Jim Carrey is back to the form that helped make him a comedic
star with his new movie
”
Bruce Almighty,
”
currently playing at Premiere Cinemas.
Jim Carrey is back to the form that helped make him a comedic star with his new movie “Bruce Almighty,” currently playing at Premiere Cinemas.
This latest release from Universal Studios is not Carrey’s best work, but it provides enough laughs to keep his fans and most moviegoers happy.
One of the film’s saving graces is that while Carrey’s zany brand of comedy takes center stage, director Tom Shadyac, who worked with Carrey in “Liar, Liar” and “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” made sure the film snuck in a message beyond being funny for the sake of being funny.
In a back-handed sort of way, the movie asks how much people should be held accountable for their own happiness and the way their lives have unfolded before them, and how much they should expect God to take on.
One of the sweet surprises in this movie was Morgan Freeman (“Glory,” “Seven” and “The Shawshank Redemption”). There was no surprise that he is a good actor; Freeman has proven that repeatedly throughout his career. What surprised me was his comedic touch as a straight man for Carrey.
Being a good straight man is no easy task. Just ask Dean Martin or Bud Abbott.
Freeman plays God with an endearing warmth and just enough detachment to make you believe, at least for a moment, that he could be God. Instead of a thunderous, Cecil B. DeMille-directed fire-and-brimstone type of deity, Freeman portrays God with a sort of quiet, fatherly dignity that is challenging yet somehow reassuring at the same time. He leaves viewers with the feeling that even while he’s giving Bruce a chance in the driver’s seat, he has a hand on the wheel the whole time.
Aniston does a good job of breaking away from her TV character on “Friends” in this film. She plays Grace, Carrey’s girlfriend and a sweet kindergarten teacher, and shows that she really could have a career in the movies despite the doubters and naysayers who think she should stay on television. Although she’s no Lucille Ball, Aniston gives a solid, likable performance.
But let’s face it – this movie revolves around Carrey, who plays Bruce Nolan, a television reporter in Buffalo, New York who is unhappy with his life following a series of career and personal disappointments that leave him bitter and angry.
Despite his public popularity and a girlfriend who loves him, Bruce blames all of his problems and disappointments on God. In one scene, he challenges the omnipotent being to a fight, yelling “OK, God, the gloves are off,” at the sky.
In response to Bruce’s angry words, God gives Bruce his powers and puts him in charge, and decides to take a long-overdue vacation. Needless to say, all heck breaks loose as Nolan tries to right some personal wrongs.
