acquiring a mysterious book in which the number 23 seems to take on powerful cosmic significance, a once-sane man gradually becomes obsessed with the idea that the frequently recurring number may in fact hold a deadly secret in this intense mystery-thriller starring Jim Carrey and Virginia… More Upon acquiring a mysterious book in which the number 23 seems to take on powerful cosmic significance, a once-sane man gradually becomes obsessed with the idea that the frequently recurring number may in fact hold a deadly secret in this intense mystery-thriller starring Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen, and directed by Joel Schumacher. Walter Sparrow (Carrey) is a middle-aged dogcatcher whose wife Agatha (Madsen) has bestowed him with an obscure mystery novel detailing the investigation launched by a tough-talking gumshoe named Fingerling (also Carrey) whose every move seems to be overshadowed by the enigmatic eponymous number. After noting a series of alarming parallels shared between the fictional detective and himself, Walter is quickly drawn in to the story as the hard-boiled private investigator murders raven-wigged moll Fabrizia (also Madsen) and pins the crime on her unsuspecting lover (Danny Huston). Back in the real world, fiction seems to merge with reality as Walter and Agatha's close friend Isaac (also Huston) begins to ingratiate himself ever deeper into the couple's relationship and Walter begins experiencing a gruesome series of visions in which he violently murders an unfaithful Agatha. His mind fast descending into a dark and violent whirlwind of madness, Walter enlists the aid of Agatha and the pair's adolescent son Robin (Logan Lerman) in seeking out the author of the mysterious tome and uncovering the sinister truth behind the so-called "23 enigma." ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Joel Schumacher
Written By: Fernley Phillips
Genres: Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Feb 23, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Jul 5, 2005
Studio: New Line Cinema

Critic Reviews

Tom Charity, CNN.com
For all its gimmicky numerology, The Number 23 just doesn't add up.
Jonathan F. Richards, Film.com
Pretty much every important date in history...can be teased to fit the pattern. What can't be hammered out of this fixation, apparently, is a coherent movie.
Manohla Dargis, New York Times
The Number 23 is an accidental comedy starring a deadly serious Jim Carrey.
Peter Howell, Toronto Star
Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times. Charles Manson was born Nov. 12 (11 + 12 = 23). The Mayans believed the world would end on Dec. 23, 2012 (20 + 1 + 2 = 23). My brother stole my pogo stick when I was 23 and broke it into 23 pieces.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Carrey owns this movie. He's in virtually every scene, and there's no taking one's eyes from him.
Lisa Rose, Newark Star-Ledger
Pages turn, knives plunge, rain patters and the camera rarely holds steady. No amount of quick cuts and twitchy shots, however, can compensate for the lack of narrative momentum.
Charles Cassady, Common Sense Media
Absurd, dark, and a miscast Jim Carrey. Yuck.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...starts with a promising idea, allows it devolve into chaos, and, finally, grinds it into the trite and mundane. (Blu-ray Edition)
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Nothing to decipher here
Peg Aloi, Boston Phoenix
There is something to this 23 stuff, and a film about apophenia (obsession with random connections) would be fascinating. But no.
Jeff Bayer, The Scorecard Review
Jim Carrey tries his best, but the film never gets psychologically creepy, never makes the viewer question what is fiction, what is reality, and most importantly what the number 23 is all about.
Garth Franklin, Dark Horizons
A convoluted and rather dull affair.
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
So much cascading hatred for the audience runs through the flickering images of this film!
Felix Gonzalez Jr., DVD Review
New Line Home Entertaintment ... have given it quite an impressive treatment.
Felix Gonzalez Jr., DVD Review
... the film astoundingly reaches new levels of unintentional self-parody with every turn.
Staci Layne Wilson, Horror.com
OK, so I was one of 23 people who actually liked The Number 23 when it came out on the big screen. Sue me for $23. And then double it, because although I will admit it's a bit flaccid upon second view, I still dug this DVD enough to recommend it to...
Kam Williams, NewsBlaze
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me 23 times, shame on me.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
As expected, the DVD edition (July 07) contains several commentaries (by mathematicians, director Schumacher, star Jim Carrey) about the myth, reality, and significance of numbers in our lives; Carrey says he named his company JC23 before making the film!
Brent Simon, FilmStew.com
Lacks the sort of streamlined clarity and crisp, clever reversals that keep the best such genre efforts entertainingly dancing just beyond the grasp of full deciphering.
Ted Murphy, Murphy's Movie Reviews
THE NUMBER 23 starts off promisingly but quickly devolves into an uneven mess.

