my first film review

Rating: Null/10 (25 September 2005)

The film is about an American guy called Bruce Nolan (Jim Carey). He has a good job, reporting on Channel 7 news, he has a beautiful girlfriend (Jennifer Aniston), and he lives in a great apartment. So he has a near perfect life, but he is always complaining about it. So when the news anchor at Channel 7 is retiring Bruce thinks he has a chance for the job. But another slimy news reporter gets the job, Evan, who Bruce already hates. This is the final straw for Bruce and he shouts and while on air, then has a row with his girlfriend when he gets home. He blames God (Morgan Freeman) for all the bad things that have happened.
So God invites him to meet up, while Bruce is unaware that it is God. God gives Bruce all his powers. So Bruce uses them to his own advantage rather than helping others and ends up getting dumped by his girlfriend. But in the end it all becomes too much for Bruce and God regains his powers. Although Bruce's life goes back to normal, he gets his girlfriend back and his old job, he is now happier and a nicer person. In the very first scene Bruce is interviewing a couple who own a bakery. For health and safety reasons he has to ware a hair net. When he is told this he says "Thank you God". This could be seen a joke but it could also show us very early in the film that he has a dislike like for God.
When Evan, his rival news reporter gets the anchor job he makes a speech. The speech is copied from one that Bruce made at the end of the bakery report. I think that this shows that people don't take Bruce very seriously. But we know that from his arguments with his girlfriend that he wants to be taken seriously.
After he finds out that Evan has got the anchor job he shouts and swears on air. Then he loses his job and gets thrown out. As he lies on the floor there is an aerial view of him. This could be God looking down on him in his moment of shame. Then he saves a guy from getting bullied by some men. Here he could be seen as a hero, but he takes it a step too far and gets beaten up.
After his row he's driving and asking God to "give him a sign". There is a truck in front with bright signs saying stop, witch is an obvious sign, but Bruce takes no notice and crashes. I think that the bright lights represent Gods involvement in the signs because road signs don't usually glow.
So after shouting abuse at God, God arranges a meeting with Bruce. Bruce pulls up in an alley way. The surrounding buildings are tall and there is a shot from the top window of one of the buildings. This could be God watching Bruce. But I think that the big buildings look intimidating and the view is showing how insignificant Bruce is compared with God.
When he enters the building it is decorated in pure white. This represents the pureness of God. God is up a ladder when Bruce finds him. Then he turns on a very bright light. Quite an obvious representation of heaven but I think it works well.
After Bruce is given God's powers he goes to a restaurant. He orders soup and recreates the parting of the red sea. The soup represents the sea and the camera is at a very low angle inside the dish looking up at Bruce. This suggests the new powers that he has gained.
The sign of Bruce as 'Mr Exclusive' is on top of a skyscraper. This could represent the heights that Bruce has reached in the media in this part of the film, or it could represent him as God looking over people. It is a very ambiguous shot. The clouds on the sign could also represent him as God in the heavens. Nearer to the end of the film there is a riot in Buffalo because Bruce has fixed the lottery and the ice hockey team won the cup. The 'Mr Exclusive' sign is thrown down from the top of the sky scraper. The camera follows the sign as it falls until it hits the ground. This is representing his world falling around him. All the pressure of been God has got too much for him. when the sign is laying on the floor it is on fire. The picture of Bruce on the sign changes from one of a well dressed man in the clouds (God), to one of a man on fire, which I think represents the devil.
After his party for his new job Bruce sets the fire sprinklers off because his girlfriend catches him kissing someone else. He sits on the sofa with the water going all over him. This is a repeat from the beginning of the film where he was at the Niagara Falls, which was a very low moment for him and so is this scene.
During the riots Bruce is working in the news studio. He is not aware of the riot at this point and there is a blackout. The lights keep coming on and off. I think the director is showing us the confusion in Bruce's life by creating confusion in the studio.
Near the end of the film Bruce is run over by a truck. The camera goes from an extreme close up of his face and zooms upwards very quickly. This makes me think that the camera is in the eyes of Bruce's soul going up to heaven. The film has the typical Hollywood happy ending where Bruce gets his job back and gets engaged to his girlfriend.