Bruce Almighty

Bruce Almighty
Bruce Almighty theatrical poster
Directed by	Tom Shadyac
Written by	Steve Koren (story/script) Mark O'Keefe (story/script) Steve Oedekerk (script)
Produced by	Gary Barber Roger Birnbaum
Starring	Jim Carrey Morgan Freeman Jennifer Aniston Catherine Bell Steve Carell Philip Baker Hall
Music by	John Debney
Distributed by	Universal Studios (USA) Buena Vista International (non-USA)
Release dates	May 23,2003
Running time	101 min.
Language	English
Budget	$80 million

Bruce Almighty is a 2003 American comedy movie directed by Tom Shadyac and written by Steve Koren, Mark O'Keefe and Steve Oedekerk. It stars Jim Carrey, Morgan Freeman, and Jennifer Aniston. Steve Carell, Catherine Bell, Lisa Ann Walter, and Philip Baker Hall co-star. Tony Bennett and Juan Valdez make cameo appearances. This is the third film collaboration between Jim Carrey and Tom Shadyac, the first two being Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Liar, Liar.

When the film was released in American theaters in late May 2003, it took the #1 spot at the box office, raking in $85.7 million, higher than the release of Pearl Harbor, making it the highest-rated Memorial Day weekend opening of any film in motion picture history until the release of X-Men: The Last Stand over Memorial Day 2006.. The movie surprised media analysts when it beat The Matrix Reloaded after its first week of release. By the time it left theaters in December 2003, it took in a United States domestic total of over $242 million and $484,572,835 worldwide, breaking records as the highest-grossing live action comedy ever.

Plot

Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) is a TV news reporter at Eyewitness News Channel 7 in Buffalo, New York (WKBW-TV) who fails to get a job as an anchorman and, after a series of other bad luck incidents, complains to God that he is treating him unfairly and is doing a poor job as supreme deity. Bruce is then contacted by God (Morgan Freeman) who grants Bruce all of his supreme power to see if he can prove that he can do a better job. Bruce quickly uses his new-found powers for personal gain. He sabotages a colleague so that he can get a better job, transforms his car, and enhances his girlfriend's breasts and sex drive. He is then reminded that he also has to take care of other people's problems. Meanwhile, Bruce endangers his relationship with his girlfriend, Grace Connelly (Jennifer Aniston), through his self-centered behavior. In the end, Bruce realizes that God's powers are best left for God to handle and graciously asks for God to take control of his life.

The movie portrays God as a wise but smart-aleckey elderly man. God quotes a line from one of Carrey's other movies ("Alrighty then", from Ace Ventura), and tells Bruce that if he wants, Bruce can fix all the world's problems in a few minutes, knowing full well from eons of experience that he cannot. God is also cast in a sort of sympathetic light. Bruce receives millions of prayers, all from, according to God, his single town. Having to listen to the prayers of the whole world, one can only imagine how God feels. Bruce is thus able to realize just how much work God must do to keep creation "in line." As Bruce and God themselves put it in two scenes, where Bruce wants the person he loves to love him:

• Bruce: How do you make somebody love you without affecting their free will?
• God: Welcome to my world. You find an answer to that one, you tell me.

And a second scene over prayers:

• God: You made a mess of things, huh?
• Bruce: I just gave them what they wanted. (Bruce had answered YES to all his prayers)
• God: Yeah, but since when does anyone have a clue what they want?

This scene continues with poignant lines in which God allows Bruce to understand the true nature of peoples' problems and how to resolve them:

• God: Parting your soup is not a miracle, Bruce, it's a magic trick. A single mom who's working two jobs and still finds time to take her kid to soccer practice, that's a miracle. A teenager who says no to drugs and yes to an education, that's a miracle. People want me to do everything for them, and what they don't realize is - they have the power. You want to see a miracle, son? Be the miracle.

Near the end of the movie, a depressed Bruce walks onto the highway and is hit by a truck. He talks to God in heaven, who asks him "what he really wants." After Bruce asks for Grace to find a man to make her truly happy, God brings Bruce back to life and Grace returns to him at the hospital. In the end, Bruce has changed his outlook on life - he is happy with the meager stories he covers, gives blood to help others, and marries Grace.

Cast

• Jim Carrey as Bruce Nolan
• Morgan Freeman as God
• Jennifer Aniston as Grace Connelly
• Lisa Ann Walter as Debbie
• Philip Baker Hall as Jack Baylor
• Steve Carell as Evan Baxter
• Catherine Bell as Susan Ortega
• Sally Kirkland as Anita Mann
• Nora Dunn as Ally Loman
• Jack Jozefson as the Homeless Man
• Gretchen Hill as the Disgruntled Nurse

