EVAN ALMIGHTY

3 STARS – Wholesome

“Evan Almighty” is a simple, silly comedy with a spiritual message.  Although this is not a sequel to its earlier predecessor, “Bruce Almighty,” is does include some of the same comic images and simple spiritual messages.

 

Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) has just been elected to Congress on the theme: “Change the World.”  Little does he know that God is the power broker in Washington that will put him to the test as to whether he can accomplish his campaign pledge.

 

Upon his arrival in the capital, Evan and his wife, Joan (Lauren Graham) and their three sons find that they are treated like royalty.  They have a huge home, Evan gets a plum assignment in Congress, and he is located in one of the best offices in the Capitol Building.  This is an answer to prayer, or so it seems.

 

On his second morning in his new home, life begins to change dramatically.  The first clue comes when a box of tools appears at his front door from the Alpha and Omega Company.  The next day, a delivery of gopher wood arrives in his yard from a company called Go-4-Wood.  (The Biblical Noah received a command from God to build the ark out of gopher wood.)

 

Evan believes he is under stress, but the stress magnifies dramatically when God (Morgan Freeman) keeps appearing in his life to ask him to build an ark.  Soon his hair becomes long and his grows a beard, and no matter how many times he tries to shave, it just doesn’t stop the growth from immediately reappearing.  His wife and kids are more than perplexed and his colleagues in Congress are ready to have him committed to a mental institution.  Congressman Baxter’s secretary, Rita (Wanda Sikes) is the funniest person in the movie, and provides the best commentaries on Evan’s changing life.

 

“Evan Almighty” is filled with a variety of sight gags, including Congress issuing a license plate that says GEN 614 (Genesis 6:14 is the Biblical reference to God’s commanding Noah to build an ark).  Evan’s alarm clock goes off at 6:14 a.m. every morning.  His wife is named Joan (of ark), and his realtor is named Eve Adams, as in Adam and Eve.  God commands Evan to fill his day with “acts of random kindness,” or a.r.k. for short.

 

We won’t spoil the plot to tell you the dramatic flood that occurs and where the ark eventually ends its journey.  We will say that this film is touted as the most expensive comedy ever made ($175,000,000) and the flood ride is dramatic.

 

What makes this story endearing, and interesting from a spiritual perspective, is the role that prayer plays in their lives.  Evan prayed to God for the ability to “change the world.”  His wife prayed for the family to grow together.  In the end, they all acted in complete faith, rather than fear, about their unknown future.  In every case, their prayers were answered.

 

“Evan Almighty” is both a good laugh and a good moral tale.  It is a call to be faithful, and how we all can be called to a purpose that is beyond our abilities.  It is a simple retelling of the Biblical story of believing in God’s capacity to see beyond what we see, and how giving up our own grip on our future can produce an abundance of success beyond our wildest dreams.