Bruce Almighty
Page 2 of 6
Review By Heather Wadowski
(JCO Senior Editor)
May 23, 2003
Obviously a review of a Jim Carrey movie on this site will be a bit biased. No matter what he does, to us Carreyholics Mr. Carrey can do no wrong. That being said, being the professional critic I am, I can separate the great Jim Carrey movies from the so-so ones even though I love them all. "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective?" Best damn movie ever. "Man on the Moon?" Wonderful, underrated and pure genius on Carrey's behalf. "Liar Liar?" Hilarious. "Earth Girls Are Easy?" Funny, not his best work, but damn does he look good as a blonde!
Surprisingly though, with two of the above mentioned films directed by Tom Shadyac, one would think that Universal Pictures' "Bruce Almighty" would rank near the top of Jim Carrey's best movies ever. However, it doesn't. Although it is hilarious, parts of the movie are very reminiscent of both "Ace" and "Liar Liar" and Carrey looks B-E-A-Utiful (when you see the movie you'll get it), "Bruce Almighty" only ranks near the top of the middle of the Best Jim Carrey Movies list-- or the bottom of the top depending on how you look at it.
In "Bruce Almighty" Carrey plays Bruce Nolan, a down on his luck news reporter who continuously blames God for his shortcomings. Sick and tired of always hearing him complain, God (played by Morgan Freeman) decides to take a much needed vacation and leaves his powers in Bruce's hands. Obviously Bruce goes crazy with his newfound power, making all of his dreams come true (like getting that promotion at work and toilet training his dog) while ignoring the prayers of others. Eventually though, Bruce learns that life isn't perfect no matter how hard you try to make it that way, and that despite feeling like he was always being picked on by God, God was actually in his corner the whole time.
© Universal Pictures
At first, "Bruce Almighty" sounds like your typical Hollywood comedy aimed at both kids and adults, complete with the cheesy moral at the end of the story. And it is. Will Bruce abuse his powers? Of course! Will something so horribly wrong and teach him it's hard to be God? Naturally. But the one element that keeps "Bruce Almighty" from being some cornball comedy about faith, God and life is our favorite actor, Jim Carrey.
"Bruce Almighty" is definitely tailor fit to Carrey's needs and talents. Everything from the overdramatics of the situations to the catchy sayings (even the classic "alrighty then") is delivered in Steve Oedekerk, Mark O'Keefe and Steve Koren's script, giving Carrey a chance to let loose in ways fans haven't seen since "Me, Myself & Irene." And similar to "Liar Liar," "Bruce Almighty" is also tailor fit to show Carrey's dramatic side, but in small enough portions so that fans who can't get over the fact that a man who once talked out of his ass for laughs is now doing drama won't leave the theater in outrage. "Bruce Almighty" also marks a departure for Carrey, who steps back from being the center of attention for once to let his co-stars (and some great special effects) get their share of the laughs. This yet again keeps fans of the comedic Carrey happy since they are laughing, but also nods towards the dramatic Carrey fans since he's not the focus of the audience's attention.
Furthermore, "Bruce Almighty" marks the first time ("Dumb and Dumber" excluded) that Carrey is surrounded by funny co-stars. "Ace" was pretty much a solo effort, Renee Zellweger didn't exactly keep viewers in stitches during "Me, Myself and Irene" and Cameron Diaz (though stunning) wasn't exactly comic relief in "The Mask." And while Carrey obviously delivers the craziest punchlines in "Bruce Almighty," Morgan Freeman in his own dry wit way is actually quite funny as God, and the sex scene between Carrey and Jennifer Aniston is pure comedic gold. Even the supporting players steal their fair share of scenes away from Carrey, a task (as we all know) that isn't easy to do.
