Bruce Almighty (2003)

I feel like I need to clear the air with my opinion on comedy. Many of you probably think that I find comedy insulting to my intelligence and that slapstick can never be good.

So, I'm going to take a look at one of my favorite comedies to prove you all wrong.

Bruce Almighty is not my favorite comedy or my favorite slapstick. It's not even my favorite Jim Carrey movie (that would be The Truman Show). However, I feel that it demonstrates what a good slapstick comedy can be more so than almost any other film I've seen.

Many of you are probably familiar with Bruce Almighty's premise: down-on-his-luck reporter Bruce Nolan is given God's powers for a week of his life. Most comedies would use this in an extremely trivial way, making Bruce use God's powers for his own advantage and using physical comedy as the primary tool for getting laughs.

And at first, that is exactly what happens: we get to see what Bruce would do with God's powers if he had free reign over them. Now, I for one find a lot of this segment actually quite funny because of the way the film handles these stunts. We get to see Jim Carrey do his whole physical comedy thing with no natural constraints penning him in. As Carrey is one of the best slapstick actors of our time, I quite appreciate that Bruce Almighty gives him free reign over the film's universe for a while. However, Bruce's transformation from a selfish, prideful reporter to a selfless, servant-hearted man really allows Carrey's range to show through his comedic moments. While Bruce Almighty is littered with slapstick gags throughout, they begin to take on a lot of meaning as the film goes on, in particular Bruce's acts as God. Carrey's interactions with Freeman are the best moments of the film, as they offer a response to what Bruce is doing and help refine him to be a better man.

As good as Carrey is, Morgan Freeman's work as God is what saves Bruce Almighty from being just another comedy. Freeman's voice by itself generates this air of thoughtfulness and richness, but his persona on screen personifies God so well. He gives off a humble yet confident aura that allows us to believe that he is actually God. What really sets apart Freeman's personification of God, however, is his fatherly nature. Hollywood often thinks of God as an almighty white male who wants to show His power. The casting of Freeman is able to demolish both the casting and characterization stereotypes of God, bringing a heartwarming and unique nature to the character.

Without the writing, Bruce Almighty would also just be another mindless Jim Carrey comedy. The film's first half gives us the physical comedy we've come to expect from Carrey, but the second comes as a surprise to me, as it shows how Bruce and Grace's relationship evolves and matures. While most comedies have this dramatic turn towards the film's end, Bruce Almighty handles it with more weight and seriousness, letting it take the overall tone of the film that direction. Yes, the ending is light-hearted and a little sappy; but in all of that, we still get that Bruce is now a changed man who would put others before himself in a heartbeat. Few slapstick comedies care to put enough thought into the narrative to allow this kind of character transition, so I applaud the writers for allowing a seemingly silly film carry this kind of hefty message.

There's not much to talk about in the way of the visual apsects of Bruce Almighty, as it's a slapstick comedy. These types of films typically don't wow me with their astounding cinematography or unique editing style, which is one of the reasons as to why I typically avoid them. I feel like the visual techniques used to bring a story to life on screen are the most important parts of a film, as they are the lens through which we see the world. Bruce Almighty doesn't bring anything new to the table, but that's OK by me. I'd rather have a film made simply and conventionally without distracting me from the other elements of the film than have a poorly edited and lazily shot movie.

While Bruce Almighty is at times typical in its slapstick ways, there is an added dimension to it that gives it a lot of depth. Between Morgan Freeman's personable and fatherly portrayal of God, Carrey's transformation into a more dramatic character by the film's end, and the writers adding in a hefty message about the relationship between God and man, Bruce Almighty becomes a highly philosophical comedy that can both entertain and provide some food for thought, making it one of my favorite comedies.

My recommendation: Buy it. 
Grade: 82