What would it be like to have God's powers for a while? What kinds of feats would you undertake, and how would they affect the world around you? These kinds of rhetorical questions are the stuff of playground kids gathered around a swingset during lunchtime. Speaking of kids, these kinds of questions are also the premise for the new Jim Carrey movie Bruce Almighty, and although a lot of critics have panned it for being too kid-like in its approach to this very theme, it's nevertheless a fun and inoffensive piece.
Carrey plays Bruce Nolan, a second rate news reporter for a Buffalo TV station. Always passed over for advancement opportunities by his employers, Bruce starts to think he'll never get a break. At least he has his girlfriend Grace (Jennifer Aniston) to provide emotional support for him. After getting fired for an on-air tirade and a series of unfortunate happenstances including a nasty beating and an automobile accident, Bruce lashes out to God in anger. God turns out to be Morgan Freeman, a dapper-dressing resident of a seemingly uninhabited building. To test Bruce's temperament, God gives him His powers. The only stipulation is that he can't alter or manipulate the Free Will of anyone else.
This provides the kind of set-up Jim Carrey was born to play around in. In one scene, Bruce puts phony words into his rival anchor's mouth (played by Steven Carell) and the results are very comical. In another, he tries to set the perfect mood for Grace; divine intervention plays a big part in helping her to experience a bit of heaven herself. In a quaint diner scene, he parts tomato soup with his thoughts. And then there is a monkey that does indeed come out of a man's butt. Even though a lot of the potential for the concept isn't utilized to its fullest -- there are countless possibilities when you think about it -- many parts of the movie work well and are quite funny.
Of course, as with so many comedies, there's lots of familiar turf at work too. The suspicious other girl (played by Jag lady Catherine Bell) is dead weight, as is the third act, which inevitably must serve as a morality tale for Bruce, the guy who inadvertently ends up granting the wishes of 400,000 people wanting to win the lottery by typing "yes" to them via e-mail. Some of the sentimental portions teeter close to the edge. If it were anyone other than Carrey providing the comedy, surely the project would have misfired.
It's inevitable that with too much considered analysis, a flick like Bruce Almighty could not get a passing grade. But considering it's directed by Tom Shadyac, the man who introduced the world to opuses such as Patch Adams and the first Ace Ventura: Pet Detective film, high expectations are already stowed away for safe keeping before the movie even starts. For what it is, it does the job and, contrary to tons of negative reviews, isn't nearly as gruelling to sit through as might be believed.
