Film #169 - Bruce Almighty (2003)
Viewed June 18, 2006
Bruce Almighty is an extremely well-balanced comedy starring Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston. It concerns Bruce (Carrey), a TV reporter who feels life has treated him unfairly. After a particularly disastrous day, he has a meeting with God (Morgan Freeman), who endows him with all the powers of the Almighty, essentially making Bruce God.
With Carrey, there’s always the danger that he will go so far over the top that the film loses its grounding in reality. This can work, of course, as it does in the case of The Mask (1994), but it can also cause a film to careen out of control, like How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000).
In the case of Bruce Almighty, it’s the religious aspect of the film that serves as the grounding force. As Bruce comes to terms with the power he has been granted, along with all of the responsibilities that it entails, he begins to see how all the power in the world can’t necessarily make things right and that you can’t force someone to love you. It’s a film about power, but it’s also about accepting our limitations, whether it be the glass ceiling we seem to face at work or the loss of a loved one, whatever the reason. These are significant concepts that the film examines and it does so unflinchingly, which is bold for a comedy.
And there is still plenty of comedy. As a fan of co-screenwriter Steve Oedekerk (Thumb Wars, Jimmy Neutron, Kung Pow!), I couldn’t help but notice a lot of his sensibility in the jokes and I suspect he was brought in to punch up the humor. Carrey is, of course, letter perfect with the wacky jokes, but also shows his skill with more subtle humor. Jennifer Aniston is here able to show off more of the appeal that she exhibited on Friends than any other film except Office Space. The only other actor to get significant comedic air time is Steve Carell (Anchorman, The Office) who shines in his first big film role.
On the dramatic side, there’s no question that Morgan Freeman plays God very well. He gets some bits of wry comedy, but most of his stuff is more serious and I can’t think of many actors who could pull off the simultaneous display of power and vulnerability that Freeman does. Carrey and Aniston have both proven themselves as dramatic actors previously, and they are more than up to the material they’re given here.
I really found watching Bruce Almighty to be a satisfying experience. It’s potent combination of full-blown laughs and heartfelt drama reminded me of 13 Going on 30, with the comedic edge going to Bruce and the dramatic edge to 13. And while the religious aspects of Bruce Almighty are strong (and given the subject matter, inevitable), I don’t think there’s anything to irritate any but the most cynical of skeptics. A definite winner and one of the best of Carrey’s career.