OK Jim Carrey comedy

Rating: 6/10 (21 February 2004)

Jim Carrey hasn't been in a comedy for a couple of years; in fact, he hasn't done anything but some not-too-good dramas, so naturally, his fans were expecting a lot from the film that would mark his "return" to comedy. I believe that a lot of people, especially Christians, are offended by this, because of the somewhat comic portrayal of God, among other things. I didn't find said things offensive, though I can understand how some might find them offending. However, if we forget about the immediate offense some will take from the very theme of this film, and look further, we'll find an okay attempt at explaining faith and God, without simplifying or mocking. Yes, the attempt is hidden behind a lot of (so-so) comedy, but if you look closer, there are a lot of references to Christianity and perhaps even a few metaphors. It's not a particularly funny or effective comedy, in spite of director Tom Shadyac's track record with working with Carrey, but it's not awful. The jokes are found more in special effects, and situations we accept because of the power harnessed(and given that, one might have expected more interesting things to happen) by the title character... rather than Carrey's performance, the dialog or other material. I'd recommend this to any fan of Jim Carrey. Just don't expect it to be as funny as his best work(I maintain that Steve Oedekerk is unfunny and ought to stay away from Jim). 6/10