Bruce Almighty

Jim Carrey may be unconvincing as a TV newsman in Bruce Almighty, but as an everyday Joe temporarily granted all the powers of God, his return to crackpot comedy is a welcome lightweight treat. After some angry finger-waving toward heaven over a fairly minor bout of bad luck (a lost promotion, a dog he can't housebreak), Bruce Nolan (Carrey) is made omnipotent by the Big Guy (Morgan Freeman having a little fun with his noble image) to show the whiner how tough the job of the Almighty really is--and humorous havoc ensues. The story arc is predictable (Bruce has a lesson to learn, after all), but the writing is wickedly witty--right up until director Tom Shadyac (Ace Ventura, Liar Liar, Patch Adams) reels in the clever comedy and rolls out the stock plot conflicts (Bruce's girlfriend sees a sexpot anchorwoman kiss him and now he must win her back!) and the cloying, heavy-handed moral-of-the-story messages. But Carrey, Freeman, and Jennifer Aniston (in a terrific performance as the girlfriend) make it easy to forgive Bruce Almighty most of its shortcomings. Recommended. [Note: Available in both widescreen and full screen editions, DVD extras include audio commentary by director Tom Shadyac, the six-minute featurette “The Process of Jim,” 15 deleted scenes with optional commentary, detailed cast/filmmaker bios, outtakes, trailers, and DVD-ROM features. Bottom line: not exactly an all-powerful extras package for this mostly entertaining comedy.] (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—July 21, 2009—Universal, 102 min., PG-13, $29.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2003's Bruce Almighty features a nice transfer and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. Blu-ray extras are nearly identical to the standard DVD release, including audio commentary by director Tom Shadyac, the six-minute featurette “The Process of Jim” on star Jim Carrey, 15 deleted scenes with optional commentary, and outtakes. Bottom line: a solid Blu-ray debut for a popular Carrey vehicle.]