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46 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Funny and moving, July 1, 2003
Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) is a local TV news reporter in Brooklyn, NY who is constantly sent out on the least desirable assignments and made into the "funny" guy instead of the serious person he wants to be perceived as. His goal is finally sit in the anchor's chair and be taken seriously as a news personality. He is so goal oriented, it causes strife with his girlfriend Grace (played wonderfully by Jennifer Aniston). Nothing seems to go right for him. His dog eliminates in the house, his car gets demolished, he gets embarrased on TV and continues to butt his head against the wall. Grace is a school teacher that has a special bond with her students. She is spiritual and loving, and cares deeply for Bruce, warts and all. Bruce only sees his goal and as the world crashes around him, he blames God for his troubles. In a scene reminiscent of "Oh, God!" (starring George Burns and John Denver), Bruce goes to an unusal, nondescript building to talk about a job offer. Little does he know that it's God (Morgan Freeman) who has contacted him and who offers Bruce the opportunity to have God's power so he can try to prove he can do a better job than God. Needless to say, giving Jim Carrey omnipotent powers is a recipe for non-stop laughter. A number of the funny scenes have already been shown in the trailers, but there are many more. Beyond the humor, however, there is a much more powerful story going on - in Bruce's heart. While he has the power of God, he doesn't have the knowledge or wisdom of the Almighty. He finds himself deluged with prayers still overwhelmed with pressures of the world. He uses his new powers for selfish things, and when he finally is moved to do something for others, he does a half-hearted job at it. Despite his powers, he still finds himself going nowhere - nothing works out the way it should. He can manipulate people and things, but he does not have the power to interfere with a person's free will. Free will is the only thing we have when we're born and the only thing we take with us when we leave - but despite being told not to interfere in free will, Bruce tries at it anyway. After nearly 2 weeks with omnipotent powers, God confronts Bruce - asking what good things he has done for other people, or what things has he done at all that were good. As his life continues to unravel, Bruce realizes what God was trying to tell him subtly all along. This is not just a film about the funny situations one can get into with almighty powers - the story is more about the individual relationship each person chooses to have with God... and how to look at yourself before pointing out the problems in others. There is some foul language in the film, but it is minimal and not anything beyond what is seen on prime-time TV these days. The film is very entertaining, but also very deep. It's hard to watch this film and not have at least a moment of looking at yourself in a different way - and more importantly, looking at the people around you and trying to see them as God sees them instead of in the selfish way we usually look at others. In many ways, this is a timeless movie - almost an instant classic... and one of the few blockbusters in recent years that it's safe to take your family to watch.
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