Record Label: New Line Records
Genre: Film Score
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Number 23 is the score to the latest Jim Carrey movie, but it’s not your typical Jim Carrey movie. He’s not doing his usual shtick with making funny faces or talking out of his ass. This story is about a man’s obsession with a book that seems to be based on his own life. A murder takes place in the book but it hasn’t happened in real life yet. So yeah, you get the jest of the story right there. The film was directed by Joel Schumacher, who has worked with composer Harry Gregson-Williams before.

Gregson-Williams composed Schumacher’s Phone Booth & Veronica Guerin, and Number 23 is sort of similar to those scores. It’s dark, techno sounding at times, but overall it’s just a silent & creepy score. The composer has a fair balance between orchestra and electronica, which he always does right. I’m not really a fan of the electronica side of his composing and find it’s kind of distracting. But it does work well in the movies and that’s what counts in the end. I think some of the computerized sound effects tend to be over-used and wish he stuck with tracks like “Fingerling’s Childhood.” The later tracks are more menacing than the beginning tracks. I guess Jim Carrey does creepy things in the film and that’s why those songs sound that way. If you enjoyed Harry Gregson-Williams thriller scores like Deja vu, Phone Booth, and Enemy of the State; you’ll most likely enjoy this one as well. I liked a few tracks but didn’t really care for the electronica, minimalist tracks.

Bottom Line: The score probably fits the movie well but I felt it could have been better
Notable Tracks: Fingerling’s Childhood, Finishing the Book, Room 23
Overall Rating: