Rating: 
Summary: Sets its sights pretty low, but it does hit its mark.
Review: "Bruce Almighty" suffers from a surprising lack of ambition and creativity -- it's rare that a comedy about a man bestowed with God-like powers would stoop to segments as dumb as teaching one's dog to pee into a toilet, but there you have it. The opposite of outrageous, the movie actually strives to be humble: Were a human allowed to be God, they'd fix their own lives first, the world later, and, in the end, just plain stink at the job and admit defeat. It's a sweet sentiment, but not the kind of thing you'd figure to see in a Jim Carrey extravaganza. Carrey is pretty bizarre as Buffalo TV reporter Bruce Nolan -- the performance is so self-aware and mugging you get the sense that Carrey's madness over being consigned again to cheap comedy after the weighty, overrated fare of "Man On the Moon" and "The Majestic" is just barely concealed under the surface. Nolan has a cool girlfriend (Jennifer Aniston, content to stand aside and say "Ole!") and a reasonable features reporter job at a good station, but he wants more: The anchor slot, and, in the subtext, the female anchor herself (Catherine Bell in bigtime, hotcha vamp). Nolan loses the job to a creep (Steven Carell), learns about it just as he's about to go on the air and melts down in front of Buffalo. Carrey, as in the other "rage" scenes, is so convincing you wonder what this tortured man's nights must be like. Predictable chaos ensues after the meltdown, Nolan decides, pretty much out of the blue, to curse God for his ugly fate, upon which God, played by Morgan Freeman in a white suit, reveals himself, and charges Bruce with the almightyness of one Buffalo neighborhood. Bruce, shall we say, prefers party tricks and selfish perks to the more spiritual aspects of the vocation. Eventually, of course, he sees the light, accepts his limitations in life, and does President George W. Bush proud: He decides to settle for his small life, doing good, small deeds, leaving Important Things to Important People. "Bruce Almighty" is nearly a parable arguing classism. Some of Bruce's vengeance pays off with laughs, the best being an eye-watering bit where he ruins the new creepy anchor career with gibberish and phony tele-prompter cues. But most of it is obvious and lame, and Carrey's longtime directorial collaborator Tom Shadyac (thrilled, I'm sure, to be back with Carrey after bombs with Robin Williams and Kevin Costner respectively) certainly brings no original flair to the table. Carrey dreamt up a few verbal riffs for the film and neither "it's good, it's good, it's good" nor "B-E-A-Utiful" stand to make the bible of pop culture mimicry. Aniston is wasted in the teary-eyed, poor suffering saint role, while Philip Baker Hall must have needed some fast cash to park his grizzled mug in a movie like this. Freeman is...nice; he actually gets Carrey to pay attention during their scenes together. Otherwise, Carrey is unleashed with all the fury that he bottled in during his recent drama stints. Problem is, the screenplays leaves him nowhere to go. It's entirely ordinary, even moralistic. If Jim Carrey's going to be God -- and you only get to be God once, pretty much -- might as well put some bang into it.
Rating: 
Summary: Best Summer 2003 Movie
Review: This is the best movie I have seen so far this summer. I was laughing and tearing up. The acting was great - Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston did a great job!
