Could someone pass Shadyac some cojones?

Rating: 4/10 (14 April 2005)

(Repeated line in the DVD director's commentary: "We cut that scene, 'cause we wouldn't want to hurt any people.") Tom Shadyac seems to have a knack for completely inoffensive, high morale, family valued, junk food comedy features: hence Liar Liar, Ace Ventura, you know the bunch. Bruce Almighty is in the same league, but fails to be funny for the entire length of the movie. Instead, it is a moralizing piece of bull that could have been so much better, if only Tom Shadyac wouldn't have listened to his stupid focus group audience.
Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) is a reporter for the Buffalo local news station, but he's fed up with making reports about low-rent, trivial subjects like he's (apparently) been doing for the last few years. Instead, his goal is to become the anchor of the news station and become Buffalo's own Walter Cronkite. When his slimy colleague Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) snitches his beloved job opportunity from under his very nose, Bruce starts a rage against God, blaming him for all the misery he's in. Consequently, God (Morgan Freeman) grants Bruce all his powers, so he can prove that he can do a better job.
Of course, this leads to the usual series of hilarious events, but suddenly, the script demands a more serious approach. Enough with all the mild Bible jokes, it's time for some tear-jerking morale! I don't mind the morale, but why does it take Shadyac half a movie to make his statement? There is absolutely *nothing* to laugh about in the second bit of Bruce Almighty, and that's the first reason why it fails to be a good comedy.
The second reason is Shadyac's enduring fear to offend people. The film would have been a lot better if only he had the bloody cojones to ignore the complaints of the ruddy focus group. How could a simple God joke be offensive, when thousands of Christians approve of a movie where Jesus Christ is beaten to a pulp for two hours (Gibson's Passion of the Christ)? The only thing I find offensive about Bruce Almighty, is the way Carrey's character behaves to his girlfriend (Jennifer Aniston in a stereotype cast) and gets away with it. Just like Maura Tierney in Liar Liar, Aniston has to play a woman who simply loves an insulting, betraying, generally mistreating jerk. For that I don't blame God (for I'm not Bruce), but Shadyac. Family values, tssk.