Read all 20 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

John M

This was def a different role for Carrey and i enjoyed it. i think this movie had a chance to be so much more.
Directors C

The Number 23 is by no means confusing and a remarkable concept. It took my interest and took me ona thrill ride. In reality after watching the film. I realised it was about a number. Jim performed just as solidly and dramatically as he did in Eternal Sunshine and The Truman Show. A… More
The Number 23 is by no means confusing and a remarkable concept. It took my interest and took me ona thrill ride. In reality after watching the film. I realised it was about a number. Jim performed just as solidly and dramatically as he did in Eternal Sunshine and The Truman Show. A favorite of mine but not built for the mainstream audience like it was supposed to be.
Jeff "

The Number 23 is a great concept for a film ruined by a terrible script, bad acting and bad directing. I was very much looking forward in seeing this film, because the concept seemed appealing, and it is. However, the execution is so poorly done that the film falls apart halfway… More
The Number 23 is a great concept for a film ruined by a terrible script, bad acting and bad directing. I was very much looking forward in seeing this film, because the concept seemed appealing, and it is. However, the execution is so poorly done that the film falls apart halfway through. Joel Schumacher's directing is sloppy and he doesn't know what do to effectively build up the tension in his film, which if he had a clue, this film could have been great. The Number 23 is a sloppy horror thriller that falls short on every level. The twist ending sucked, the film was a waste of time, and Virginia Madsen overacted most of the time and most of the time she was so over the top, she was ridiculous. After finishing watching this film, I realized that The Number 23 was a joke; the film is a bad joke. The film tries to blend horror and suspense and thrills into one film, unfortunately the script is so poorly written that it fails to grab your attention and suck you into the story. Schumacher has made yet another flop and is along with Batman & Robin, one of the lowest points of his career as well as the second worst film of his career. The Number 23 is a missed opportunity and if some other director would have helmed the film, and rewritten the script and maybe recasted a few roles, then I think this film could have succeeded at being an effective thriller. But the film is a waste of time, and is a pretty stupid attempt at creating a good horror thriller. The Number 23 can be used as a perfect example as HOW NOT TO make a thriller. A terrible film that should be avoided.
Film C

I had low expectations for this movie, however it turned out to be an okay movie that i surprisingly quite enjoyed. I liked the concept, and for once Jim Carrey didnt annoy me! Normally i dont like Jim Carrey as he's normally playing his goofy annoying characters however in… More
I had low expectations for this movie, however it turned out to be an okay movie that i surprisingly quite enjoyed. I liked the concept, and for once Jim Carrey didnt annoy me! Normally i dont like Jim Carrey as he's normally playing his goofy annoying characters however in this movie he played completely the opposite, playing a dark character really suits him he actually was quite cute in this movie! The only problem with this movie is that Rhona mitra had far to little of a part! Its not a movie you should go out of your way to watch but if you catch it then its enjoyable enough!
Idrees K

Seems dumb and feels like they're trying too hard to make it something it's not.
Chris W

This film had good intentions and a good concept, but was lacking in execution being solid. Joel Schimacher is a hot-or-miss director (usually miss), and, while this film isn't quite a hit, it's not bad enough ot be considered a miss. It's one of those films where if… More
This film had good intentions and a good concept, but was lacking in execution being solid. Joel Schimacher is a hot-or-miss director (usually miss), and, while this film isn't quite a hit, it's not bad enough ot be considered a miss. It's one of those films where if you want to watch a thriller that toys with you, and/or are really bored, this is an okay way to kill time. I really liked Jim Carrey's performance in this. It was nice to see him in a really dark and serious role/film. He did a nice job, despite earneing a Razzie nomination for his work here. Had ths material been in the hands of a better writer and/or director, it probably would have been a decent hit. As it stands, it's in a weird limbo like place between good and bad, with individual perception being the deciding factor to which side it leans towards more.
Dead A

Boring................zzzzzzzz
Wahida K

Very weird Movie.
Conner R

While it is a terrible movie, it is pretty entertaining. Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen did a very good job actually. It's really the obnoxious story that makes it such a ridiculous film. Joel Schumacher's bizarre direction also is a factor, but it's just an extremely… More
While it is a terrible movie, it is pretty entertaining. Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen did a very good job actually. It's really the obnoxious story that makes it such a ridiculous film. Joel Schumacher's bizarre direction also is a factor, but it's just an extremely predictable premise.
Lady D

Despite it?s depressing tone throughout, The Number 23 develops into an impressive conspiracy, mystery, psychological Thriller. I tend to find Jim Carrey?s serious roles more entertaining and find the films he chooses and the roles he plays very intense and thought provoking.… More
Despite it?s depressing tone throughout, The Number 23 develops into an impressive conspiracy, mystery, psychological Thriller. I tend to find Jim Carrey?s serious roles more entertaining and find the films he chooses and the roles he plays very intense and thought provoking. There was a hint of Graphic Novel style added to some of the film too, which worked pretty well. This film, perhaps, isn?t for everyone, but if you like Thrillers, that get into your head and add an element of unpredictability, this film may be your kind of thing.
Derek A

***WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS*** I think I've seen this before... oh wait, I HAVE! It's like watching Secret Window all over again, except worse. Jim Carrey didn't necessarily do a bad job, but the movie as a whole was just unconvincing. Plot holes were miles long...… More
***WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS*** I think I've seen this before... oh wait, I HAVE! It's like watching Secret Window all over again, except worse. Jim Carrey didn't necessarily do a bad job, but the movie as a whole was just unconvincing. Plot holes were miles long... for instance, how did that one copy of that book wind up in that book store and wind up in his wife's hands and it just moved her enough (although it had no description on the back) to buy it for her husband as a birthday present (although he never had a previous hobby of reading). This movie relies too heavily on coincidences which only lessens its credibility and makes it look foolish. The only aspect of the movie that was enjoyable was the concept of the number 23. I understand that you can do that with just about any number, but it was still a nice glimpse into the world of paranoia. However, the movie does take itself a little too seriously
Megan S

The movie seemed oddly familiar, ahhh maybe the number 23 is coming to get me...or maybe all the previews I saw gave too much away. :-P It was pretty good, I wasn't expecting it to be spectacular. Though I feel like it was another one of those movies where the previews tried to… More
The movie seemed oddly familiar, ahhh maybe the number 23 is coming to get me...or maybe all the previews I saw gave too much away. :-P It was pretty good, I wasn't expecting it to be spectacular. Though I feel like it was another one of those movies where the previews tried to make it look more scary than it actually was.
_kelly .

The tension in this thriller stays fairly taught after the first ten minutes. The "alternate world" of the book allows for some very interesting cinematography. Carrey's acting is not comedic, which is great; I always like to see "comedians" show that they too… More
The tension in this thriller stays fairly taught after the first ten minutes. The "alternate world" of the book allows for some very interesting cinematography. Carrey's acting is not comedic, which is great; I always like to see "comedians" show that they too can act. The story is....well when a story tries to be cryptic but just turns out mediocre and completely not cryptic, what is that called? Because this is a little bit better than that - it's not mediocre and not quite "okay" but somewhere between those two. So it's not David Lynch because it can be easily understood; that makes my complaint more preferential. If you like your thrillers straight-forward and uncomplicated, then this format works fairly well. There are some great "jump scare" shots that I simply wasn't expecting from this less horror-prone movie. I wasn't bothered that I took time to watch this, as the obsession with filming scrawled-upon walls (and any surface other than a proper notebook) is very interesting and looks terrific. If it's on TV, watch it.
Pierluigi P

Pretencious, dull, and preposterous.
Bobby H

Jim Carrey in a non-comedy? That'd never work! But it does! This movie is crazy in all ways. It's mysterious, the plot is great, it keeps you glued to the screen, the actors are perfection, and you will never predict whats going to happen. It's truly one of the… More
Jim Carrey in a non-comedy? That'd never work! But it does! This movie is crazy in all ways. It's mysterious, the plot is great, it keeps you glued to the screen, the actors are perfection, and you will never predict whats going to happen. It's truly one of the greatest mind crazed movies I have ever seen.
E.J. B

Rather stupid thriller that uses its concept as nothing more than a gimmick.
Dean !

A very good thriller with Jim Carrey doing very well in a non-comic role for a change! If you like Stir of Echoes, Secret Window you should like this to!
Michael G

Jim Carrey's stupid hair and his overcooked narration. The stupid tattoos and Virginia Madsen's dead-behind-the-eyes performance. The name Schumacher was there to tell me there is something worse than Batman & Robin and for some damn fool reason I didn't listen. The… More
Jim Carrey's stupid hair and his overcooked narration. The stupid tattoos and Virginia Madsen's dead-behind-the-eyes performance. The name Schumacher was there to tell me there is something worse than Batman & Robin and for some damn fool reason I didn't listen. The premise SEEMED okay, Ned was neat and the Suicide Blonde was foxy. I'd have given an extra star if Carrey DIDN'T get out of the bus's way but no matter how you cut it, this movie is pure shit. I take that back because shit can be used for the practical purpose of fertilizer. Unless some film teacher shows this to his or her students as an example of what NOT to do I can't say that. This is more of a war crime.
Martin S

It was...wierd
Lanning :

In my old age, I'm getting a wee bit tired of giving Jim Carrey yet another chance to prove he can actually deliver. I'll catch this if it shows up on TV -- if I'm still alive. 01/29/08 update: Well, I did catch this on TV. Do… More
In my old age, I'm getting a wee bit tired of giving Jim Carrey yet another chance to prove he can actually deliver. I'll catch this if it shows up on TV -- if I'm still alive. 01/29/08 update: Well, I did catch this on TV. Do you remember The Duck Factory? That was a great TV show. There was a time when Jim Carrey commanded $20 million per film, up front. I am very sad about what has happened to him.