Evan Almighty

This lukewarm movie can be summed up with one word- "eh." Evan Almighty is the sequel to the smash hit "Bruce Almighty." This movie takes one of the minor characters from the first one, and focuses on him. Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) is a former news anchor, recently elected to Congress. His bright career runs into a snag when God (Morgan Freeman) tells him to build an Ark. There you have it, that's the movie- the entire movie. A United States senator building an Ark. Did you laugh? If not, you probably shouldn't see this movie. If you did, watch the trailer- that's all you need.

I thought that Bruce Almighty was actually a fairly decent movie. Even in his minor role, Carell did a good job. I'm a big fan of his, (The Office is the best show on TV right now), but he just wasn't very funny in this movie. It's just one awkward situation after another- Evan growing an uncontrollable beard, Evan being followed by animals, Evan seeing God; they're all essentially the same. Lauren Graham plays Joan, Evan's wife. I am a fan of the Gilmore Girls (don't tell anyone), but based on this, and other movies she has been in, she can only play one character. John Goodman also makes an appearance as another congressman. His role is forgettable at best.

The movie is one long build towards one small climax. It's rare for a comedy to be this big on visual effects, and I can see why. The effects are well bellow average, leading to a severe lack of excitement. Unfortunately the humor doesn't make up for this. Even Carell seems to be phoning in the gags, which is understandable seeing the material he was given to work with. Possibly the funniest character was Baxter's assistant played by Wanda Sykes.

I will give director, Tom Shadyac, credit for employing the use of that many animals. It truly was impressive the wildlife that played a major role in the movie. If the animals were as good at making a movie as they were at building an ark, perhaps they should have taken the helm. I wish had more to say about it, but Evan Almighty really was just one 90 minute sight gag.

Watch the Trailer

1.5/5