Trivia

• The film used the Courthouse Square backlot from the Back to the Future films, as seen in the sequence of the town going crazy (although the familiar clock tower clock has been covered). Also, the scene with Grace jogging was shot on the same street as the one in Back to the Future where Marty McFly followed his 1955 father to Lorraine's house.
• The day care center where Grace works is set in the same school that was used in Liar Liar, one of Carrey's other films, which was also released by Universal.
• Jim Carrey owns the Saleen S7 supercar that he drove in the movie.
• In Bruce's "Mr. Exclusive" billboard, his picture on the billboard was the one used for a promo shot for Liar Liar.
• There are four distinct references to Jim Carrey's previous film series, Ace Ventura:
  • After they finish mopping up the floor, God comments, "Alrighty then." Jim Carrey's Ace Ventura character says the exact same thing.
  • Another reference to Ace Ventura is the monkey that comes out of the gangster's backside. It's a capuchin monkey, the same species as Ace Ventura's pet monkey.
  • A third reference is when Bruce splits the traffic in his Saleen, he shouts 'High-ho Silver, Awaaayyy!', like he did the 'shadow puppets' in the slide show.
  • A fourth reference can be heard during Evan Baxter's broadcast, as he was shouting nonsense, he can be heard saying "Doo-doo caca poo-poo," and "pee-pee!" This gibberish was remixed into a Flash animation by Bob Orilee.
• Bruce uses the e-mail service, Yahweh, based on Yahoo!, and a Hebrew name for God, to answer other people's prayer. See the Hebrew tetragrammaton YHWH.
• The film's basic plot concept is similar to that of the H.G. Wells story, The Man Who Could Work Miracles (story).
• The scene in which insects fly out of Bruce's mouth may be homage to the scene in "The Mummy" (another Universal film), in which Imhotep does the same thing.

Controversy and reaction

• The movie was banned in Egypt and Malaysia due to pressure from Islamic religious circuits who objected to the portrayal of God as a visually ordinary man .
• In Iran, the movie was interpreted in the light of Twelver Shiism—the predominant branch of Islam practiced in the country. The appearance of Morgan Freeman's character at the end echoes the prophesized return of the 12th Imam.

The movie received rather mixed reviews (50% on Rotten Tomatoes and an average of 46 out of a 100 on Metacritic.com), but nonetheless took in nearly $243 million at the box office, making it Jim Carrey's most successful film since 2000's How the Grinch Stole Christmas (also released by Universal).

Telephone numbers

The film caused controversy because God contacts Bruce, via pager, using an actual phone number rather than a number in the standard fictional 555 telephone exchange. The original telephone number was 776-2323. No area code was included. Several people and groups sharing this number have received hundreds of phone calls from people wanting to talk to God. Oddly enough, some of the calls went to a church located in Sanford, North Carolina, whose pastor happened to be named Bruce. A church in Georgia also happens to use this number. The number even turned out to be valid in Greater Manchester in Britain.

The producers note that the number chosen was not in use in the Buffalo, New York (area code 716) area where the film is set in, but did not check anywhere else. The DVD and television versions changed the display of the pager to 555-0123.

Religious allusions

• At the diner when Bruce Nolan just discovered his new powers he "parted" the red tomato soup as a reference to Moses parting the Red Sea from the Exodus book in the Bible.
• Before the news party for Bruce begins a golden calf statue can be seen.
• When talking to his boss Bruce jokes about how much he can do in 7 days, which is how long the Bible says God took for the creation.
• During the big party scene, while everyone is cheering Bruce when he arrives, he can be seen pouring a pitcher of water into a wine cup. As he pours, the water is turned into wine. This is a reference to Jesus' first miracle at the wedding at Cana.

Sequel

Main article: Evan Almighty

On June 22, 2007, Evan Almighty was released. The film stars Steve Carell reprising his role as Evan Baxter, and Morgan Freeman reprising his role as God.

Soundtrack

Original Release Date: June 3, 2003
Number of Discs: 1
Format: Soundtrack
Label: Varese Sarabande

• 01 - One of us - Joan Osborne
• 02 - God-shaped-hole - Plumb
• 03 - You're a God - Vertical Horizon
• 04 - The power - Snap!
• 05 - A Little less Conversation - Elvis vs. JXL
• 06 - Rockafeller Skank - Fatboy Slim
• 07 - God gave me Everything - Mick Jagger
• 08 - AB Positive - Hollywood Studio Symphony, Brad Dechter, Sandy De Crescent
• 09 - Walking on water - Hollywood Studio Symphony, Brad Dechter, Sandy De Crescent
• 10 - Seventh at Seven - Hollywood Studio Symphony, Brad Dechter, Sandy De Crescent
• 11 - Bruce Meets God - Hollywood Studio Symphony, Brad Dechter, Sandy De Crescent
• 12 - Bruce's Prayer - Hollywood Studio Symphony, Brad Dechter, Sandy De Crescent
• 13 - Grace's prayer - Hollywood Studio Symphony, Brad Dechter, Sandy De Crescent

See also

• List of Films about Television

External links

• Bruce Almighty at IMDb
• Bruce Almighty at Rotten Tomatoes
• Bruce Almighty at Box Office Mojo