Rating:
Summary: Funny and moving
Review: Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) is a local TV news reporter in Brooklyn, NY who is constantly sent out on the least desirable assignments and made into the "funny" guy instead of the serious person he wants to be perceived as. His goal is finally sit in the anchor's chair and be taken seriously as a news personality. He is so goal oriented, it causes strife with his girlfriend Grace (played wonderfully by Jennifer Aniston). Nothing seems to go right for him. His dog eliminates in the house, his car gets demolished, he gets embarrased on TV and continues to butt his head against the wall. Grace is a school teacher that has a special bond with her students. She is spiritual and loving, and cares deeply for Bruce, warts and all. Bruce only sees his goal and as the world crashes around him, he blames God for his troubles. In a scene reminiscent of "Oh, God!" (starring George Burns and John Denver), Bruce goes to an unusal, nondescript building to talk about a job offer. Little does he know that it's God (Morgan Freeman) who has contacted him and who offers Bruce the opportunity to have God's power so he can try to prove he can do a better job than God. Needless to say, giving Jim Carrey omnipotent powers is a recipe for non-stop laughter. A number of the funny scenes have already been shown in the trailers, but there are many more. Beyond the humor, however, there is a much more powerful story going on - in Bruce's heart. While he has the power of God, he doesn't have the knowledge or wisdom of the Almighty. He finds himself deluged with prayers still overwhelmed with pressures of the world. He uses his new powers for selfish things, and when he finally is moved to do something for others, he does a half-hearted job at it. Despite his powers, he still finds himself going nowhere - nothing works out the way it should. He can manipulate people and things, but he does not have the power to interfere with a person's free will. Free will is the only thing we have when we're born and the only thing we take with us when we leave - but despite being told not to interfere in free will, Bruce tries at it anyway. After nearly 2 weeks with omnipotent powers, God confronts Bruce - asking what good things he has done for other people, or what things has he done at all that were good. As his life continues to unravel, Bruce realizes what God was trying to tell him subtly all along. This is not just a film about the funny situations one can get into with almighty powers - the story is more about the individual relationship each person chooses to have with God... and how to look at yourself before pointing out the problems in others. There is some foul language in the film, but it is minimal and not anything beyond what is seen on prime-time TV these days. The film is very entertaining, but also very deep. It's hard to watch this film and not have at least a moment of looking at yourself in a different way - and more importantly, looking at the people around you and trying to see them as God sees them instead of in the selfish way we usually look at others. In many ways, this is a timeless movie - almost an instant classic... and one of the few blockbusters in recent years that it's safe to take your family to watch.
Rating:
Summary: Great summer comedy
Review: My friend begged me come to this movie but I had no desire to go and had absolutely no intentions on liking this movie. Despite all that I thought it was a delightfully charming movie that I thoroughly enjoyed. I laughed the whole way through and even thought it had a nice message. It was just a good fun movie that I think everyone can enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: The Power of Prayer
Review: From the previews I thought that Bruce Almighty would be extremely sacreligious, and since I am extremely religious, I was offended and opted to not see it. However, friends convinced me to give it a try after they watched it and found it to not be religious. Jim Carey plays Bruce Nolan, a Buffalo tv reporter who is tired of doing the small parts and dreams of the anchor job that his rival "steals" from him. He goes crazy on live tv and gets fired. He is so angry that he basically goes into a rage, blaming God for everything. He then receives a mysterious pager call from "God" he decides that Bruce needs to be taught a lesson, and gives him free reign of the "Godly" duties for a period of time. Of course, Bruce uses the power for his own good, and even tries to get the anchor job. This is not was God had in mind though, and Bruce screws a lot of things up, especially with his girlfriend (Jennifer Aniston). In the end, Bruce discovers the true meaning of prayer and of helping people. The film is just a great film. It's not sacreligious and it doesn't push religion into your face. It's a great film, with a great cast.
Rating: 
Summary: In Bruce We Trust?
Review: What would you do if felt like a loser all your life and suddenly were imbued with all the divine power of G-d? Would you give yourself a million dollars, answer all your prayers, or just run amok. Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty has no qualms about using is power for good...his good that is. After accusing G-d of being asleep at the wheel, Carrey is given the chance to sit in the big mans chair. What ensues is grand hilarity and chaos.
