Bruce Almighty- The Almighty Series

Bruce Almighty is a 2003 American comedy starring Jim Carrey as Bruce Nolan, a down-on-his-luck television reporter who complains to God, played by Morgan Freeman, that he is not doing his job correctly. He is then offered a chance to try being God himself for one week.

Now, the best part of the film is how Jim Carrey not only filled the role of Bruce Nolan, but elevated it. His whacky yet passionate personality fit right into the plot and the overall character development. The film also does its part as far as a comedy goes, with hilarious slapstick jokes which weren’t crude or over the top. However, it was by no means sophisticated comedy, but who would want such a thing when Jim Carrey is on screen? There were also definitely a few moments in which the laughing subsided, and the occasional “aw” moment occurred, whether that be from a romantic scene or to a sad one. Scenes likes this are what truly added more character to Bruce Nolan, who wasn't just another cliche, humorous persona.

Morgan Freeman was another great casting choice. Freeman's more serene aura mixed with Carrey’s zanny actions worked together well to create a great chemistry throughout the movie, and made their onscreen relationship believable .

However, the film doesn't deserve just appraisal. To begin with, the cast was stacked with great actors and actresses who all were underused. The actors/actresses had the potential to do and add so much more to the story rather than just be thrown away Straw Men characters. Jennifer Aniston could’ve definitely had more screen time considering how good she was the few times she was on, and Steve Carell's character, Evan Baxter, seemed forced and almost even superficial. Carell could’ve added a lot more to the film, yet the character he played hindered him and his abilities as an actor. Catherine Bell was used as a simple plot device for only one scene, and for the rest of the movie she was comparable to an extra. Furthermore, some of the things said and done to further the plot was very small minded. There was a disgusting misuse of power because as the film stated, God has INFINITE POWER, and there was very little Bruce Nolan couldn't do (aside from the two rules which are that he can’t tell anyone and can’t overstep free will). Simply put, the entire movie rotated around one line and it never deviated. All the problems, solutions, and subplots all stemmed from the fact that “Bruce Nolan is God”. The lack of imagination in this film is actually irritating at times, ranging from Bruce Nolan’s minimalistic use of his newfound powers to the comedy where there were no memorable lines other than the running joke of Bruce Nolan’s use of the word “good”.

I give Bruce Almighty a 6/10. Overall, it was entertaining, but it left no lasting effect other than “what would i do in his position?” .This movie is very low on the list of films i would choose to watch again, and there are better comedies out there. However one cannot deny the fact that this film had its laughs and was fun to watch.

FUN FACT: The film was banned in Egypt due to pressure from Muslims who objected to the portrayal of God as a visually ordinary man.