Still, "Bruce Almighty" is truly Carrey's picture from beginning to end, and fans will definitely experience a non-stop laugh fest from the opening credits to the blooper reel at the end (though, might I add, not NEARLY as funny a blooper reel as seen in "Liar Liar"). Nevertheless, something's missing that keeps "Bruce Almighty" from being as funny as "Liar Liar," and one can't really blame the cliché-ish lesson Bruce learns at the end as the movie's downfall since Lord knows "Liar Liar" has a moral, too. What that something is even I don't know, but given the fact that I plan on seeing "Bruce Almighty" again on open day I guess whatever is missing isn't that important. For even with its few downfalls (and a completely random scene that has viewers questioning if God is gay since as soon as Bruce gets his holy powers he suddenly becomes overly flamboyant) "Bruce" still ranks above several of Carrey's other features, all of which I love and adore no matter what other people say. To quote Bruce Almighty himself, "I saw it, and it was goooooood."
Movie Rating: B
Carrey Rating (performance and looks): A
(JCO Senior Editor)
May 23, 2003
Obviously a review of a Jim Carrey movie on this site will be a bit biased. No matter what he does, to us Carreyholics Mr. Carrey can do no wrong. That being said, being the professional critic I am, I can separate the great Jim Carrey movies from the so-so ones even though I love them all. "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective?" Best damn movie ever. "Man on the Moon?" Wonderful, underrated and pure genius on Carrey's behalf. "Liar Liar?" Hilarious. "Earth Girls Are Easy?" Funny, not his best work, but damn does he look good as a blonde!
Surprisingly though, with two of the above mentioned films directed by Tom Shadyac, one would think that Universal Pictures' "Bruce Almighty" would rank near the top of Jim Carrey's best movies ever. However, it doesn't. Although it is hilarious, parts of the movie are very reminiscent of both "Ace" and "Liar Liar" and Carrey looks B-E-A-Utiful (when you see the movie you'll get it), "Bruce Almighty" only ranks near the top of the middle of the Best Jim Carrey Movies list-- or the bottom of the top depending on how you look at it.
In "Bruce Almighty" Carrey plays Bruce Nolan, a down on his luck news reporter who continuously blames God for his shortcomings. Sick and tired of always hearing him complain, God (played by Morgan Freeman) decides to take a much needed vacation and leaves his powers in Bruce's hands. Obviously Bruce goes crazy with his newfound power, making all of his dreams come true (like getting that promotion at work and toilet training his dog) while ignoring the prayers of others. Eventually though, Bruce learns that life isn't perfect no matter how hard you try to make it that way, and that despite feeling like he was always being picked on by God, God was actually in his corner the whole time.
© Universal Pictures
At first, "Bruce Almighty" sounds like your typical Hollywood comedy aimed at both kids and adults, complete with the cheesy moral at the end of the story. And it is. Will Bruce abuse his powers? Of course! Will something so horribly wrong and teach him it's hard to be God? Naturally. But the one element that keeps "Bruce Almighty" from being some cornball comedy about faith, God and life is our favorite actor, Jim Carrey.
"Bruce Almighty" is definitely tailor fit to Carrey's needs and talents. Everything from the overdramatics of the situations to the catchy sayings (even the classic "alrighty then") is delivered in Steve Oedekerk, Mark O'Keefe and Steve Koren's script, giving Carrey a chance to let loose in ways fans haven't seen since "Me, Myself & Irene." And similar to "Liar Liar," "Bruce Almighty" is also tailor fit to show Carrey's dramatic side, but in small enough portions so that fans who can't get over the fact that a man who once talked out of his ass for laughs is now doing drama won't leave the theater in outrage. "Bruce Almighty" also marks a departure for Carrey, who steps back from being the center of attention for once to let his co-stars (and some great special effects) get their share of the laughs. This yet again keeps fans of the comedic Carrey happy since they are laughing, but also nods towards the dramatic Carrey fans since he's not the focus of the audience's attention.
