Evan Almighty Review
Is it a God Driven, Comical Film?
It is difficult to believe that the sequel to “Bruce Almighty” contains so much reference to the Bible, as well as God-Driven content. This is because of the fact that in “Bruce Almighty”, Jim Carey appeared to be cursing God for his unfortunate beginning – a very “Un-Godly” thing to do - however in “Evan Almighty”, there are references to the Bible, and it has an incredibly positive message that is fueled by God. You can tell that the writers of this film were God-Inspired. The movie begins by Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) leaving his newscaster job and becoming a congressman, in which at the same time he moves with his family to a new neighborhood. He is so busy with everything at work that he has problems finding time to spend with his family. One night Evan’s wife is talking about prayer. It made him think, therefore he started to pray for the first time in his life. In a very comical way, he asks God to help him be a better person. After Evan prays to God - plenty of references to Genesis 6:14 start popping up in his life – beginning with his General Electric Clock waking him up at 6:14 AM, and then his secretary’s extension being changed to 614.
God (Morgan Freeman) first appears to Evan when he is glaring at the stack of lumber that was shipped to his house from “The Alpha and The Omega”. Evan shows faith by opening up the Bible and turning to this particular verse which says, “Make thee an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out”, and it explains to him why there were wooden tools sent to him from “The Alpha and The Omega”, as well as wood in itself that was shipped to him. Finally, he has the answer; has faith, in which in turn shows optimism energized by God. Evan has dreams to change the world; so does God whom “hires him” to build an ark. Nevertheless, they share the same interest, thus making the movie God-Inspired - with that alone. At first, Evan believes in God, but he does not appear to be a “Devout Christian“. Throughout the movie, there are scenes that are hilarious, because animals seem to follow Evan everywhere. Hence, gathering two of a kind for the ark that he is to build. Evan is frustrated at this, and God appears to him again. This time, God commands the animals to go away by saying, “It is not time”. All of the animals scatter off in different directions. This demonstrated "some" of the power of “The Almighty”, and it was humorous in its framework.
The people of the community and also his own wife thinks he is out of his mind; crazy and loony. He practically loses his job because he begins to show up in meetings with a full grown out beard and long hair; looking like a caveman. His wife believes that he is so "out there" that she leaves with the kids. Soon after, God appears to her in a café, but she has no idea that He is “The Almighty”. He simply asks her in a nonchalant way, “Is something wrong?”, and she states, “You know that guy that is known as New York Noah? Well he is my husband”. He then speaks to her soul by saying, “If you pray for happiness or courage; Does God give you these things or Does He give you the opportunity to have these things. What really strikes home and speaks to her heart is Him addressing a prayer that she once prayed. “If you pray to be closer to your family, Does God grant you closeness to your family, or does he give you the opportunity to be closer to your family?” After the encounter with God she returns to Evan Baxter, but the story is not over yet. She tells him that they were going to tear down the ark on the 22nd of September. Then, he remembers that God told him the flood was going to happen on the 22nd as well. The entire family teams up. They now back their father, and she now backs her husband.
By the end of the movie - a man's faith is tested, restored, and (then) strengthened - and God's Biblical Eternal Promise holds true. HOWEVER, Anybody that reads this review and then watches the movie will still be shocked in the end.
There was one incident of slight vulgar language. This is truly a powerful film, but does it meet our expectations of a God Driven, Comical Film? Even though, we would not consider it a “Christian Film", We can - with all honesty and compassion - say, YES, with the assistance of the evidence that we have presented…This is indeed a God Driven, Comical Film.