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EVAN ALMIGHTY: FILM REVIEW |
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They say that Universal Studios' Evan Almighty will be the family blockbuster of summer 2007. And yet a more commitedly religious film would be hard to imagine. How so? Maybe we should not be surprised. After all, the director, Tom Shadyac, is a self-confessed "Jesus freak", with few inhibitions. More significant still, however, is the change of mood in Hollywood. This film would not have been made five years ago. But having witnessed the financial success of both Mel Gibson's The Passion and the CS Lewis inspired Narnia Chronicles, Hollywood has discerned a new and motivated audience: the Church Outing. Churches have shown themselves to be effective organisers of cinema visits. Suddenly, religious leaders are important: get them onboard, and the flock will follow. But will they follow them to Evan Almighty? The story is of an ambitious new American Congressmen called Evan Baxter, who uproots his family to follow his dream – but finds himself uprooted. God has a plan for Evan's life, and is relentless in his persuasion. In short, he tells him to throw away his career and build an Ark. This is hard for a man who stands in front of the mirror every day chanting the mantra: "Successful! Powerful! Handsome! And Happy!" Evan Almighty, a loose sequel to the 2003 Bruce Almighty, is the most expensive comedy ever made – for two reasons. First, there are the animals. As Tom Shadyac said, "It's Noah's Ark. You have to have lots of animals." This is true, but the recreation of quite so much feather and fur was a huge technical challenge – though perhaps not up to the one faced by our new Noah, when he explains the Ark idea to family and colleagues. There is predictable derision. They call it stress, depression or a mid-life crisis. It is initially a lonely path for the reluctant prophet. The second reason for the expense of the film is the flood. We will not reveal all here, for there is a wet twist in the moral tail. It is an impressive finale, however, and one shot through with environmental fervour. The message is clear: the world is a place that God made good, and humans have made bad. At one point, God even shows us how an urbanised valley appeared at the dawn of time. The importance of family life is the subtext. Early on, we hear of one of Evan's children praying they would be closer as a family. The story thereafter is full of relational ups and downs, and far from home, sweet home. Readers may guess the final outcome, however. It is, after all, the summer family blockbuster – not Quentin Tarantino. The congressman Evan Baxter is played by Steve Carell, who also portrays the boss in the American version of The Office. He brings an attractive vulnerability to the part of a man caught up in forces beyond himself. Morgan Freeman plays God in a loose white shirt. He is a gentle but determined presence, with a twinkle in his eye, and a penchant for "hanging out". He also seeks relationship with humans. During an awkward early encounter, Evan asks God: "Do I know you?" "Not as well as I'd like," comes the reply. For a moment, it could almost be a Billy Graham rally. Is it a good film? It is a film that a lot of children aged 11 or under will enjoy. The animals are excellent, and scuttle, fly, roar (and poo) to great comic effect. The children will also enjoy the dramatic flood at the end. If you are not God, creating water is neither cheap nor easy, but the effects here are memorable. If you are an adult, you might wish it to be funnier. Special effects hide the absence of really good gags, which is a mistake. A comedy classic such as Airplane is remembered not for the drama, but for the quality of its one-liners. If I was the producer, I might have cut a few of the animals and used the money saved to buy better jokes. Beneath this comic lack, however, is a profounder problem of identity. What does the film want to be? An animal comedy for the kids? A sermon on behalf of God and the family? Or a plea for the environment? None of this will bother the children very much. Call it animal instinct, but I predict for Evan Almighty showers of commercial blessing. |
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