Furthermore, "Bruce Almighty" marks the first time ("Dumb and Dumber" excluded) that Carrey is surrounded by funny co-stars. "Ace" was pretty much a solo effort, Renee Zellweger didn't exactly keep viewers in stitches during "Me, Myself and Irene" and Cameron Diaz (though stunning) wasn't exactly comic relief in "The Mask." And while Carrey obviously delivers the craziest punchlines in "Bruce Almighty," Morgan Freeman in his own dry wit way is actually quite funny as God, and the sex scene between Carrey and Jennifer Aniston is pure comedic gold. Even the supporting players steal their fair share of scenes away from Carrey, a task (as we all know) that isn't easy to do.
Still, "Bruce Almighty" is truly Carrey's picture from beginning to end, and fans will definitely experience a non-stop laugh fest from the opening credits to the blooper reel at the end (though, might I add, not NEARLY as funny a blooper reel as seen in "Liar Liar"). Nevertheless, something's missing that keeps "Bruce Almighty" from being as funny as "Liar Liar," and one can't really blame the cliché-ish lesson Bruce learns at the end as the movie's downfall since Lord knows "Liar Liar" has a moral, too. What that something is even I don't know, but given the fact that I plan on seeing "Bruce Almighty" again on open day I guess whatever is missing isn't that important. For even with its few downfalls (and a completely random scene that has viewers questioning if God is gay since as soon as Bruce gets his holy powers he suddenly becomes overly flamboyant) "Bruce" still ranks above several of Carrey's other features, all of which I love and adore no matter what other people say. To quote Bruce Almighty himself, "I saw it, and it was goooooood."
Movie Rating: B
Carrey Rating (performance and looks): A
| Production Companies | Shady Acres Entertainment Pit Bull Productions Universal Studios |
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| Distributors | Universal Studios Spyglass Entertainment |
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| Director | Tom Shadyac | ||
| Writers | Steve Koren Mark O'Keefe Steve Oedekerk |
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| Producers | Tom Shadyac Jim Carrey James D. Brubaker Michael Bostick |
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| Executive Producers | Roger Birnbaum Gary Barber |
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| Associate Producers | Linda Fields-Hill Janet Wattles |
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| Composer | John Debney | ||
| Cinematographer | Dean Semler | ||
| Editor | Scott Hill | ||
| Cast List |
Jim Carrey Jennifer Aniston Morgan Freeman Philip Baker Hall Catherine Bell Lisa Ann Walter Steve Carell Nora Dunn Eddie Jemison Paul Satterfield Mark Kiely Sally Kirkland Tony Bennett Timothy Di Pri Brian Tahash Lou Felder Lillian Adams Christopher Darga Jack Jozefson Mark Adair-Rios Enrique Almeida Noel Gugliemi Rolando Molina Emilio Rivera Albert P. Santos Madeline Lovejoy Jovan Allie Koby Allie Dan Desmond Selma Stern Alfred Dennis Rina Fernandez Robert Curtis Brown Michael Brownlee Ted Garcia Maria Quiban Shaun Robinson Saida Pagan Ken Rudulph Gina St. John Michael Villani Christina Grandy Jamison Yang Bette Rae Andrew Romero Hateley Nick Huff Greg Collins Dougald Park Susan Ware John Rosenfeld Mary Pat Gleason Carey Scott David A. Clemons Bradley Stryker Laura Carson Michael Guarnera Zachary Aaron Krebs Ben Livingston Nelson Mashita Glen Yrigoyen Dohn Norwood Michael Olifiers David Carrera Howard S. Lefstein Miah Won Darcy Fowers Laura-Shay Griffin Darius Rose Micayla Bowden Samantha Boyarsky Dylan Ferguson Cubbie Kile Emily Needham Alex Villiers Monique Daniels Ara Celi Jessica Leigh Mattson Allison McCurdy Patti O'Donnell Janelle Pierzina Annie Wersching Ashley Yegan Micah Williams William Thomas Jr. Tom Beyer Max Grodénchik Michael Bofshever Colby French Manny Suárez Shashawnee Hall Don Dowe Vanna Salviati P.J. Byrne Carrie Quinn Dolin Scott DeFoe |