There are, of course, many deeper lessons to this movie. First, and foremost, G-d is not a cosmic Santa Claus who goes around granting wishes. As we see with the scene where everyone wins the lottery because Bruce answers every prayer yes, everyone shouldn't have everything just handed to him. Additionally, just because G-d does not answer a prayer "yes" does not mean he didn't answer it or that he didn't do so the right way. The above two examples are lessons on faith and patience. Additionally, though many conservative Christians likely will have an antagonistic opinion about the movie without ever having seen it, Morgan Freeman portrays a G-d that is pretty close to what Christian theology says about him. For example, theology says that G-d, though being all powerful, cannot/will not do anything that violates his nature. Since G-d allows us to have freewill, he can't force us into choosing anything, just like he can't force Bruce to be a good stand-in deity and just like Bruce can't force his girlfriend to love him. There is a lot to find in this movie if you know where to look.
Of course, all three of the main actors (Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Anniston, and Jim Carrey) do a superb job a filling their roles. Carrey is believable as a person who has received G-d's powers - that is, he's selfish and (hilariously) bungling. The soundtrack was equally good, particularly the Vertical Horizon song "You're a G-d" when Carrey is learning to cope with his problems the normal way. The script was obviously well thought out. A great flick you should see if you get the chance.
Rating:
Summary: great romantic-comedy
Review: i loved this movie, bruce the character was sometimes corny, but at other times was hilarious, this movie made ur emotions go up and down
very good movie
Rating:
Summary: And that's how the cookie crumbles...
Review: After hearing next to nothing from Carrey for a while, he's back in Bruce Almighty. Bruce Nolan (Carrey) is a reporter, working for a small-time news channel. He's sent out to events other reporters surely would frown upon, and turns the events into humorous. When we meet him, he's doing a piece on a gigantic cookie. From then on, his life starts going downhill. He gets passed on a promotion to be Anchor Man for the network, he wrecks his car, his dog wets the chair again, he loses his job, gets beaten up, etc. Bruce blames God for all the tragedy in his life, which inspires God (Morgan Freeman) to contact Bruce, and have Bruce fall in for him for a week. In other words, Bruce is left with all the powers God possesses, and God leaves for a well-deserved vacation. There are just two rules to follow when it comes to 'playing' God: Bruce can't tell anyone he has Godly powers, and he's not allowed to go against the Free Will of the people. Bruce immediately starts (ab)using the Powers to make his life a little better. He gets back on everything and everyone doing him wrong. He uses them to improve his love life and to make his girlfriend's (Jennifer Aniston) breasts slightly larger. But playing God is not all about fun. There are prayers to be answered, and good to be done. Slowly but gradually, Bruce starts getting aware of this, as well as that you can't simply answer 'yes' to everyone's wishes. When he loses his girlfriend over a fight, he's desperate to try and win her back, but the 'Free will' rule prevents him from using his powers to do so. It is then that Bruce starts realising what a tough job being God really is. Freeman is extraordinary in his role of God, Carrey shines as Bruce, Steven Carell was simply amazing, the jokes are good, and the plot is (although predictable) a nice combination of humour, romance, and perhaps even a tiny part of making you see that no matter how bad things are going for you, there's always someone
off even worse. Be sure to stay seated when the credits start rolling. You'll be granted a nice peek at some bloopers during these.
