*** out of 5

Rating: Null/10 (10 June 2003)

Jim Carrey provides a cynical look at misanthropy in its cutest form in his new film Bruce Almighty. Carrey stars as Bruce, a one joke, goof-off reporter in a one-joke, goof-off film about graciousness, free will and the existence of a supposed higher power, which will be seen as a return to grace for already converted Carry Fans, and an embarrassment to all other outsiders. It's hard to access movies like these. They fuel themselves on many formations of the same ilk and hope that the audience is to distracted by the maniacal nature of the burden than the un-honest nature of it of it. But because this is a piece tailor made to suit the star characteristics of Carrey and not address the character of Bruce as a general individual, I suppose no more is to be expected from such circumstances. Now that all attention is on track I suppose it is time to indulge ourselves in the joke at hand. After being fired for a stream of obscenity, broadcast on live television, Bruce finds himself jobless and having one of the worst days of his life. He blames his toil on all but the obvious, himself. He then finds himself face to face with that of who he cured for his misfortune, God (played in one of the film's most ironic twists by Morgan Freeman, who left me with a thought. If God were a white man would he wear a black suit?) Thinking that it's any idiot's game, Bruce is given the power of God and told to make the world a better place. The premise to this film is intriguing I must concur with that, probably possessing the most comedic potential the big screen has seen since the pairing of Adam Sandler and Jack Nichelson in Anger Management. And just like Anger Management, sees almost all but a small portion of that potential wash away in the name of its star's profile. That's not to say that Bruce Almighty is a bad film, it presents a fare share of laughs. There is a scene paying homage to Dirty Harry, a tribute to Jimmy Stewart in which Bruce draws the moon close and paints his girlfriend the stars. There is also one of the films greatest gags in which Bruce parts the `red' sea in such a way to wet even the appetite of Charlton Heston (pun indented). To truly appreciate the wild antics of Jim Carrey one must almost venture back to the grounds that they once spawned from. During this film I was reminded of a scene in the war room from Dr Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb in which the George C. Scott character is supposed to point to the map on the wall but tumbles backward instead. This scene has been said to be of complete unintentional temperament, if so heightening the impact of the scene as a whole. I think of this not because Bruce Almighty pales in comparison to a classic like Dr. Strangelove, but because it makes me wonder how much of Carrey's on screen persona is actually devised into the written script. Maybe Carrey is of much more talent than we all give him credit for? Since we are on the topic of Carrey already I think it only fit to discuss his performance. As an actor Carrey has always made distinctively safe career moves. He plays likeable losers who we don't mind seeing go through a little struggle because in the end you know you will be cheering for them anyway. With the acceptation of Man In the Moon, a film that I would expect no one of eluding to except for Andy Kaufman himself. This film bears no foible in the formula. Carrey is either at his best here, or his most annoying, I assure myself that there is probably very little difference between the two. He presents outbursts of stupidity that you believe some people are capable of but never image anyone doing it until you have witnessed it at eye level. It really only serves as a deterrent from what the film is actually trying to be, something I was willing to let myself become interested in but couldn't due to these unexplained hysterics. Then we have Morgan Freeman as God, probably a step down from Alanis Morissette as God in Kevin Smith's controversial mess of a film Dogma, but still up there on the irony scale. But Freeman works in his role because he is a natural character actor, never one to shy away from a risk or two. His plays his role with a subdued state of graciousness (he seems almost as interested in getting his floor clean than looking after the world) and an attractive charm. He hits every line with the subtle conviction that one would not expect from such a character, but can't help but resist from such an actor. And still there is that meandering feeling of discontent, how can you praise something for only being what you would expect? There is not very often that a comedy comes along and changes the rules, only to rewrite them in a formal method to fit their utter originality. Such films consist of Animal House, Fargo, and most recently There's Something About Marry. The reason these films not only shaped a genre, but also propelled in to be something else was that they never let the action become lower than the material itself. They are constant and persistent, never becoming out of focus of misdirected, they see their target and aim directly for it. These days comedy is not content on itself, it strays in a wayward fashion, trying to provoke more than it should, and attempting to become something that it wasn't indented to be. That may just be Bruce Almighty's greatest flaw. This is a film that tries to teach that free will equals happiness, not power and that life isn't very fun if you don't earn the right for it to be, but becomes lost in a barrage of potty humour and manufactured sap. I will give credit though, once the film finds itself in the end it does become a touching experience, not in its realism, but in its friendly nature. But then again, in this day and age what comedy doesn't present a touching ending? There is no law in comedy stating that the material has to go somewhere, one of the best films of last summer was an under rated little comedy entitled Barbershop, but there is a reliance that it will take its audience somewhere. I've seen penis jokes, I've seen bathroom jokes, and I've seen journalist in-jokes all done before, comedy should be an experience of something unimaginable not a retread of the already elaborated. Don't get me wrong, Bruce Almighty is by no means a bad film, it is just a film that has nothing overtly likable about it, especially when it is backed by such a strong opinionated topic for exploration. The highlight of the film is almost certainly the direction from Tom Shadyac (who was also at the helm of such great Carrey performances in both Ace Ventura and Liar Lair). Shadyac presents one of the films greatest scenes in such originality; it disappointed me that it wasn't in a film that would appreciate it. The scene sees Bruce walking on top of a body of water with the camera looking up from beneath the waves at Carrey, a shot symbolizing a new found power in the balance but the ever-so-slight blurring of reality, a great shot to accent the films meanings. The special effects of the other hand are a mixed bag at best. On one side of the spectrum the sea parting scene is done with style and hilarity, yet everything else appears to be scammed right out of a Sunday afternoon children's matinee. When all is over and done with Bruce Almighty may have been something, but not that something that it had set out to be. It loses its morals on religion and plays things safe with stupid sight gags when I expect comedy of a deeper intellect. I thought I was getting myself into a film that would break boundaries and have something to say about the state of mind people seem to be stuck in during this present time. I also expect to see Carrey break free and give safety and push himself in the right direction. What I received was a mediocre collaboration of half-truths and recycled bits that didn't have enough integrity to make it into the smart comedies, but hey, that's the way the cookie crumbles.