Evan Almighty (2007)

Pure Comedy!

"Evan Almighty" is an entertaining flick in which a U. S. Congressman, played by Steve Carell, who is personally contacted by God, (aren't they all), portrayed by Morgan Freeman, who instructs him to build an Ark. That is the unusual part. John Goodman is excellent in a supporting role as the Committee Chairman who tries to use Evan's vote until Evan finally gets too weird for the Chairman's taste. Laugh your way through the rest of the movie while Evan gradually and reluctantly accepts his fate and deals with its bizarre demands. This is a great movie for anyone looking for 96 minutes of pure comedy. July 31, 2008

Very entertaining movie

I really enjoyed very much this movie. Is a comedy that the whole family can watch and at the same time is an uplifting movie. It's a pity that the format is 2.35, I really hate those black bars, the only reason which I didn't buy it. But every time I have a chance to watch it on HBO High Definition I do, it looks gorgeous on my 46 inch TV. I really are not in favor of those that predicate that movies should be seen as they were intended to be seen by the director. This a commercial movie and not an art film where maybe the composition of the frame is what makes the movie a masterpiece. This just a plain movie to enjoy, and not to see it halfscreen instead of widescreen. HBO has the right view, this is more entertainment than art. Wish the directors would choose to film their movies in 1.85 so that at last we could get rid of the black bars. Anyhow this is a very good and entertaining comedy that I highly recomend. July 22, 2008

The Weirdo With A Beardo

Word To The Wise: Watch the trailer for the gist and most of the "comedy" then come in the movie when the flood happens. You'll save yourself almost and hour and a half, and wonder what idiot movie exec let the budget for this mess rise above 75 million.

First off, this is supposed to be a comedy. The result is a movie where most, if not all, of the humor comes from Steve Carell, but even he can't sugar-coat most of this poorly written dialogue. And while Jonah Hill and JMH provide a few laughs, they are tossed to make room for Wanda Sykes. Now, she was already overrated, but in this movie she give a killing performance that just screams razzie. I didn't find myself laughing at any of her crap "jokes." And again, they're just trying SO hard to be funny, it ends up laughable, but in a bad sort of way.

Steve Carell is given the unfortunate job of carrying this movie on his shoulders, and even though he does a good job for most of the movie, the character could have been interchangeable for most of the movie. Lauren Graham makes a good mother, but again, a poorly written character. And John Goodman just sinks lower and lower with every role he plays, and this one is no exception.

The story isn't that great. A bit predictable and a bit too long, even though it's a short movie. But when it anti-climaxes at the flood, it's a fun and enjoyable ride complete with great effects and some interesting symbolism. But that lasts for what, all about five minutes?

As for it's family-friendliness, it's a little confused. While it does have plenty of predictable, but nice messages for the whole family and all those annoying/cute/CGI animals running around, it does stumble. Most glaring of these unfriendly errors is when Carell says if the flood isn't a "Water-Type Flood," he'll be "Pi$." That's really nice for the little ones. And then you're half expecting for somebody to get struck down when they keep saying OMG. Sure, these little gaffs won't offend most, but if the movie is marketing to a primarily Christian family audience, you have to keep the questionable stuff out.

So overall, Steve Carell plays the role of Atlas in this movie, carrying the whole film on his shoulders. Unfortunately, you can only do so much with bad writing. And there's plenty in this movie. From the pathetic excuse at comedy from Wanda Sykes, a story that annoys you more than anything, and a few language gaffs that could have been avoided. So wait till the Starz Bunnies cut this down to 30-seconds, because they'll have more laughs than this films does, and it'll be much more entertaining.

Real Score: 2.5 July 20, 2008

Family-Friendly Sequel To "Bruce Almighty"

I enjoyed "Bruce Almighty" when it was released a few years back. I was hesitant to watch its sequel, "Evan Almighty," for a number of reasons. Firstly, Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) was technically a villain in the first film. Secondly, I wasn't too sure about the PG rating for the film, thinking that a toned-down sequel would lose some of the schtick of the first film. Also, I found it hard to swallow the idea of a modern-day "Noah's Ark" story. I was quite surprised with the end result, however.

Morgan Freeman reprises his role as God, and does a fine and funny job of it. This time around, we find Evan giving up his day job as a newscaster and heading for Capitol Hill. He's taken under the wing of congressman Long (John Goodman), a seedy but slick politician who's out to make a profit by manipulating a few environmental roadblocks. Long believes that with Baxter in his corner, he can get the necessary changes made to go ahead with his development plans.

Of course, God has other plans for both parties, and asks Evan to literally build an ark (with animal pairings to boot). What is the reasoning behind building an ark? God works in mysterious ways, and despite resisting him at first, Evan goes along with the Big Guy and builds the ark for better or worse. The result is an environmental message draped with a blanket of generic Christian (or Jewish, since the story of Noah's ark is from the Old Testament) values that no one except the most staunch atheist will find offensive. It's nice to see some Biblical values presented in a positive light, but don't turn to this film for some deep theological wisdom.

With a solid supporting cast including Lauren Graham and Wanda Sykes, among others, "Evan Almighty" is an excellent, family-friendly film that will please the youngsters and the old folks equally. The special effects are excellent, but it's the plot that makes this film worth repeat viewings. Recommended. July 2, 2008

ok movie

i will keep this in my collection, it wasnt as good as the first one but it was ok June 20, 2008

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