Evan Almighty (2007) User Reviews

nice guy Steve Carell barely keeps the movie going

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 8 November 2013]

Some of the characters from 'Bruce Almighty' return to the franchise. Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) is now the TV anchor from Buffalo who gets elected Congressman. He's living a nice life when God (Morgan Freeman) picks him to be the new Noah. Nobody believes him even his wife Joan (Lauren Graham).

The only salvation this movie has is the nice guy persona of Steve Carell. He has just enough charisma to keep this movie going. However it is impossible to see why nobody believes him. When his wife runs off, it signaled a very artificial bent to the story. Evan is followed by hundreds of animals and people are actually laughing. It makes no sense. I would figure he would have an army of religious people ready and willing to help. It's a manufactured reaction to make a fake hurdle for Evan to jump over. Only Steve Carell's likability kept the movie alive.

Not As Mighty As Bruce.

[anaconda-40658 · 6/10 · 9 July 2015]

Evan Almighty (2007): Dir: Tom Shadyac / Cast: Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Graham, John Goodman, Molly Shannon: Bruce Almighty regarded the nature of God. Here we witness His power through ordinary people. Evan Baxter is elected into congress and God tells him to build an Ark. He refuses but his hair grows and animals follow him two by two. Directed by Tom Shadyac with a rushed plot but a terrific climax with flood at hand and an enormous boat. Shadyac previously made Bruce Almighty as well as The Nutty Professor. Steve Carell plays Evan with manic energy from his dealing with sudden hair growth to animals taking a sudden interest in him. Morgan Freeman returns as God as a reminder of the Biblical account of Noah. One issue that arises in the screenplay regards whether or not this flood would actually threaten all wildlife?It seems a tad unnecessary to lure in every species for a flood that takes place in a remote place. Supporting roles are complete cardboard with Lauren Graham as Baxter's wife and John Goodman as his pig-headed boss. This will not likely be placed at the top of their resumes. Molly Shannon appears but to many she will always be Mary Katherine Gallagher. On the same level as the first film although the subject matter is different in that both reference different Biblical areas. In this film God points out the theme with A.R.K. Acts of Random Kindness. Score: 6 / 10

Mighty Mediocre

[HuntersCreed · 5/10 · 22 June 2007]

Steve Carell reprises his role as Evan Baxter in this sequel to Bruce Almighty.

Evan Almighty jumps right into the mix of things with little build up. Right off the bat we find out that news anchor Evan Baxter has segued his career into one of political aspirations. Soon after being elected to the United States Congress under a slogan painting him as a politician out to change the world, God (Morgan Freeman) commissions Baxter to build an ark in the midst of one of the worst droughts in the history of the area.

In a predictable move the area townspeople antagonize Baxter as he begins the construction of the ark. Baxter's reputation is further soiled by the fact that his political career is being looked as a joke when he starts wearing sack cloth on a regular basis, and animals of all kinds are following him around in pairs. Baxter's boss Congressman Long, who once supported him quickly, becomes the antagonist as the people begin to turn against Baxter.

Evan Almighty is predictable on every turn, and has enough humor to satisfy. The animals do their part to provide a fair share of fecal humor. Morgan Freeman offers up plenty of wisdom in the role of God. Steve Carell does an exceptionally adequate job of delivering very humorous dialogue, which in his style is sure to be adlibbed in great part. The sheer amounts of animals in this film are overwhelming and a treat to behold. Overall the storyline and humor feel very cliché. Evan Almighty was a mild success, but just does not offer anything special apart from a few good laughs. Parents with children will get their money's worth out of this, but for everyone else it is a worthwhile rental.

You can take your kids to this movie

[wfgwilliams · 27 June 2007]

I haven't seen Bruce Almighty. Unlike just about everyone else who went to this movie I had nothing to compare it with and no expectations based on the earlier movie.

I have a feeling what people were expecting was a frenetic, high strung, giddy, laugh a nano-second experience. If that is what you are expecting, then you will be disappointed.

What I was expecting was based on what I saw in the trailers for this movie - ordinary guy is visited by God, God tells him to build an Ark, the guy's beard and hair grow and animals show up. I was also expecting some funny stuff.

The film delivers on story, on character, on relationships. It has an element of menace and anticipation. It has funny stuff and it has heart. It is also a movie you can take your kids to, which is kind of rare these days.

I really enjoyed this movie. Set aside your Jim Carrey expectations and you may enjoy it, too.

