Bruce Almighty (2003) Dir: Tom Shadyac
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This 2003 Tom Shadyac directed comedy is one of those films everyone seems to know. This was yet another well known one that I had missed, something I have been trying to address film by film as of late.
Directed by the same man as 'Liar Liar', there are clear stylistic links between the two, particularly comedically, both in the planned comedy and Jim Carrey's typical improvisations. The narrative is solid and allows Carrey to shape his role in his way, which works well.
There are some interesting philosophical questions hinted at and lightly prodded at, but none that are truly delved into - though I can appreciate that this may have taken away from the comedy.
As mentioned, Jim Carrey heads up this one, bringing his signature if a little repetitive comedic flair and flamboyance to his role. He doesn't exactly give anything new here, but fans of Carrey will have nothing to complain about here, that's for sure.
Jennifer Aniston stands as the love interest here, which is a role she takes up quite often in films. That's not a criticism, she does that role well - and that is much the same here. She provides an enjoyable, if once again not unique, performance, which does what it needs to, despite leaving her a little overshadowed by Carrey's unavoidably loud and in-your-face exuberance.
Morgan Freeman's performance is the complete antithesis of Carrey's. He's cool, calm and elegant in this, his beloved deep and soothing voice suiting his character perfectly, leading to what has since become one of his most recognisable and iconic roles.
Steve Carrell brings his own recognisable concoction of comedy, although in a much smaller role. Despite the lack of minutes however, Carrell manages to create an entertaining and memorable supporting character, who later spawned a sequel to this film, which unfortunately was rather more tepid than this original.
Finally, I'll give a mention to Catherine Bell, who gives a reasonable performance in her supporting role, although she is easily outshined by the bigger stars and personalities here.
Overall, I did enjoy this one quite a lot - although I personally could not help to compare it a little to 'Liar Liar', which is not the fault of this film but rather something I subconsciously did.
As a result, I think my opinion of this film is slightly wilted. It is good, and it is funny, but it doesn't quite match up in my view. Comparisons aside, this is a fun comedy that's an easy watch and doesn't struggle to entertain.
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