I Love You Phillip Morris is a 2009 black comedy film[2] based on a 1980s and 1990s real-life story of con artist, impostor and multiple prison escapee Steven Jay Russell, as played by Jim Carrey.

He plays the organ at church, has unenthusiastic sex with his wife, Debbie, and spends his off-hours searching for his biological mother, who had placed him for adoption as a child.

After a car crash on the way from a homosexual tryst, Steven leaves his family and life behind, though he keeps in touch with his wife and young daughter, and explores the world as his true self – a gay man.

[citation needed] After original difficulty finding a U.S. distributor, likely due to its explicit gay sexual content, the film was re-edited.

A Christian blogger stated that warden Burl Cain did not permit one sex scene between two male inmates to be filmed at the prison.

Although a limited run in the United States was initially scheduled for April 12, 2009, it was later reported that the film's release had been indefinitely postponed by its distributors, Consolidated Pictures Group[9] but on April 30, 2009, Variety announced the distributor had had a change of heart and that I Love You Phillip Morris would be shown in limited theaters starting June 30 before expanding nationwide on July 6.

The film was finally released on October 30, 2009, after Roadside Attractions and Liddell Entertainment acquired the rights to distribute in the United States.

The critical consensus is: "This fact-based romantic comedy has its flaws, but they're mostly overcome by its consistently sweet, funny tone and one of the best performances of Jim Carrey's career.

[13] Steve Persall from the Tampa Bay Times wrote, "Think Catch Me If You Can mashed up with Brokeback Mountain if Mel Brooks directed and you'll get the idea.

[8] John Anderson of Variety remarked, "Less of a comedy than a hilarious tragedy, I Love You Phillip Morris stars Jim Carrey in his most complicated comedic role since The Cable Guy.

"[8] Empire wrote, "One of the funniest films of the year, this is a wonderful mix of old-school Carrey outrageousness with a genuinely touching – and very modern – love story.

Lucky Red later claimed to have purchased from its distributor and production company EuropaCorp a "softer" version of the original, in which most of the homosexual sex scenes between the protagonists Steve and Phillip were removed.