So disappointing

[Zingbot_9000 · 2/10 · 18 July 2007]

Honestly one of the two most disappointing movies I have ever seen (the other being Big Top Pee Wee). Let me first state that I was really looking forward to this movie. I really liked Bruce Almighty (part one). I also thought the idea of having the sequel being centered around the Noah story was a strong idea. I felt you bring back Steve Carrell and bring back Morgan Freeman. That is was an interesting way to get by without Jim Carrey. Afterall Steve Carrell is a rising Hollywood star…the next Jim Carrey or Will Farrell. I saw the clips of Steve with his beard and Noah get up…the visual looked funny to me. I thought there was room for some funny scenes with Animals.

Honestly I was wrong dead wrong. The only animal getting really any valuable screen time were the Baboons…the animals were hardy in it. I think most were just stage dressing done with CGI. Honestly the script for this movie needed a total overhaul. You will watch this movie and think you are being treated like you are some kind of moron. The worse thing about this movie though is it is not funny…probably the directors fault because everything that should be funny just isn't.

Again as for the script, weird things start happening to Evan. And Evan rather than try to convince people that something strange is going on….just seems fine with everyone thinking he is crazy. A good example is one morning Evan wakes up with a beard. He tries to shave the beard. In second the beard grows right back. So rather than show his wife, family, and friends this….he simply lets them think he is crazy. I mean seriously, if some man you knew grew a full beard overnight (or really in one second) would you not think something strange is happening…instead people think Evan is crazy. Then, animals following Evan around everywhere he goes…in pairs. But rather than thinking something strange is going on…everyone thinks Evan is crazy….look people you can see the animals follow Evan around…he does not have a leash on. It is one thing after another that leaves you going – HELLO SCRIPT WRITERS ARE YOU FIVE YEARS OLD! So again, this movie was painfully bad. I really feel I needed to write a review. About 30 minutes into this I was going….wow I am so bummed….I looked forward to this movie…………………………..and unfortunately it was total crap. Don't waste your time on it. This movie was rumored to cost like $200 Million to make…let them lose money on it because the people deserve better than to be treated like total morons. I could not be more disappointed.

Not Almighty, but quite All-righty!

[marxthedude · 7/10 · 3 April 2007]

Steve Carell returns as prissy newsreader Evan Baxter, a little less mean-spirited this time around unlike his previous small turn in 'Bruce Almighty'. Of course, Carell was up and coming then but as his box-office success shows, the character responsible for arguably the only really funny scene in 'Bruce Almighty' deserves a film of his own. Shadayac and co. have approached it with a novel (if potentially expensive idea) to make God (Morgan Freeman) appear this time to instruct Baxter to build an Arc and, as Noah did before him, load it full of animals to protect them from an for an oncoming flood. It's an idea that's very entertaining, even if the jokes are less easy than the previous premise. Evan's transformation of appearance and being pursued by eager animals are the main areas of humour here, which means at times the film is thin on the ground. Sentiment comes in the form of Evan's neglect of his family; the audience will know exactly where this will be going, but fortunately the sentiment isn't as annoying as you might believe. It's also very much a family affair, the humour and the language very much for family audiences. Disappointingly, Shadayac, responsible for bringing out two of Jim Carrey's worst performances (namely 'Liar Liar' and 'Bruce Almighty') by letting Carrey overdo it by seemingly telling him to do the whole thing as an impression of William Shatner, mistakenly this time opts to take Carell down a notch. Carell's trademark hysteria and bizarre reactions are in short supply and we have an all together calmer 'Little Miss Sunshine'-esquire turn, which also means the film loses some of it's potential in this instance. Wanda Sykes and co. are merely stock characters needing better dialogue. Does this make it a bad film? Not at all. It's religious tie-ins (if rushed) are quite smart and it's very well directed visually with a great use of music and keeping a steady pace. It is what's on the label, but with a jaw-droppingly impressive final act which will really take you by surprise and could be up there as one of the sights of the summer! You could do a lot worse than enjoy 100 minutes of easy-going fun but if it's a laugh-out-loud roller-coaster you want, you will leave short-changed!

A good family movie, far from being 'haha' funny.

[drfraud-1 · 4/10 · 20 July 2007]

Although I enjoy Steve Carrell's work, Evan the Almighty, like so many other overdone films turned out to be a lot worse than I hoped it would be.

This turned out to be a cheesy family movie, the kind that employ famous comedian to improve their image, but ultimately fail to deliver.

The usual Carell's dorky humour is almost absent from the movie and though he did make me chuckle a few times, there was nothing hilarious about him in Evan the Almighty.

His 3 kids, although were probably somehow important for a biblical character, were really quite useless in the movie and terrible actors. Even his wife, was somewhat of a third leg for such a simple storyline.

Spending so much money on making a comedy was a huge mistake. Although, Carell's career might profit from this movie, there's no real reason to go see it.

If only there was a little less of his family, a little more of Carell, Molly Shannon and maybe some other SNL cast, it could have actually been a lot more entertaining.

4/10 for a few chuckles here and there.

Did you say comedy

[amit_kumar13 · 6/10 · 16 July 2007]

Did some one say comedy... this cannot be categorized as a pure comedy and it doesn't come under the cadre of Bruce Almighty and Steve Carell though he tried hard is not match to Jim Carrey. This is not a pure comedy and has its own emotional scenes to counter your comic feelings while watching the movie..... Buy your popcorn and drink before you go to the movie and don't expect to have a pain in your gut because you don't do any big laughing exercise in it. Still it has kept with its pace, being a smaller movie of less than 100 minutes adds to its advantage.

It has a good script and quite a happy feeling at the end of the movie... It is good to see these kind of movies as a family outing and feel good when you see your family members smiling after the movie.

God awful

[thealmightycraig · 1/10 · 3 September 2007]

'A comedy of biblical proportions!' Those masters of hyperbole, the movie-tag-line-writers, at it again; the sequel to 2003's Bruce Almighty, raises barely a chuckle. The only thing which raises my interest in this movie above total indifference is its dogmatic Christian undertones. Sorry, make that overtones.

Steve Carrel, ignoring Jim Carrey's good sense to decline a role reprisal, plays Evan Baxter, the smug news anchor from Bruce Almighty, who has just been elected to congress. With a new life in Virginia and the stress of moving into a house the size of the Acropolis, the pressure of all the change takes its toll on his family. His wife (Lauren Graham), evidently airlifted in from Stepford, and three sons (Jimmy Bennett, Graham Phillips and Johnny Simmons), who do a stilted job of looking sad to a piano accompaniment, pray for the family to become closer, and almost out of guilt, so does Evan.

In what must be the greatest shock of all time, God (Morgan Freeman) actually shows up, but does the whole pesky 'working in mysterious ways' thing all over the place by telling Evan to build a Noah-esquire ark in preparation for a great flood instead of just giving him a pool table or and X-box or something. And in true mischievous deity style, he also forces Evan to grow a beard, long hair and wear worn and tatty robes. Now, back in the day I'm sure razors were hard to come by so the beard was somewhat of an inevitability for Noah, but I'm almost certain it had nothing to do with spirituality. Same with the robes; a massive construction job is surely made all the more difficult by such impractical clothing. Couldn't God have conjured up a pair of steel toed boots and a hard hat for the poor guy? Apparently not.

To paraphrase Bill Hicks, I find the idea that God is messing with us somewhat unsettling, and so does Evan who fights him every step of the way. And who wouldn't? God essentially gets him fired, drives away his loved ones, makes him a laughing stock and at one point actually threatens him. Of course God turns out to be right, and the rational, hard working family man who was getting on fine by himself is forced to eat a large slice of bittersweet humble pie. It's almost as if to be left alone by God, Evan had to tolerate and humour him. What kind of message is that?

Evan Almighty does have a highly commendable environmental slant, with the underlying theme being that the Federal Government is blind to the damage being done to the world around us. It is also the first film ever to offset its carbon emissions and this should surely be considered a landmark achievement by a Hollywood studio. Were it not for the trite, condescending banner of American Christianity flying high above it, Evan Almighty could have been an inoffensive family movie, with a praiseworthy environmental record. But with its confused religious dogma and relentless 'blind faith' message, it ranks as one of the most repugnant movies of all time.

a little above average comedy

[MLDinTN · 6/10 · 19 May 2008]

This movie turned out to be a little better than I thought. Steve Carroll was funny as usually. The animals were cool too. Some of them were real, but a lot of them were computer generated. I thought the film sent a good message. That spending family time is important and that is what God was trying to teach the Baxter's. I liked the part that Evan couldn't cut his hair or beard and then then the Moses robes added to the effect. I have to take away some praise though with the whole ark floating though Washington DC. That was just plain silly. Wanda Sikes gets some good one liners too.

FINAL VERDICT: More geared for kids. It's OK to watch once, but not good enough for more viewings.

Passion of the Christ, the blood-free version

[ExpendableMan · 4/10 · 6 August 2007]

One hundred and seventy five million dollars is a hell of a lot of money to spend on even the biggest summer blockbuster. Not even Michael Bay had a budget that big for Transformers, so exactly how Universal Pictures spent that much cash making Evan Almighty is a mystery. They certainly didn't spend it on the script for one thing as the film is not so much a classic comedy as it is Christian flag waving and bar one or two quiet chuckles, you're most likely to spend the duration wondering where the budget went or why Steve Carrell felt the need to slum it in a decidedly average movie at the exact moment when his star profile has begun to rise.

