CS Weekly Archive > Weekend Read > 06/22/07

Washed Out

By danny munso

Evan Almighty

Screenplay by Steve Oedekerk (also directed)
Story by Oedekerk and Joel Cohen & Alec Sokolow
Based on characters created by Steve Koren & Mark O'Keefe

Something funny happened since we last saw Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) being humiliated at the hands of Bruce (Jim Carrey) in 2003's monster hit Bruce Almighty: the guy playing him became a bankable film and television star, thus allowing those divine executives at Universal to force Evan Almighty on us all. Evan, now an elected Congressman, leads a shallow life and shares a disjointed relationship with his wife (Lauren Graham) and kids. Enter God (Morgan Freeman), who comes to Evan (not in a dream, but in his car), and asks him to build an Ark, for a great flood is coming. Initially, the film is a lot funnier than its premise implies. Evan's initial attitude and denial about his new task is well written and brilliantly delivered. It's the latter half, when Evan gets too goody-goody, where the film really stumbles. For a comedy, Evan sure tries to push a lot of agendas on the audience: be kind to thy neighbor, be kind to animals, be kind to the environment. It's enough sap to make even a deity sick. When you're longing for the earlier moments where the main character was a prick, maybe this guy shouldn't be a main character at all! In fact, I liked Evan a whole lot more before his divine intervention: behind a news desk with little horns on his head as opposed to a halo that he seems forced to wear.

Evan Almighty
Universal Pictures
Rated PG; 90 min.

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Danny Munso graduated from film school in 2004 and can currently be found on his computer working on one of his many half-written screenplays. Or, more likely, he's on the Internet checking the scores of his beloved Bay Area sports teams.

Evan Almighty courtesy Universal Pictures

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