Yes Man generated mixed reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 42% of critics gave positive based on 128 reviews.Most critics thought that its plot was too similar to Liar Liar, which also starred Jim Carrey. Metacritic also calculated a 45/100 approval rating based on 23 reviews.
In his review for The Miami Herald, Rene Rodriguez wrote, "Yes Man is fine as far as Carrey comedies go, but it's even better as a love story that just happens to make you laugh," while Kyle Smith of The New York Post countered in his review that, "The first time I saw Yes Man, I thought the concept was getting kind of stale toward the end. As it turns out, that was only the trailer.".
The film opened #1 in its first weekend at the US box office with $18.3 million, and went straight to the top of the UK box office in its first weekend after release.