A sequel to the Jim Carrey comedy Bruce Almighty, this film sees former supporting character Evan Baxter (Carrell) moving up the ladder into the main player slot. The story opens with him leaving the news desk to become a public official and moving to Washington with his wife and three generic sons (slightly weird primary school moppet, spirited middle schooler and sulky teenager). Evan's bid to change the world through politics however gets a spanner in the works when God (Morgan Freeman) appears and asks him to build an Ark.

In other words, it's an updating of the old Genesis story, with Evan fighting off cynicism and naysayers to build the immense boat. Unfortunately, while the premise is reasonably promising, it sadly does not provide many laughs. There's a bit of fun to be had in the early going where Evan's straight-laced MP tries to juggle the demands of public service with the unwelcome packs of animals that follow him around and a beard that resists all attempts to shave it, but as soon as he accepts his divine mission, the film takes a nosedive.

From this point on, it turns into a message movie. Evan begins preaching with alarming regularity and Morgan Freeman keeps turning up to offer kind wisdom, while gently prodding his chosen in the right direction. Without Evan's resistance though, the only trace of comedy left comes in the form of a few rubbish animal-feces jokes and John Michael Higgin's role as Evan's exasperated right-hand man. Higgins may show the same rich comic potential that he did previously in Arrested Development, but his enthusiasm cannot save the sinking vessel, especially seeing as Carrell has all but placed his formidable improv skills on the back-burner.

In some respects, it's slightly similar to the Passion of the Christ, but unlike Mel Gibson's movie which encouraged everyone to believe in God through blood letting and guilt tripping, Evan Almighty tries a more gentle approach. The movie simply tells us that we should have faith in God, because He has faith in us. Unfortunately, this movie is just as likely to make you laugh as the Passion is. Carrell is on autopilot, the jokes don't exist and Wanda Sykes makes a bid to become the most annoying person on the planet. It might be sweet, but somebody just tossed $175 000 000 overboard.

Don't expect "Bruce Almighty" all over again.

[tml_pohlak_13 · 8/10 · 12 March 2009]

Evan Almighty generated a lot of hype before its release. A lot of people loved Bruce Almighty, and were expecting something just a zany and hilarious in Evan Almighty. Most of them were disappointed: this movie was received negatively by most critics and audiences alike. Well, I liked it! First of all, this movie has been misunderstood, because it was mismarketed. It was marketed as a hilarious sequel to Bruce Almighty (and the trailer made it look that way, too). But, to be perfectly honest, this is more of a family film than a comedy. But it is a really good family film.

This film had a lot of potential for comedy. It delivered at times, but not consistently. It also had two very crude toilet humour jokes involving male genitalia (just the word, though, nothing beyond that). I will freely admit, this isn't nearly as hilarious a comedy as the original. But it's good in its own right.

Morgan Freeman's scenes as God were excellently written and performed! One scene in particular, in a restaurant, was really touching and moving. Freeman is really a terrific actor, I'm glad they cast him as God. The performances in this movie were, overall, great. (Although it's a lot of fun watching the young kid unable to resist looking into the camera when pointing out two doves to his dad.) So, all in all, Evan Almighty is not "almighty" but it's still "alrighty".

Not bad, but a little bit preachy

[scottishrose · 7/10 · 7 October 2008]

Overall, I quite liked this movie. Steve Carell was very funny, the dialogue was realistic and humorous, John Goodman was quite convincing as a villain, and the effects were *awesome*.

There's just one problem I had with it. It was really quite preachy.

Now, I'm not what you'd call religious. I like the idea of worshipping a higher power, but the whole organized-religion thing just turns me off. Which is why this movie really bothered me; it seems that at every turn, they were shoving the Bible in my face. The whole ending message was also really lame, and ridiculously sappy. The dove with the olive branch, I ASK YOU. And Steve Carell's line: "He chose all of us." (the word He referring to God.) Ugh.

Ultimately, it was a funny, light-hearted movie that was spoiled by the amount of religious propaganda they shoved in there. I liked it, but I don't recommend it for non-Christians. It will only anger you.

Bad.

