Bruce Almighty

BRUCE ALMIGHTY
Cert. 12A
Universal Pictures 2003

Bruce Almighty is about Bruce Nolan, a down-on-his-luck TV reporter in New York who is discontented with almost everything in his life despite his popularity and love of his girlfriend.

After experiencing a day when everything goes against him Bruce reacts by raging at God - and God responds. He appears in human form (Morgan Freeman) and hands Bruce all his divine powers letting Bruce do his job for him.

The most offensive and off-putting thing about this film is undoubtedly its title and the trailers that accompanied it. However, on watching Bruce Almighty I discovered that behind the Hollywood gloss lies a message that is clearly pro-God and poses questions about the character of God and our relationship with him.

Morgan Freeman plays a God who seeks out individuals and responds to them. God is presented as responsible and in complete control, and he chooses not to overrule free will. The film points out the realities of what would happen if God allowed us to be in total control of our lives and the lives of those around us, and Bruce soon begins to beg God to take this responsibility away from him. It also makes subtle comment on how we interact with God; in one scene God demonstrates his desire for us to pray, approaching him on a personal level.

Bruce Almighty does however come with the '...language, sexual content and crude humour...' that the rating suggests. It is a standard Jim Carrey-style rom-com so if this is not normally your cup of tea, the pro-God message is unlikely to be enough to make you enjoy the film. If you are willing to see past the expected crudities, then Bruce Almighty definitely has potential as a discussional evangelistic tool in places such as the youth group. However, reviews suggest the public see this as no more than the average comedy so be prepared for surprised looks if you raise spiritual questions relating to the film outside church circles.

Clare Morris, Woodford Green

© Evangelicals Now - October 2003
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