Evan Almighty

I’d heard mixed reviews on this, although everyone said it wasn’t as good as Bruce Almighty. It isn’t, but don’t let that deter you from watching it. There are some clever moments – the number of times Gen 6:14 crops up to convince Evan that he is being called as a new Noah shows some imagination went into the script. The Go-4-Wood/Gopherwood delivery firm also stands out. But there’s nothing as funny as Bruce Almighty’s ‘Yahweh prayer-mail’, which is probably the best filmic joke for theologians ever.

As the leading man, Steve Carrell is passable. As an actor he can produce the goods when required, but his cause is hampered by the scripts over-reliance on slapstick and pratfalls. It’s not that Carrell can’t do slapstick, it’s just over-used in this film and gets tiresome. He’s ably supported by Lauren Graham, playing his long-suffering wife, Joan (Joan of Ark – geddit?).

The story itself is fairly predictable, which kind of sums up the problem with the film – it’s clearly aimed at kids and the blue-screened in animals lack reality. But there are enough moments to make you stop and go ‘hmmmm’. These vary in their heavy-handedness – one or two are real clunkers, but generally the saccharine is kept at bay and it’s nice to have something to think about later.

Jongudmund’s rating: If you go and see it with low expectations, you’ll probably get a lot out of it. 6.5/10