[ilikethebeatles · 5/10 · 23 June 2007]

This was, simply put, a bad movie. As a big fan of Steve Carell, I had high hopes, at least for his performance. Unfortunately, he could do nothing to save it. There were even times when I found him to be incredibly annoying. The pace is too fast, to the point where watching the beginning of the film is like seeing a montage of events that happened prior. There is little to no character development, especially for Evan's family. While the film is visually stunning, an overinflated budget cannot always save a film from a poor script, poor acting, and poor direction. Don't waste your time unless you're with children.

5/10

Is That A Llama With A Hammer?

[Chrysanthepop · 23 July 2008]

With a cast of hugely talented comedic actors like Steve Carell, Lauren Graham, John Goodman and Wanda Sykes, I was expecting a laugh out loud comedy. Sadly, Shadyac's 'Evan Almighty' only provides a few such moments. There just isn't enough comedy and at times it's a little too dramatic. Throughout the films, there are only but a very few dialogues that are funny as a result of which actors like Sykes and Graham don't have enough comedy to work with. Carell reprises his role from the prequel 'Bruce Almighty' but this time he's a little more of a nicer guy. Overall, Carell does a good job but he's more in the 'Little Miss Sunshine' mode which brings 'Evan Almighty' down a notch because that kind of character doesn't fully work for this kind of film and it is Shadyac to be blamed for not making something better of something decent. Yet, Carell's the only one who provides comic relief even though it's with limited quantity. His interaction with the animals are awesome to watch. Morgan Freeman is more cheerful and more annoying in this one. Lauren Graham plays the typical housewife and mother well and her reaction to Carell's transformation is excellent. In spite of all it's flaws, it is the last half hour that lifts the film. It builds up the drama and suspense very well and sort of has an adventurous feel. This entire sequence is very well executed. The soundtrack is well used and the songs are nice too. Thus, despite its shortcomings, it's still entertaining, but don't expect a laugh riot.

god-awful (no pun intended)

[spirit_of_truth2000 · 1/10 · 26 June 2007]

Well, for this abomination of a film, I wasn't expecting anything good. I find Steve Carell annoying, and Bruce Almighty was pretty good but there is absolutely no reason for it to have a sequel. Somehow, this film was even lower than my expectations, even when I didn't have any.

Does anyone remember the Disney movie Noah with Tony Danza? Well, let's just say that Evan Almighty completely ripped it off in way too many ways for the movie to remain justifiable. Actually Evan Almighty was had the EXACT same plot outline as Noah, with the exception of a few technicalities, it was nothing but a carbon copy of a far-superior movie that was actually FUNNY.

Another thing, did anyone get sick of Wanda Sykes' stupid, unfunny, redundant, one-liners that were literally in every single scene? It was completely ridiculous and just dragged the movie down more and more.

Despite the fact that I basically had already seen the film ten years earlier(Noah), Evan Almighty has to be the most predictable movie I've ever seen. I figured out the entire movie from beginning to end within the first five minutes and eventually realized that it was ripping off Noah left and right.

In conclusion, if you're a little bit unsure of whether or not you want to see Evan Almighty, and are already sick of Jonah Hill playing the same role in every single movie he's in, liked Bruce Almighty, and don't want to see a predictable, dry, unfunny movie with Steve Carell trying to act like Jim Carrey, then please, don't see this piece of garbage.

I can't believe it! They made a funny!

[sarastro7 · 7/10 · 28 July 2007]

Okay, this is another movie that has split the internet in half. Almost universally lambasted (by the professional critics, I mean), "Evan Almighty" is apparently only liked by people who hated its predecessor, "Bruce Almighty". The differences between the two movies are legion. "Bruce" was basically a series of sketches strung together by some overall but not terribly important plot line. "Evan" is the reverse; a coherent plot-line occasionally punctured by funny moments. I like a story rather than just a sitcom. So sue me, you half a billion people who disagree.

Where "Bruce" was insufferably stupid, tasteless and unengaging, "Evan" was intelligent, inoffensive and actually contained a story and a message, and the story and the comedy actually worked together. I am not religious. Nor am I normally a fan of Steve Carell, at all. Much bigger fan of Jim Carrey. But I found "Bruce" to be forgettable crap fluff, whereas I'm quite convinced that "Evan" will be remembered far longer and far better by posterity. Especially because posterity tends to be a lot more intelligent than the present. Nyah nyah.

7 out of 10. Just about my maximum rating for movies of this particular type.

Yuck!

[jeb7282 · 2/10 · 16 June 2007]

I actually said that out-loud at the advanced screening I attended for this movie. This is about as safe a comedy as you can find. Even the lone child in the audience of 50 was bored by this disappointment. I'm not quite sure what the other reviewers of this movie saw, but they are obviously brain washed. The only redeemable quality of this movie was its 88 minute length. Everything was rushed, the dialog was laughably bad, and the slap-stick humor didn't work. The following scene sums up this movie perfectly: God is explaining to Evan that anyone can change the world with one act of random kindness - he then writes 'ARK' into the sand, "ACTS of RANDOM KINDNESS", YUCK!!!!!

