Bruce Almighty (2003)

Plot of Bruce Almighty: Bruce is a low level on the scene reporter on a Buffalo TV news station, who wants to be an anchor-man. When he is passed over by Evan Baxter, who gets the job he manages to crash his Datsun 240Z into a tree but is apparently unhurt. His communications systems keep telling him to call a phone number, but when he does so he is directed to an empty office building where he meets God. They discuss, and God offers Bruce unlimited power for a week, to see what he will do with it, with the proviso that he cannot tell anyone and he cannot remove free will. He creates events which cause him to be able to replace Evan as anchor on the TV station, but at the party celebrating his promotion his joint anchor, Susan Ortega comes onto him, just as Grace his girlfriend arrives, and as a result she dumps him. He also hears voices in his head all the time, and in a further conversation with God, is told that they are prayers which he has to answer. Bruce creates an email system to answer the prayers causing chaos, as well as the events he has caused further creating unwanted results in Buffalo. He calls God for help. How will it all end?

Content: No sex or nudity although Bruce uses his powers to have Grace have an orgasm. It’s sort of a ‘Harry Met Sally’ moment.  No drug taking or drinking. Mostly Jim Carrey stuff. His TV interviews are fun, particularly when he is pissed off with the station. The most important might be when he is interviewing people on a Maid of the Mist boat which goes close to Niagara Falls. When he has Godlike power he causes Evan to be unable to speak properly when on camera. This is Steve Carell’s stuff and it is laugh out loud funny. While he has the power Bruce changes his damaged Datsun for a supercar which he drives around. The prayers and the email system also cause more problems. When he grants all the wishes millions of people win the lottery getting only a few cents each.

A View: This is my second Jim Carry film in only a few days and actually I liked Yes Man better, but this film has made a fortune getting almost within striking distance of covering its production cost on its first weekend. There is a twist which I particularly liked. It is Jennifer Aniston’s second film making one or two of the critics think she might have a career outside Friends, and sure enough they were right. It is a comedy with some laugh out loud moments so worth a watch if you like that sort of thing.

Fun Fact: It was banned in several Islamic countries because it depicts God (played with dignity by Morgan Freeman by the way).