Hilarious Carrey vehicle.

Rating: 8/10 (30 June 2013)

Jim Carrey gets an ideal showcase for his comedic and dramatic talents with this endearing fantasy-comedy. He plays Bruce Nolan, a Buffalo reporter obliged to do silly fluff pieces. What he really desires is an anchor position, and when it's given to jerk character Evan Baxter (Steve Carell), that pushes Bruce over the edge. He's already convinced that God is out to get him, and curses God, prompting the Almighty to take the form of Morgan Freeman and appear to Bruce. God decides to grant Bruce all of His divine powers for a week, to give Bruce a chance to see if he can do any better.
This is a Hollywood movie, of course, and there is a formula to be found in these things, and Bruces' story is at its core a tale of a guy who ultimately learns a lesson and becomes a better person. Before we get to that point, there are some absolutely priceless bits where a confident Bruce delights in his abilities, first just testing them out and then using them strictly to his own advantage, contriving news events so that he can be on hand for them and become a reporting star. Soon, Bruce learns that there is a tremendous responsibility in being God and that he will have to put selfishness aside. He can't take the job lightly, either, although some of his attempts to solve the problem are a howl (that's such a memorable visual when everything in his apartment is covered in post-it notes). Also, with Bruce interfering so much in the course of events in the universe, there will be consequences that he didn't consider.
Freeman, with his effortless charisma, screen presence, and sense of authority, is a natural choice to put a human face on The Almighty. He gives Him a sense of humour and works very well with the energetic Carrey. Jennifer Aniston does a fine job of grounding the material as Bruces' sweet girlfriend. The excellent Philip Baker Hall leads a fun supporting cast in which the always amusing Carell stands out. He, of course, got promoted to star status for the sequel "Evan Almighty".
This is fairly manipulative, to be sure, but that's also par for the course with this sort of thing. Still, it's likable and has enough good laughs to size up as another solid teaming between Carrey and director Tom Shadyac, who worked with Carrey on "Ace Ventura Pet Detective" and "Liar Liar". Anybody who's a fan of the actors should find this to be quite agreeable overall.
Eight out of 10.