Evan Almighty

Evan Almighty seems to succeed where other faith based films have tried in the past decade and it does it without pressing the issues.

First off I am not a huge Steve Carell fan or a huge fan of the first film.  That being said I went into this film with very low expectations. As the film began it seemed that my expectations were going to come eye level with this film. Like all Steve Oedekerk films you get some body humor and some immature laughs. I mean who wouldn’t laugh at an animal defecating on the big screen? Carell also seemed to be playing his old self. The laughs were far and in between and thank God (no pun intended) Wanda Sykes and Jonah Hill showed up to bring some real laughs with awkward moments and some pretty smooth one liners. But is that enough to constitute this film getting a good review? The answer would be no.

Then something happened that turned the whole film around. Things got serious. The script suddenly transformed into an actual story that carried a lot of weight behind it. Aside from a few crotch nudges the humor suddenly and thankfully got mature enough for an adult to enjoy. The whole cast seemed to just flow, even the kids, who I thought would end up bringing an unwanted cute factor into the film.

Now something has to be said about the strength of Carell’s character in the film. His manifestation in the film didn’t seem contrived and it didn’t seem preachy. I really enjoyed that his character was strong. Unlike Bruce Almighty I really thought Morgan Freeman’s God character had a more intelligent role. What he said was not to formulated and it seemed like sound honest advice. Now some people might not come to see the film because they fear that it will be to religious or to preachy but I can honestly say that the films fluidity is constant and that even if your picking up preachy vibes they melt away before you can have any real skepticism because of the films pace and comedy distractions.

In the end, and I do mean the end of the film, you are treated to an awesome spectacle that was both awe inspiring and really cool to see. I enjoyed the end the best of all, especially how things just begin to happen and all your answers are revealed about Evan and his families plight. As an overall movie I can’t say that I would give it an A though. For me it lacked in the beginning. Where most of the audience was laughing I was simply looking on and comparing such slapstick moments as hitting ones thumb with a hammer repeatedly as a recycled joke that doesn’t even merit a revival. The pay off though is the overall story. I really enjoyed the story when it finally began.

The film is rated a very worthy PG rating and is very safe for the whole family to enjoy. I highly suggest seeing this film alone or with loved ones.