Good kids movie

[Ana_Banana · 6/10 · 15 August 2007]

Having read all those negative comments before, I was rather skeptical about EA, but while watching I realized that one should have taken this movie just for what it really was. It's not a comedy (from an adult perspective, that is), and it's not a sequel to "Bruce Almighty". What a huge mistake to bill it as a sequel to that different kind of a film! Evan could have been anybody here, and the plot has nothing really in common with BA. And why is Evan almighty, by the way? Totally wrong title.

OK, so EA is a children movie, and surprisingly a rather good one. It may look predictable and plain to grown-ups, but for a child it would be awesome. And not only due to the special effects and those stupendous trained animals. The simple, straightforward messages about "acts of random kindness", family values, and faith work very well in many instances. Of, course, grumpy old men may rant about Evan's easy chatting with God, about the wife abandoning him first and with no care for medical help, about the hordes of animals gathering around him only in some inappropriate moments, or about the under-exploited talents of Lauren Graham, Wanda Sykes and John Goodman.

And now let me put in my own joke (for the adult viewers let down by the lack of real humor in EA). It looks like these days we need God's direct intervention, a flooding and an ark to impeach a malevolent congressman.

God needs a new scenarist

[Buddy-51 · 4/10 · 1 July 2007]

In "Evan Almighty," God turns out to be a celestial one-trick-pony (or should that be a PAIR of one-trick-ponies?).

Apparently, the good Lord does what every cheapjack Hollywood mogul does when he's run out of fresh ideas and inspiration: He remakes one of the old standbys that proved its worth the first time around. And what more dramatic material to bring up to date than the story of Noah and the worldwide flood?

Well, I guess if Billy Bob Thornton can single-handedly build a fully functioning rocket in his own barn, then Steve Carell can certainly construct a full-scale, floatable ark in his backyard - although in fairness to Thornton, it should be pointed out that his character doesn't have God Himself, in the person of a gap-toothed Morgan Freeman, providing him with the resources and know-how necessary to get the job done.

"Evan Almighty" is an in-name-only sequel to the hit comedy "Bruce Almighty" from a few years back. In the lead role, Jim Carrey has been replaced by Steve Carell, who played the manipulative, sarcastic Buffalo weatherman, Evan Baxter, in the previous film. Somehow, Baxter seems to have undergone a complete personality transformation over the course of several years, since now he is a puppy-dog idealist who has just been elected to the U.S. Congress on the ever-so-trite slogan, " Change the World." However, no sooner does he move his family from upstate New York to suburban Virginia than he begins receiving visitations from a strange man claiming to be God and commanding Evan to build an ark on the lot next door. Naturally, his family and co-workers believe the poor man has gone off the deep end, although here the movie betrays its lack of internal consistency since the "miracles" that are occurring to him - being followed all over town by pairs of exotic animals, being unable to shave his newly grown beard and whiskers etc. - are there for all to see, thus making the disbelief of the populace either a monument to their own stupidity or, more likely, an implausible, heavy-handed plot device. And speaking of plot devices, why do all these non-indigenous creatures like giraffes, elephants and lions - let alone all the birds - show up to this location when the flood itself turns out to be a mere local event? Exactly what are they fleeing from (unless there's a zoo with very flimsy cages nearby which we know nothing about)?

And, of course, to smooth things over for modern audiences, who might be made a trifle uncomfortable by all the wanton death and destruction in the original story, the Steve Oedekerk script is quick to point out that THIS flood is no act of wrath on the part of God, and that even the first one was actually a tale about commitment and love. Is there nothing Hollywood can't reduce to sheer dreck and utter pablum?

Directed by Tim Shadyac, "Evan Almighty" is said to be the most expensive comedy ever made. Well, the "expense" we can see, what will all the CGI effects and animal-control needed to make the concept come to life on screen. The "comedy," on the other hand, is a trifle more difficult to discern. Even though the movie gets its requisite dog-poop joke out of the way in the first five minutes, this is a decidedly more tame, family-friendly movie than the often raunchy "Bruce Almighty." That would be fine if the jokes in "Evan Almighty" happened to be funny. Instead of humor, however, we're given a God who smiles smugly and delivers sappy little homilies about belief and faith in terms so simpering and blithe they make your average Sunday School lesson seem edgy and dark in comparison.

