Now This is a God I Could Follow!

Rating: 8/10 (23 May 2003)

I'm not a Jim Carrey fan but in "Bruce Almighty" he hits all the right buttons and I both laughed and cared about him. Carrey as God? Yup!
Bruce is a Buffalo, NY, TV reporter stuck with all the funny human interest stories while he yearns to be an anchor. He lives with Grace Connelly, the lovely Jennifer Aniston, (wonder why IMDb gives only Grace's first name in the cast list while providing Bruce's last name, Nolan). The couple have a somewhat un-housetrained but adorable pooch, Sam. Ms. Aniston really brings her role to life. So does Sam.
Bruce encounters God (the real McCoy) played by an impish Morgan Freeman. Now this God isn't your fire-breathing Jehovah nor is he a sad-with-his-creations's-follies Lord. He's a Deity for Our Time, a well-dressed and soft-spoken fellow - decidedly non-denominational - who does a mean job with a mop on a big floor (he probably can do windows too but that wasn't in the film). Yes, THIS God could pull me away from my agnosticism. The only thing I expected Freeman to do that he didn't was roll out a fundraising scam.
This is a comedy with a nice dollop of romance. And it works because the action is fast and the acting first-rate. The story - God comes down to check things out - has been done many times but this is the first film where he transfers his power and authority to a mere mortal. Given it's Jim Carrey, a goofball misuse of the great power is inevitable. But Carrey pulls it off nicely.
No great message here - just some good fun.
8/10.