Evan Almighty (2007)

Wonderfully offbeat film!

Sadly Over-hyped

Fresh and Exciting

Excellent but underrated film

Anyone who likes "Bruce, Almighty" will definitely like this movie, which looks like a spin-off, based in the biblical story of Noah. In this case, it's adapted to our time and contains several ecological and ethical messages. The finale is excellent and takes full advantage of CGI to impress us. Since it assumes from the beginning that its a rather irreverent comedy, questions surrounding the likelihood or plausibility of the facts don't apply here. Cinematography is also good as well as soundtrack. Despite this, there is no effort to develop characters, with the overwhelming majority of them representing archetypes more than real people. For example, the movie villain, played by John Goodman, isn't a person with personality or story but just an archetype of the corrupt, greedy American politicians, concerned only about their personal gains. This senator isn't only representing himself but an idea. From this point of view, and since the film seeks to convey some ideas and messages (acts of random kindness, other ecological, human, altruistic ideas and messages), the use of archetypes makes this task easier, although many people may simply think that the characters were poorly developed.Steve Carrell is a good comedian and does a very nice job in this film, which is a major evolution in his career, that started badly with vulgar comedies and easy jokes. Morgan Freeman remains playing God and becomes one of the actors who best gave life to the Creator in the movies. He can also be funny, but it's a different kind of humor, more restrained and serene than Carrell's comedy. Goodman was good as a villain, in that he made his character into something that was both funny and execrable. This is a good family movie with lots of entertainment and good comedy, that cannot get past "Bruce, Almighty" but does what it takes to amuse the public. The film is funny and can really make us spend some quality time.

"Have faith!" says the character protagonist throughout the film, and almost seems to tell the viewers who watch this movie expecting something similar to its precursor.This continuation focuses on the character of Evan Baxter (Steve Carell, the secondary who eclipsed the protagonist of the first installment ... but who was very well like that: as secondary ridiculed in small but powerful doses). Evan gets the call from God (Freeman) who asks him to build an ark like Noah because there is going to be a great flood.Unfortunately the movie, grace, what is said grace does not make much of the truth. And if it carries the weight of being a sequel of which expected at least something to the level of the first (which without being a masterpiece of humor, was much more entertaining, unique and fun at times than this) and is not , only the word deception can be used.The main problem is that this new premise is much less funny than the first film. The tape consists of watching this character soporifically talk to his family and co-workers and building an ark without arriving to convey really funny, tender or interesting moments.The case is that the minutes intent, and the film manages to transmit a state of comfort and optimism with ambiance to Disney (nice and lively). There is also a good display of media and effects that give rise to some other sequence of distracted action and some scene with animals quite remarkable.But all this is not enough to entertain the adult audience within this slow and candid story that has the same childlike, harmless and innocuous it is insubstantial and insipid. Not even Carell (I admit that he is a comedian that I like very much) manages to rescue the affair with a character who has been blurred his extremes of seriousness / comedy (he is no longer that smart bastard with elegant dress that made fun when he was ridiculed). Evan Baxter here is too content with a few occurrences that never make him explode in a funny way (not funny when he becomes a kind of Noah, or when he grows beard, or when dressed in robes...rather, anecdotes very little distracted).In short, it is hardly funny and its story is the most ordinary and candid. At best it will produce a couple of laughs (and hardly) for his gimmicks with the animals and the face of staggered of Carell in those moments.The best: That will please the children by their Disney-esque wrapping and their nonsense with animals. Wanda Sykes, her character and her phrases (every time she made an appearance, she sighed with relief)...the time of the invasion of the animals in the office.The worst: Evan's pathetic "dance" sequence that leaves Johnny Depp's "delusion" of "Alice in Wonderland" as the most hilarious of the universe by comparison. His general lack of grace.

Evan Almighty is the 2007 sequel to the 2004 Jim Carrey comedy Bruce Almighty, though, technically, I wouldn't consider it a sequel because it really has nothing to do with the first film. This film plucks two characters from the first film and drops them in the middle of a completely different story. The film actually bears more of a resemblance to 1977's Oh God! than the Carrey film.This infectious comic romp stars Steve Carell as Evan Baxter, the anchorman from the first film who has just been elected to the US congress, running on a "Change the World" platform. Just as Baxter moves his family to DC and begins working with a shady senior congressman (John Goodman), he is visited by God (Morgan Freeman) who feels Evan's campaign platform makes him the perfect candidate to be a modern day Noah. He commands Evan to build an ark in preparation for a great flood that's coming. Evan feels he has enough on his plate at this time and ignores the heavenly request, but as you can imagine, God is not taking no for an answer and Evan finds strong hints being dropped his way, like a HUGE order of lumber being delivered to his house, God giving him a copy of "Ark Building for Dummies", and a beard that no matter how many times he shaves, it instantly re-appears.I found this film way more entertaining than the Jim Carrey film, primarily because Evan's character is more likable than Carrey's, even though, Evan Baxter was an obnoxious creep in the first film. Evan has been refashioned as a perfectly nice guy for this film, evoking more sympathy for the character, though the thought did cross my mind how different this film would have been with the Evan from the first film at the center of it, but it did not deter from my enjoyment of this film.Steve Oedekerk's screenplay is clever, though, like Oh God!, I was somewhat troubled by the situations that God puts Evan in without having his back until the climax, which features some first-rate special effects. Carell is charming, as usual, and gets solid support from Goodman, Lauren Graham as his wife, and Wanda Sykes, John Michael Higgins, and Jonah Hill as congressional aides of Evan's. As suspected, Morgan Freeman is class personified as the Almighty, just as he was in the first film.This is an entertaining comedy that avoids a lot of the preachiness that such a story could invoke and make sure you stay tuned through the closing credits.

Evan Baxter, obnoxious TV newsman from Bruce Almighty, becomes a not-quite-so-obnoxious senator for no reason other than plot expediency, following which God - once more in the form of Morgan Freeman, merging gravitas with impishness - decides it's time to leave Jim Carrey alone, and have a go at Steve Carell instead. Turns out He wants Evan to build an ark in the old-fashioned Noah kind of way and, what's more, He imposes Biblical hair, beard and robes on the poor sap while he's doing it, not to mention increasing numbers of animals hanging around. This does not go down well with the Senators or, well, anyone: the consensus is that Evan has lost his marbles. However, God works in mysterious ways...This is an amiable family comedy with a little bit of (fairly obvious) heart to it. Carell handles this stuff well, the effects aren't bad, and the resolution is satisfactory. If you go into it expecting an adult movie then you may well be disappointed, because it simply isn't one. But, as a family film, it works perfectly well.