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One had to wonder
how in the world director Tom Shadyac was
going to re-visit the madcap comedy of Jim
Carrey's brush with God-hood in "Bruce
Almighty." Well actually there was
no wondering to be had as no one expected
a sequel. But news started spreading that
he was indeed going to hit audiences with
a little more 'almighty' goodness…
but without Carrey. Instead he decided to
expand on the character of Evan Baxter,
played by Steve Carell, by allowing him
to meet God and do a little bit of His bidding.
Carell has of late become the 'go-to' guy
for comedies when filmmakers want acceptance
for an otherwise risky project. Fans of
"Bruce Almighty" breathed a sigh
of relief at the thought of Carell taking
over the lead, as did fans of the old "Get
Smart" series when they learned he
would be stepping into Don Adams shoes.
It seems that Carell's average guy appearance
mixed with his wide (yet subtle) comedic
range makes him the perfect choice for nearly
any style of film.
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With "Evan Almighty", Carell returns
to the role of newscaster Evan Baxter. However,
there is little resemblance to the performance
that came before as this Evan has moved on from
his dim-witted smarminess to a more familial role.
He has also moved on from his job and is now a
newly elected Congressman. As things seem to be
going especially well for Evan, as is usually
the case for all politicians, he begins to notice
little religious hints of things to come. But
when he is finally visited by God (Morgan Freeman),
he learns that learns that He has plans for him.
And those plans include Evan's transformation
into a latter day Noah, complete with animals,
and ark and a long flowing beard.
"Evan Almighty" certainly had a lot
going for it with its cast as well as the enormous
amount of money spent on special effects. But
while I found the film to be funny, it was not
as uproariously so as 'Bruce." The humor
here is a lot more low-key, with the possible
exception of the over the top animal antics. And
though Carell did an admirable job, the film really
belonged to Wanda Sykes, who ended up with all
the best lines and had the delivery to back them
up. I will say that I was glad to see that the
movie was a little more family friendly than its
predecessor, but parents still needed to watch
for a few of scenes of 'rude humor.'
Universal's DVD comes with quite package of additional
features, most of which let us know just what
an expensive production the film ended up being.
Along with the myriad of deleted scenes and outtakes,
there is a featurette with interviews Carell,
Morgan Freeman and almost every member of the
crew. It was fairly enlightening, but it hit too
many people for its short 6 minute run. There
is also a separate interview with makeup artist
David Anderson about what it took to transform
Carell into Noah, as well as a lengthier look
into how they wrangled all the real animals that
were used in the film. You'll also find a featurette
on the massive special effects sequence towards
the end of the movie. Add to this a few minutes
of Carell having a little fun on the set and a
bit of a skit about animal screen tests and you'd
think you’d be all done. You'd be wrong.
There are yet more features to be found, but they
are of the green variety, mostly focusing on how
the cast and crew recycled sets and ride bicycles.
Some of the cast members even pop up to give tips
on how we can become 'green' and encourage us
to take part in ARK (Acts of Random Kindness).
You'll even find a list of people who visited
a website and sent in their cash to plant trees.
(I kinda wondered when Al Gore was going to step
on all of this).
Directed by: Tom Shadyac
Starring: Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Lauren
Graham, John Goodman
Extras: Deleted Scenes, Outtakes, Animals on Set
Two by Two, Animal Roundup Game, Steve Carell
Unscripted, The Ark-itects of Noah's Ark
Specifications: Widescreen (2.35:1), Dolby Digital
5.1 Surround Sound, English DVS
Studio: Universal
Release Date: 10/9/2007
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG
Website
Website
We'll give Evan Almighty a B-.
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