Carell does what he can with a poorly written part, but Freeman's arch condescension wears thin very early on. Wanda Sykes, as one of Baxter's Congressional aides, repeats her trick from the wretched "Monster-in-law" of hijacking all the movie's best lines, and one wishes she could at least have been assigned the role of Mrs. Noah as a means of garnering her a bit more time on screen.

Here's hoping that God comes up with new and better material - or at least a better ghost-writer - the next time around.

Not as fun as Bruce Almighty but a great moment anyway

[AmyJenson1995 · 7/10 · 6 May 2015]

When Bruce Almighty was released to the public in 2003, I really laughed it out. The general idea of seeing Jim Carrey becoming God was really enjoyable to watch.

So here is the sequel with Evan (Steve Carell, amazing) as the main character, who is now embracing the path of a congressman, is chosen by God (Morgan Freeman) to build an ark because another biblical flood is coming in.

Let's be clear, Evan will not have superpowers like his previous workmate, Bruce Nolan, had the privilege to get rewarded to accomplish his mighty job. He is on his own with God on his side who is enjoying himself to turn Evan into Noah: His hair becomes longer, he is growing a long beard despite shaving continuously, he's even trading his nice political suit for a long shackled dress.

During that time, Evan is trying to continue carrying on his job of congressman, provoking more and more disbelief from his fellow workmates and staff while his appearance is changing. At the end he is taken for a nut and a laughing stock by the general population and journalists who are watching him building the Ark. But at the end of the movie, the flood (which was much less disastrous as the Biblical one) finally happens, prompting Evan to let all his detractors to enter the ark saving them and as a result, is celebrated like he deserves to be.

What is lacking in this script is the general craziness and freedom Jim Carrey enjoyed in Bruce Almighty. Seeing him torturing and playing with the people around him by using his Mighty powers was the most enjoyable thing to see in the first movie. Unfortunately in this sequel, Steve Carell doesn't enjoy the same level of creating freedom. That's the biggest regret of this movie. Maybe if the huge comic potential of Steve Carell would have been better employed, this movie would have had another impact on the audience.

Heavy-handed and preachy, this is not an 'Almighty' effort

[editor-299 · 4/10 · 18 June 2007]

While not a huge fan of the original "Bruce Almighty," the Jim Carrey comedy from 2004, I now look back fondly upon it as a sweet respite; especially in light of its follow-up, "Evan Almighty," starring Steve Carell and Morgan Freeman.

In "Bruce," Evan Baxter (Carell) was the smarmy reporter who was given the news anchor position over Carrey; now he's the popular TV personality who was just elected to congress on a "Let's Change the World" platform. The film does not mention which party he belongs to, but it's probably the GOP.

Evan resigns his lucrative news job and heads to Washington. There, he immediately settles into a huge mansion (I mean HUGE) and jumps into his first day on the Hill. There we meet his staff, chief Marty (John Michael Higgins, "The Break-Up"), executive secretary, Rita (Wanda Sykes) and fat creepy intern, Eugene (Jonah Hill, "Accepted," "Knocked Up").

He is also bamboozled into supporting a colleague's (John Goodman) bill to allow private development in national parks (that's why I assume he's a Republican, since Hollywood naturally believes that party wants to allow private development in national parks ...). With all of this new work, he (like most movie fathers) begins to complete ignore his family.

Meanwhile, he begins to receive bizarre items in the mail, such as a set of archaic hand tools and deliveries of tons of wood and other materials. Finally, the long-awaited appearance of God (Freeman) takes place and Evan is instructed to build an ark.

At first, of course, he scoffs at the idea, but as more and more items are delivered, eight adjacent neighborhood lots are purchased in his name and animals of all kinds begin to follow him, he begins to take things seriously. Also, God performs a few little miracles and Evan grows facial hair slightly faster than a woodland gorilla (or Robin Williams), to get the point across.

Now a bearded, robe-wearing, hippy outcast, Evan loses his family, job and status, yet remains true, even working to finish the project by himself. God convinces him to undertake this seemingly impossible task by tossing about a few platitudes and performing some more miracles.

Purported to be one of the most expensive comedies ever made (estimated between $140-200 million), the word "comedy" is loosely tossed about here. Sure, Carell, who made his film debut in "Bruce," then parlayed that into key roles in "Anchorman," "The 40-Year Old Virgin" and the hit NBC series, "The Office," is funny in spots, but very rarely here.

He's either the selfish, idealistic congressman, or the idiotic, idealistic latter-day Noah with little development of either character. The laughs in this one come from Sykes (who ad-libbed 90 percent of her dialog) and Hill, who knows more about Evan than Evan.

