Evan Almighty

Posted by Nathan Deen (nathan@filmschoolrejects.com) on June 20, 2007 Share

Spoiler Alert!

After viewing “1408″ last night, I expected some comic relief with “Evan Almighty;” but man, it’s really not very good at all. Fifteen minutes into the film, it’s not hard to see why critics are pounding this movie. This is a really poor effort from director Tom Shadyac and it’s hard to believe it’s from the same guy who did “Liar, Liar” and “Bruce Almighty.” “Evan Almighty” is a total misfire and moreover it’s like the result of a flood: a disaster.

Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) has just been elected to Congress and he and his family move to a valley in Virginia. The fact that he even has a beautiful wife (Lauren Graham) and three boys is unbelievable because you would have never guessed it by judging his character from “Bruce Almighty.” Anyways, the film makes its first major mistake by not caring about good setup and jumping right into it.

God sends signs to Evan, the main one being Genesis 6:14, the story of Noah. He sees the number everywhere and pretty soon deliveries of wood begin showing up at his door. Next, God shows himself to Evan and tells him to build an ark and that a flood is coming. Animals soon start following him around, then he grows a beard he can’t shave off, and then the security of his job is compromised and eventually he gives in to building the ark. Now everyone thinks he’s crazy by dressing up like Noah and claiming the flood is inevitable, blah, blah, blah.

The movie comes nowhere near measuring up to its slogan: “A Comedy of Biblical Proportions.” This is rumored to be the most expensive comedy ever made and it doesn’t even deserve to break even at the box office. It seems to be more concerned with the special effects in the film’s final sequence than anything else and the payoff isn’t all that great. It’s one thing for a movie like “Spider-man 3” (I stopped caring about the film at the beginning when it ripped off “with great power comes great responsibility”) or “Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer” to be concerned with its special effect, but “Evan Almighty” is clearly trying too hard. It’s not even like we were expecting much out of it to begin with.

Another problem with the film is that it’s completely unbelievable. The film is too silly for its own good and the idea is so far out there, it makes its predecessor look like a simple story. Shadyac and Co. are shooting for the stars here, but because of the plot holes, they end up falling flat on their face. I really dislike spoiling plot points but I feel like I have to this time because this is a perfect example. I’ll just tell you the flood isn’t going to cover the entire world and yet God sends to Evan animals like tigers and lions and alpacas. If they were never in any danger in the first place then why were they sent to be loaded onto the ark? The film tries to tie everything up at the end, and although it fills a few plot gaps, it creates a grocery list of new problems.

The biggest problem with “Evan Almighty” is that it’s just not funny. I was willing to forgive all the mistakes “Bruce Almighty” made because it had me laughing all the way through. “Evan Almighty,” however, feels about as boring as being stuck in Sunday School. I know I can’t speak for everyone when I say this, but if you’re a Christian, there’s a possibility that if you see “Evan Almighty” on Saturday, that you will wake up Sunday in a state of dread, having to go to church (again). The film is way to silly, and there aren’t enough laughs to compensate for it. This results in a lot of awkward moments, followed by an awkward silence from the audience. Even the laughs in the film’s trailer, that had you laughing out loud, are missed placed here.

Now, here’s a little something I like to call ‘Evan Almighty: By the Numbers”

Film’s Budget: $200 million dollars

Amount of money made at box office: probably more than it deserves.

Point total for actors playing pretty much the same role: Jim Carrey 1, Steve Carell 0

Number of laughs: 0, honestly, I smiled a couple of times but that was it.

Number of jokes that result in awkward moments: a gazillion.

Number of animals that didn’t need to be saved: probably over 70%.

Just about nothing works in “Evan Almighty.” Not even Steve Carell, who has been comedic gold in movies like “The 40-Year Old Virgin,” and “Little Miss Sunshine” and did one of the funniest scenes I’ve ever seen in “Bruce Almighty,” is good here. Of course, Morgan Freeman carries with him the same charm he did in “Bruce Almighty,” and makes the same good, inspirational speeches (can’t blame God for this disaster can we?). Other than that though, there’s not much here. A flood full of plot holes, preposterousness, and unfunny material sink this ark.

Read more articles by Nathan Deen