Bruce Almighty

Bruce Nolan (Carrey) doesn't like his life. Despite having a good job, a nice home and a beautiful girlfriend in Grace (Aniston), Bruce seems to think that God has it in for him. When he hears that he hasn't got this dream job as news anchor at the TV station where he works, Bruce flips out on air and promptly loses his job. As one disaster follows another his day gets increasingly worse until he can't take anyone and blames everything on the big man upstairs. What he doesn't realise is that God (Freeman) is listening, so he offers Bruce all his powers to see if he can do a better job of been the almighty.

Jim Carrey becomes God, how much more of a nightmare could you get.

Carrey hasn't made a decent movie since Man on the Moon and Bruce Almighty isn't going to change that record. Even though it was a huge hit in the US, you can't help but find this movie extremely unfunny especially if you have seen the trailer in which all the best gags appear. The movie is very audience specific catering for the Christian, Americanised image of God and never answering or even setting to answer any of the more difficult questions about been the supreme being.

Jim Carrey is back to his usual over-the-top, exuberant self that will start to get on your nerves after the first twenty minutes. The frustrating thing is that the man can act, he proved this in The Truman Show and Man on the Moon but this is Liar, Liar (same director) sweet, high concept Carrey. A vehicle to show off his so called comedy style in an inoffensive, crown pleasing way. You can tell by the awfully sweet background music and the feel good message ending that any Christian viewer will love this movie.

Jennifer Aniston does he best with her role, Morgan Freeman is very godlike and the underused Phillip Baker Hall is as good as ever but even they can't distract you from the movie's shortcomings. You need to see more of Bruce using his new powers and the film needs a major injection of humour to counter act the sentimentality and the pushing of the message of been grateful for what you have got.

Bruce Almighty is a missed opportunity that is far too Christian America for its own good. It doesn't go far enough is answering some of the greater questions about the existence and purpose of God, even though it is only a comedy movie. It does have a decent message of been grateful for what you have in life but it doesn't answer the question about the people who have nothing to be grateful for. Sickly sweet and never more than slightly amusing, Bruce Almighty just placates to America's vision of God and how they think we should life our lives. For the rest of the world and all those non-Christians out there, it is just a load of unfunny, nonsense.

Audio commentary from director Tom Shadyac, Outtakes, Deleted scenes, Featurette, Interactive menu & Scene access

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2003