Like “Saturday Night Live” the ‘90s sketch comedy series “In Living Color,” by creator Keenan Ivory Wyans, was responsible for launching the career of more than one would-be Hollywood star. Possibly the show’s greatest find was the wildly entertaining and talented facial actor Jim Carrey, whose portrayal of iconic characters like ‘Fire Marshall Bill” had audiences in stitches. Since that time, Carrey has gone on to star in a plethora of comedies such as “The Mask,” “The Cable Guy,” and the Farrelly Brother’s “Me, Myself, and Irene.” In 1997 Carrey partnered with Director Tom Shadyac in the hilarious “Liar Liar,” whose box office return of $45M would set the stage for the two to reunite for the 2003 production “Bruce Almighty,” a zany-yet-clever film that is humorous while at the same time hiding a parable on its underbelly that Shadyac is famous for.
Carrey plays Bruce Nolan, a Buffalo newsman who, despite dating a beautiful and kind woman (Jennifer Aniston), believes he has gotten the perpetual shaft. While others get to cover serious news, Nolan is best known for covering such community feel-good pieces as a local baker’s attempt to create ‘Buffalo’s Biggest Cookie,’ stories he’s only able to make successful by being sarcastic and irreverent in his delivery. When an aged newsman retires, he goes off the deep end when he learns he has been passed over for promotion in favor of Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) right before covering a story on The Maid of the Mist, cursing out Baxter on-air and being summarily fired from the show.
A fight with his girlfriend and some sulking and brooding later, and it’s clear Nolan is in dire straits. However, a pager in his house with a strange number gets his attention and leads him to a facility where he meets a janitor (Morgan Freeman) who quickly shares his true identity: He is God; and for a short time he will bestow him with all his powers to show Bruce (who previously blasphemed God for cursing his life), that the job may not be as easy as he thinks.
Jim Carrey is undoubtedly the star of this film, and “Bruce Almighty” uses its asset well. Early scenes after he “becomes God” are rightfully humorous, such as when he intimidates a group of punks or parts a sea of tomato soup in a restaurant. However others, such as when he begins hearing a multitude of voices (which we learn are unanswered prayers from Buffalo’s denizens) are more serious and bring God’s purpose in giving Bruce his powers to light – being God is a harder job than Bruce may have previously imagined. If Bruce is to learn this lesson, however, he must use his powers to help people, instead of thinking selfishly as he has his whole life.
Supporting actors do a good job of adding humor to this film, such as Steve Carell as the obnoxious Evan Baxter, who would go on to gain fame in a variety of films such as the hysterical “The 40 Year Old Virgin.” Morgan Freeman, an accomplished actor if ever there was one, here turns in a weird-yet-almost perfect portrayal as The Almighty One, who manages on one hand to be almost sarcastic and droll as he watches Bruce self destruct, yet brings sweetness and understanding to the role in all the right places. He manages to shed the power roles in films such as “Se7en,” and “The Shawshank Redemption” and instead become an understated character. For a film about the power of God, Freeman is content to let the story tell itself and stand quietly in the background. The result is a testament to both Freeman’s abilities as an actor and Shadyac’s directing that brings infinitely more credibility to the film.
Also surprising is the performance by Jennifer Aniston, whose Grace becomes a likeable and sweet character I wasn’t expecting. We’re not talking Oscar-worthy material here, but it was nice to see her leave her quirky-confident ‘Rachel’ of TV’s “Friends” behind and create a kind and real character we can actually relate to.
Criticism of “Bruce Almighty” may lie in its overly campy approach, a result of Tom Shadyac, who is no stranger to the tearjerker. While helming an abundance of laugh-fests al a “Liar Liar” and “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,” Shadyac’s 1998 drama “Patch Adams” – based on the life of Hunter Patch Adams – was somber and bittersweet, showing his love of the happy-yet-realistic ending which would line even his most raunchy works. In “Almighty,” you can practically sense the ‘appreciating what you’ve got’ moral just waiting to be unwrapped, which robs the movie of any surprise or intrigue. However, amidst a multitude of laugh-out-loud funny scenes at the hands of Carrey and Freeman, it’s a forgivable slight, and one audiences can certainly live with.
At the end of the day, while more powerful movies that deal with this moral question exist (think “It’s a Wonderful Life”), “Bruce Almighty” doesn’t try to tell its story through somber drama but through wildly funny quirks and gimmicks. This is a nice film. While lacking a basis in reality, it’s lessons are real and the tension between Bruce and Grace will doubtless be relatable to anyone struggling to maintain a relationship while attempting to build a career and life for oneself. It has humor and wit, and features Jim Carrey on the absolute top of his game. And, underneath it all, it’s a very sweet film, which, amidst a field often littered with raunchy copycats, is a welcome change that only adds to the film’s success.
If you want to laugh, watch “Bruce Almighty.”
– by Mark Ziobro
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