Carell spends most of his time prat-falling while trying to construct the massive boat, or crying in the wilderness with a staff in his hand like a demented Charleton Heston. The only thing missing is his "The End Is Near" sign.

The situation of a politician turning into a crazed Old Testament prophet is certainly ripe for yucks, but director Tom Shadyac ("Bruce Almighty," "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry") chooses the heavy-handed approach, substituting hilarity for a stifling environmental message.

Yeah, we KNOW saving the Earth is good; we KNOW developing in national parks is BAD. In an attempt to create a modern version of "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington," Shadyac spreads the sentiment too thick with a heaping helping of maudlin on the side, then applies it with a sledgehammer.

Much of the budget here was wasted on the animals sequences. Evidently, photos of each beast were taken separately, and then incorporated digitally into the final product. They should have just CGI'ed everything, since that's what the outcome looks like, anyway.

And Sykes and Hill, while very funny in their short screen times, are not enough to bail the onrushing water out of this sinking vessel. Also, what was with the closing credits? Just various actors (as well as other personnel) involved in the movie gyrating to C.C. and the Music Company's "Everybody Dance, Now."

You'll leave the theaters (probably two by two) feeling like a biblical curse has been placed upon you after this flood of nonsense.

Talk about "original sin."

Super family fun

[isabella-06097 · 8/10 · 16 April 2019]

I don't understand all the negativity towards this movie, I loved it and thought it was just as good as Bruce Almighty (if anything, I think I may prefer it). It's creative, lighthearted, and overall a fun movie that I've watched several times!

Far exceeded my expectations

[patricklewallen · 7/10 · 20 May 2008]

I loved Bruce Almighty. I thought it was brilliant. Knowing this movie lacked Jim Carrey prevented me from seeing the film for a long time. I wish I hadn't done so. Though this film has a very weak IMDb rating, I completely stand by my 9/10 rating. Though the film lacked the comparable humor to Bruce Almighty, and often times any actual humor at all, the plot was creatively written, and the story moved at a very good pace. I am glad I finally got around to seeing this film, and would heavily encourage others to see the film as well. Is it the best film I've seen? No. Is it a film to go out of your way to see? No. But it is not a film worthy of anything below a seven rating. I would watch this film again. I did not see it in theaters, and am more thankful for that. Theatre prices are extremely expensive, and this movie is worth the price of a rental movie. Personally, I do recommend the film!

Seen the trailer? Then you've seen the WHOLE MOVIE.

[shiftyeyeddog · 4/10 · 11 October 2007]

This was a flick doomed from its conception. The very idea of it was lame - take a minor character from a mediocre PG-13 film, and make a complete non-sequel while changing its tone to a PG-rated family movie. I wasn't the least bit interested. Then came the trailer. Not only did it only confirm that the film would be unfunny and generic, but it also managed to give away the ENTIRE movie; and I'm not exaggerating - every moment, every plot point, every joke is told in the trailer. It's like a 3-minute Cliff's Notes version of the flick. So obviously I wasn't gonna pay to see it, but once it hit DVD, I thought sure, I'll watch it for free. Maybe Steve Carell can save it.

Nope.

I'm still baffled as to why he signed on for this. He must have owed someone a favor. The jokes were all so flat and obvious, and the director obviously asked him to go for very broad comedy style like the original Bruce Almighty's Jim Carrey. But it's just not funny. The studio obviously tried to cash in on the success of 40-Year-Old Virgin, complete with several of Carell's past co-stars, a reference to the flick on a theater marquee, and another musical closing credits sequence. But even the talented Carrell can't save this. His co-stars don't fare much better, with people like Morgan Freeman, Jonah Hill, and Ed Helms just wasted. Wanda Sykes isn't wasted, she's just a waste in anything she does, and her horrible one-liners and reactions just make you wish people would stop giving her work.

The story itself is just predictable and lazy. It pounds you over the head with obvious foreshadowing, like Evan's disregard for the environment (drives a gas-guzzling Humvee, opts to use wood from endangered trees for his house, hates animals,...), and by the end it's just over-the-top preachy on both faith and the environment.

Why the movie was made at all is puzzling enough, but I really don't understand how it reportedly became the most expensive comedy ever. The only real effects work is the presence of all the animals, and the integration of those into the scenes is some of the worst and most obvious blue/green-screen work I've ever seen. Maybe the rental of the live animals on set cost a fortune. Who knows. But whatever it was that cost them so much, it didn't translate to quality, that's for sure. But hey, it wasn't the worst film of the year by far. There's still plenty of worse duds like Norbit and Death Proof.