Evan Almighty (2007)

Noah Deal

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Evan Almighty on DVD

Writer Steve Oedekerk and director Tom Shadyac have already littered the cinematic landscape with such unwanted items as Patch Adams (1998) and Bruce Almighty (2003), subsequently sending the careers of Robin Williams and Jim Carrey spiraling downward. Now they're back with Evan Almighty, in which God (Morgan Freeman) asks new congressman Evan (Steve Carell) to build an ark. The film mixes sentimentality with crotch jokes, as well as a few "building" montages accompanied by pop songs. Logic fails when nobody acknowledges the hundreds of pairs of animals that turn up, or the fact that Evan grows his beard impossibly fast (a joke already used in the equally unfunny The Santa Clause). Carell plays the uptight character straight, creating anxiety instead of comedy.

DVD Details: Universal's DVD seems to be geared mostly toward kids. The whole package has an environmentally friendly feel. And Carell appears and introduces each extra, including deleted scenes (14 minutes), outtakes (3 minutes), 'Steve Carell Unscripted' (3 minutes), various featurettes, and an 'Animal Roundup Game.'

AskMen.com: Evan Almighty

Starring: Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Graham, Johnny Simmons, Graham Phillips, Jimmy Bennett, John Goodman, Wanda Sykes, John Michael Higgins, Jonah Hill, Molly Shannon
Written by: Steve Oedekerk, based on a story by Steve Oedekerk, Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow
Directed by: Tom Shadyac
MPAA Rating: PG for mild rude humor and some peril
Running Time: 90 minutes
Date: June 22, 2007