..... Bruce Nolan ..... Grace Connelly ..... God ..... Jack Baylor ..... Susan Ortega ..... Debbie ..... Evan Baxter ..... Ally Loman ..... Bobby ..... Dallas Coleman ..... Fred Donohue ..... Anita Mann ..... Himself ..... Bruce's Cameraman ..... Bruce's Soundman ..... Pete Fineman ..... Mama Kowolski ..... Vol Kowolski ..... Homeless Man ..... Hood ..... Hood ..... Hood ..... Hood ..... Hood ..... Hood ..... Zoe ..... Martin ..... Martin ..... Bill, Ferry Owner ..... Irene Dansfield ..... Old Man ..... Pretty Woman ..... Phil Sidleman ..... Newscaster ..... Newscaster ..... Newscaster ..... Newscaster ..... Newscaster ..... Newscaster ..... Newscaster ..... Newscaster ..... Office Staffer ..... Office Staffer ..... Hazel ..... Teenager ..... Teenager ..... Coach Tucker ..... Stalled Car Guy ..... Party Woman ..... Business Man ..... Heavyish Woman ..... Partying Sports Guy ..... Rioter ..... College Rioter ..... Nurse ..... Riot Leader ..... Paramedic ..... Paramedic ..... Doctor ..... Trainer ..... Police Training Center Officer ..... Police Training Center Officer ..... Phil's Cameraman ..... Phil's Soundman ..... Connie, Masseuse ..... Attractive Woman at Restaurant ..... Attractive Woman at Restaurant ..... Tyler ..... Day Care Kid ..... Day Care Kid ..... Day Care Kid ..... Day Care Kid ..... Day Care Kid ..... Day Care Kid ..... Day Care Teacher ..... Woman at Party ..... Woman at Party ..... Woman at Party ..... Woman at Party ..... Woman at Party ..... Woman at Party ..... Woman at Party ..... Boy on Bike ..... Technical Director ..... Stage Manager ..... Control Room Operator ..... Control Room Operator ..... Control Room Operator ..... Control Room Operator ..... Camera operator ..... Camera operator ..... Bobby's Aunt ..... Panicked Newsroom Staffer ..... Teleprompter Operator ..... K-9 Tech |
|
| Bruce Nolan: | B-E-A-utiful. |
| Bruce Nolan: | Behind every great man... is a woman rolling her eyes. |
| Bruce Nolan: | I'm Bruce Nolan with Eyewitness Nose... Eyewitness Nose... that's right! |
| Bruce Nolan: | I am Bruce Almighty. My will be done. |
| Bruce Nolan: | The only one around here not doing his job is you! |
| Bruce Nolan: | Love me. Love me. |
| Grace Connelly: | I did... |
| Bruce Nolan: | There were so many. I just gave them all what they want. |
| God: | Yeah. But since when does anyone have a clue about what they want? |
| Grace Connelly: | Oh God! |
| Bruce Nolan: | You can call me Bruce. |
| Bruce Nolan: | Okay, prayer beads, "God, please give me a sign." |
| Bruce Nolan: | So tell me, Mama. Why make Buffalo's biggest cookie? |
| Mama Kowolski: | Well, man from health department say he find rat pellet in our pastry, but I say, 'No, is big chocolate sprinkle.' But he shut store down. So we clean up, make big cookie for to bring customers back. |
| Bruce Nolan: | And thet's the way the cookie crumbles. I'm Bruce Nolan, Eyewitness News. |
| Bruce Nolan: | Holy sh... cow. |
| Bruce Nolan: | Hey, little anal-dwelling butt monkey. Time for you to go home, little buddy. |
In Bruce We Trust?
How would you handle the most awesome responsibility in the universe?
He's got the power.
The guy next door just became the guy upstairs.
If you could be God for one week, what would you do?
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