Amazon.co.uk Review
Giving Steve Carell a long-overdue leading role in a mainstream Hollywood comedy,
Evan Almighty is the sequel to the huge Jim Carrey hit
Bruce Almighty. And while Carrey isn’t on the cast list this time round, director Tom Shadyac and Morgan Freeman are among the many returnees.
The focus of Evan Almighty switches to Carell’s Evan Baxter, last seen as a newsreader but now an elected official, who is chosen by God (Freeman) to build a new ark. And this ark needs, as you’d expect, to hold two of each species on the planet. Naturally, all the people around Evan think he’s gone mad, and this proves a healthy comedy mine that’s well exploited.
Evan Almighty isn’t without a few problems, though. The focus of the film isn’t always tight enough on generating the laughs, and Carell is surprisingly under-used. He’s on form when the material allows him to shine, but its often (admittedly impressive) special effects that end up taking centre stage, an odd road to choose for a comedy.
That said, Evan Almighty is still an enjoyable family comedy, and it’s not without rewatch value. It’s a fun little movie, and one that deserves extra credit for promoting Carell to top billing--that's a move long overdue. --Jon Foster
Synopsis
In this sequel to BRUCE ALMIGHTY, newscaster Evan Baxter (Steve Carrell, THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN) has traded in the news desk for a post in Washington as a congressman. Though his campaign was based on the idea of changing the world, Evan drives a gas-guzzling SUV and spends more time trimming his nose hair than with his three sons. When he has a strange encounter with God (Oscar winner Morgan Freeman, reprising his role from the first film), God tells him to build an ark, just as Noah did thousands of years ago. Though Evan is sceptical, he finally accepts the task after being hounded by dozens of animals that follow him, two by two. By obeying God, Evan risks his family, career, and sanity--but will a flood actually come and prove him right? EVAN ALMIGHTY is a pure family affair, a squeaky clean film that kids and parents can enjoy equally. With hundreds of animals, poop jokes are inevitable, and they're worthy of a chuckle or two. With his roles in THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN and THE OFFICE, Carrell has capitalised on playing awkward characters. The (over)confident Evan is quite a change, and it's interesting to see Carrell stretch his comedic muscle. Though EVAN ALMIGHTY also features the talents of Lauren Graham (GILMORE GIRLS) and Coen Brothers favorite John Goodman, the funniest lines and delivery come from Wanda Sykes (THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE) and Jonah Hill (KNOCKED UP) as members of Evan's staff. Most of the film's jokes garner giggles, but the lines from this pair get guffaws.
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