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Former news anchor Evan Baxter has just been elected to congress. So he uproots his family and moves to the capital to begin his life as a high-flying politician. But then God appears to him and asks him to build an ark, fill it with animals and prepare for an imminent flood. Evan just wants to get on with his career, but God is willing to go to any lengths to get him to do his bidding and by fair means or foul, he means for Evan to build that boat. So the new congressman unwittingly grows a beard and starts attracting animals of all kinds while his family think he's having a mid-life crisis.
It's always dicey making a sequel to a film that was perfectly self-contained, especially when there's a gap of a good few years between them. You always run the risk of repeating yourself. However, director Tom Shadyac avoids this by aiming his movie at a different audience. Whereas "Bruce Almighty" was a comedy showcase for rubber-faced Jim Carrey, its successor sits very firmly in the family film camp. But that's not necessarily a good thing. Sticking to family values and a message about looking after the planet may make the film more kid-friendly, but it robs the scenario of jokes. We're left with easy slapstick and a few gags about bearded men wearing dresses. And there's nothing here we haven't seen before, so there is little to make you smile, let alone laugh. It feels like a waste of leading man Steve Carell's talents, never allowing him off the reins in case he does or says something that scares the good folk out west.
The visuals are pretty shiny, though the computer-generated flood is rather disappointing from an effects point of view
and you can often see where the animals have been pasted into shots. But the overall impression is of overweening blandness. The central conceit is fun, but there's nothing here that is intrinsically funny, especially as Shadyac prolongs gags beyond their shelf-life. He is perhaps too fond of montages that show Evan's run for office, his daily preening and various aspects of building the ark and he tends to repeat jokes. There are some funny moments involving the animals following him around - the birds in his office being the strongest gag, but most were spoiled by being in the trailer. The director obviously feels great affection for his characters, but overdoes the sentiment on occasion, which further undermines the comedy. However, animal-mad kids will love it and there is plenty here to keep them entertained.
The screenplay by "Bruce Almighty" writer Steve Oedekerk sticks firmly to the middle of the road. There's nothing here to differentiate it from dozens of other family films where a father neglects his family for his career. The first movie had some very amusing moments and also a few risqué jokes, showing what a man could do if he had the powers of God. Here Evan is taking on the role of emissary of a higher power, so there are no grandstanding tricks for him to play, just lots of pairs of animals following him around and some obvious gags about beard growth. It's more about how the world perceives him (as a religious nutter) and there is a strong and clumsy environmental message that rears its head mere moments in and won't let up. I suppose it's hardly surprising given that the filmmakers pride themselves on this being the first carbon neutral movie production. But the subplot about corrupt officials only exists as a handy example of why we shouldn't mess with mother nature.
The characterisation is limited. Evan is supposed to be a clean freak career obsessive, but there isn't enough evidence of either for it to affect the storyline or influence how we see him. Mainly he's a stooge for slapstick. His wife is the standard cutesy but stressed suburban mum. His kids are more or less interchangeable, with the middle son barely having a personality. Evan's various assistants are all larger than life and either rude, camp or a touch creepy. Meanwhile all other politicians are either untrustworthy or out of touch with the world. And God just uses his powers to appear all over the place and play practical jokes on Evan. The dialogue lacks any laugh-out-loud jokes. The closest we get are a few rude comments from TV reporters ("He used to go by Evan Baxter, but now he's known as New York's Noah…the Weirdo with a Beardo.") and Evan's assistant Rita.
I really like Steve Carell, after having seen him in "Anchorman" and "The Forty Year-Old Virgin", so I was hoping for great things from him as Evan. But I was disappointed by his underpowered show of predictable mugging and slapstick. He is relatively smug for the first five minutes or so, but it isn't enough for you to want him to get his comeuppance and his constant bumbling feels formulaic. The role simply isn't enough of a challenge for him.
The supporting cast are all well within their comfort zones. Morgan Freeman has played God before, but this time out is robbed of the chance to be properly mischievous. Lauren Graham is cutesy but tense as Evan's wife Joan, but looks too young to have given birth to her eldest son. Wanda Sykes rolls out her usual sassy, argumentative schtick as Evan's assistant Rita. Jonah Hill is relatively amusing as his fawning sidekick Eugene, showcasing nice timing whilst being rather creepy as a result of his over-enthusiasm. Meanwhile John Michael Higgins proves three's a crowd as Evan's superfluous camp assistant, in a badly underwritten role. The lead's three sons have no apparent personalities, but at least Little Jimmy Bennett's voice becomes less high pitched as he ages. John Goodman makes a belated attempt at playing the bad guy as shady politician Congressman Long. But though he may be the obvious villain from the outset, he lacks menace.
The original music from John Debney relies on a string and piano-based score, with both used in various ways to induce all manner of emotions. They can be playful, energetic, dark or sad. But mainly they are constant and often repetitive. Tootling woodwinds add a 50s' ideal home feeling to Evan's aspirations for his family, while B-movie thriller motifs undercut his early encounters with the animals. The fun aspect of the film is usually illustrated by twinkly xylophones and anything related to God is accompanied by heavenly choruses and sweeping strings. Meanwhile the soundtrack choices tend to blend into the background like aural wallpaper because tracks like "Waiting on the World to Change" are too middle-of-the-road to resonate.
"Evan Almighty" is an entirely watchable film for all the family, especially if you have kids that love animals. However, though it is certainly fun, it isn't actually funny unless you really love slapstick. Personally I prefer a bit more wit in my movies. The direction is adequate, the writing is satisfactory but I had hoped for more from the cast. It feels like there isn't quite enough to it as a whole, so I'm afraid I can't claim to be anything more than indifferent to it. There is an end credits gag, but watching the cast miming to "Everybody Dance Now" isn't really worth waiting for, though it shows the actors had fun on set.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Comedy - Director: Tony Dow - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: John Challis, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Tessa Peake-Jones, Gwyneth Strong
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Advantages: Amusing, good family film, Morgan Freeman, some thought provoking bits Disadvantages: Not side-splitting, some of the minor characters unconvincing
lobourse 21.08.2007 (21.08.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Evan Almighty (DVD)
Advantages: The cast, its pretty funny, lives up to repeated viewings (for me anyway) Disadvantages: If you don't like Jim Carrey in his comedy roles, your not going to enjoy this
IzzyS 28.11.2009 (28.11.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Bruce Almighty (DVD)
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Nov 4th, 2007
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