BRUCE ALMIGHTY

(May 2003, U.S.)

For a while, it seemed as if Jim Carrey and director Tom Shadyac were becoming the Scorsese/DeNiro team of comedy with ACE VENTURA (1994), LIAR LIAR (1997) and this film. BRUCE ALMIGHTY is not a perfect film, by any means, but there are some irresistable moments of Carrey's lunacy that can have you in absolute stitches. These are the moments that make any comedy, even faulted ones, totally worthwhile.

I don't believe in God, but if he or she does exist and wanted to hand over his or her omnipotent powers to someone for a time, why not give them to someone who would completely abuse them for their own personal gain? As struggling Buffalo (the city) news reporter Bruce Nolan, why not use those new-found powers to gain the reputation as "Mr. Exclusive" by causing exciting news, such as a meteor impact and the discovery of Jimmy Hoffa's body, to occur whenever you happen to be on the scene reporting? Why not use those powers to make your girlfriend's breasts biggers and give her a series of monumental orgasms without even touching her? Why not use those powers to force humiliation to your co-worker on live television (my favorite part of the film!)? Why not cause your city's hockey team to win the Stanley Cup and create havoc by causing everyone in the city to win the state lottery so that all that any winner ends up getting is about seventeen dollars? Why not for all of it??? Hell, I would!!!

The problem with a crazy comedy like this is the innevitable moment when it begins to turn sentimental and even depressing on you. The word "serious" can sometimes act as a cancer when all you really want to do is laugh and laugh 'till you drop. Woody Allen can be serious if he wants to, but Jim Carrey, short of starring in something like THE TRUMAN SHOW (1998) or THE MAJESTIC (2001) is not someone I want to get too deep on me.

Favorite line or dialogue (I have laughed so hard at this sequence, I've literally had trouble breathing!):

Evan Baxter (reading the news prompter under Bruce's divine intervention): "In other news the Prime Minister of Sweden visited Washington today and my tiny little nipples went to France."
Director: "What'd he just say? Check the prompter."
Technician: "The prompter's fine."
Director: "Evan, READ THE COPY! Please! The copy's good. Just read it."
Evan: "The White House reception committee greeted the Prime Ribroast Minister and...I do the cha-cha like a sissy girl. I lik-a do da cha-cha. I'm sorry we seem to be having some technical difficulties. In other news..."