Rating:
Summary: Pain from so much laughter ¿ A true comedy
Review: Reluctantly taking on board certain styles of humour, procrastination leaves me with the only option when I am faced by a film, which casts the arguably proclaimed legend of Slapstick comedy - Jim Carrey. I am surely not alone. Carrey has a distinct connection with 'Marmite', a product generating a split in society through a Love Vs Hate barrier. Ace Ventura; Mask; Cable Guy; Dumb and Dumber; Liar Liar; all left a lot to be desired in my opinion and yet I find myself encountered in debate with friends who obviously dislike Marmite (I personally love it!). Through the despite lack of enthusiasm I hold for Mr Carrey, I have noticed his style harvesting and maturing into something fascinating. We now see him taking on scripts, which I can't help think is something he truly feels connected with when the cameras are halted. Carrey wants to be internally taken seriously, but is often pushed aside because of his blinding appearance which perceivers view as a juvenile type character with ephemeral antics that are almost out of steam. "Truman Show" relates to my theory; Carrey taking on the more serious role and I agree, very good film plot, but Carrey was missing something and I can't put my finger on it, but he was far from spectacular. Until now of course... Jim Carrey was born to play the character of "Brue Almighty", how often can you say that about an actor? Frustrated with what life brings him, a job, which could open the door to the pinnacle of success, but yet Bruce feels trapped. Feeling the unluckiest man alive, it is not surprising that Bruce finds comprehension a little hard to comprehend when confronted with God (Morgan Freeman). Luckily God has a sense of humour and will cast aside the many blasphemous comments Bruce has made to offer him a chance to play God. With every opportunity of changing all his bad luck to good, Bruce faces the undeniable truth that he is his own worst enemy and that is the very reason he has had bad luck for so long. The elements that will surely make this film a success will not solely depend on Mr Carrey either. Tom Shadyac (director) will now certainly be taking seriously in the film industry after pulling off some cleverly placed camera shots. Another surprising performance was from Jennifer Aniston, clearly stamping down her mark on the film industry and has in my opinion been the most impressive out of the 'Friends' cast. Aniston has the calibre to play someone other than the character 'Rachel', unlike Matt Le Blanc and Lisa Kudrow respectively. Morgan Freeman is as outstanding as ever, applying his usual captivation of on-screen appearance and utterly distinguishing voice. Bruce Almighty will undoubtedly cause a storm. You'll Laugh. You'll Cry. A Classic.
Rating:
Summary: Almighty Then!
Review: "Bruce Almighty" is a lot like Jim Carrey's other projects. Which isn't to say it isn't funny, but it is quite recycled and doesn't pun some of the things it could and should have. Now don't get me wrong, it is anything but boring, and anything but unfunny...but it is a lot like his other projects. A funny down-on-his-luck loser ("Dumb and Dumber") gets a supernatural power ("The Mask"), and in the end wins back the girl ("Ace Ventura") and makes a good name for himself ("Me, Myself and Irene"). But in the same context, it is more clever and thought-provoking than his other projects. Jim Carrey plays Bruce, a generally happy, soon-to-be-married man who desperately wants to be a news reporter. Unfortunately, he ends up being fired from his job, and when this happens, he curses God. The next day his pager beeps, and Bruce calls up the number. He is given instructions on where to drive to. He follows them and ends up finding God's temporary headquarters. God is a black man (Morgan Freeman) surprisingly enough. I like Morgan Freeman, so I won't get into the racial technicalities. Anyway, God gives Bruce his powers for one week to see how well he can handle being the master of the earth, and immediately afterwards Bruce finds he has more than odd capabilities. However, much is the case with most things, Bruce finds his world also shaken by his newfound powers. He has to answer prayers, for one thing, and his relationship with Grace (Jennifer Aniston) starts to suffer due to his ever-growing greed. In the end, Bruce starts to realize it's not so easy being God. "Bruce Almighty" is a very engaging, sweet, and harmless film, but like I said before, it is so much like Jim Carrey's other films that he seems to be making an Adam Sandler mould out of his career. One of the things I liked so much about "Groundhog Day" was how it showed what your average Joe would do given the power to repeat one day over and over and over again. "Bruce Almighty" has a very interesting and original plot, something uncommon for a comedy these days, but it unfortunately doesn't show Bruce using his newfound powers as much as he could have. But regardless, the scenes where Bruce is experimenting not only entertain you, but actually make the time fly by. I really enjoyed this movie. It isn't exactly as great as it could have been, but I don't think that was the intention. Learning from their mistakes on "The Majestic," Jim Carrey (and "Bruce Almighty's" filmmakers) achieved their goal of making a thoroughly entertaining, if somewhat repetitive film that doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't: A Jim Carrey movie. Yes, they could have made something more interesting, dramatic, serious and hilarious, but I don't think that's what the Jim Carrey audiences want, and I think that the filmmakers are smart, in a way, for paying attention to this.
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