Evan Almighty

This is likely to be the review that most people will disagree with but I actually enjoyed Evan Almighty. Sure it has many flaws, most of which I would usually use against the film, but I still found myself liking what happened. Now, bear in mind, I went in with the lowest of expectations; it was basically Steve Carrell that got me into the theatre seat. You have to admit that Carrell is on a roll right now. However, if you are hoping for Bruce Almighty caliber, keep hoping. This film is a little more restrictive than Bruce but I’ll get to that in a minute. Let’s start with the flaws.

If you remember in Bruce Almighty, Steve Carrell and his gibberish newscast practically stole the film from Jim Carrey. That’s an impressive feat. Carrell played Evan Baxter, a pretentious news anchor who’s basically a jerk. In Evan Almighty, this character is now a nice, clean freak with some slight family issues. Apparently, Evan did a 180-degree character shift since that last film. That’s the first flaw. The second is the wife’s utter disbelief. Even though Joan Baxter, played by the loveable Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls) is a good Christian wife who is all for reading the Bible and praying, she cannot accept the fact that her husband is turning into Noah. Evan is able to grow amazing facial hair overnight, he is in possession of enough wood to build a gigantic ark, exotic animals are following him home, what’s not to believe? I think the constantly growing facial hair is enough of a sign. What reason would he have to lie? The last major flaw in Evan Almighty, is the horrific cast/crew karaoke over the credits. Evan’s little victory dance (trying to match Carrey’s “It’s good” catchphrase) is blown out of proportion to the grating sounds of C+C Music Factory’s “Everybody Dance Now”. It was a terrible decision. There’s Something About Mary’s “Build Me Up Buttercup” and 40 Year Old Virgin’s “Aqaurius” were right on the money; this was anything but. What an unfortunate end.

But here’s what I liked about Evan Almighty. The story was simple. I had to laugh at one of the critics who complained that the story was too simplistic. In a time where the complex storylines of Spiderman III and Pirates III are sinking franchises, give me simplicity. The story is a nice modern-day version of Noah and the building of the ark. There is an unnecessary sub-plot about the wrecking of the environment but I can easily forgive that. The supporting characters do their job; the usually irritating Wanda Sykes gets a few good one-liners and John Goodman plays a good-enough bad guy. The standout for me was Jonah Hill (Accepted, Knocked Up) as Eugene, the knowledgeable intern. This is one funny guy with fantastic comedic timing. I’m looking forward to his work in Superbad with Arrested Development’s Michael Cera. Of course, Morgan Freeman is wonderful as God. He has the perfect mix of kindness, humour and seriousness. And even though Evan is now a kindler, gentler man, Steve Carrell still gets to have some fun.

Evan Almighty is not as outrageous as Bruce Almighty but there are two big reasons for that. First, it’s rated G. This is meant to be a family film; therefore things need to be a bit tamer. There’s no orgasm jokes in this one. Some of the fun is meant solely for the kids, like birds pooping on people. The second reason is that we’re now dealing with a Biblical character. Bruce was just a wacky individual who challenged God; Noah is figure from the Old Testament. This film is more respectful in tone; it doesn’t feel the need to become blasphemous. So there isn’t as much edginess in Evan Almighty; it’s a different movie, despite the same director and some returning actors. You need to ignore the Bruce Almighty factor if you want to truly enjoy this film. I’m sure some of you will say that the movie is too simple and preachy. Maybe I was just in the mood for that. Sue me.

Reviews coming soon: 1408, Live Free or Die Hard, Transformers