Information about Bruce Almighty

Bruce Almighty
Bruce Almighty theatrical poster
Directed by	Tom Shadyac
Produced by	Gary Barber Roger Birnbaum
Written by	Steve Koren (story/script) Mark O'Keefe (story/script) Steve Oedekerk (script)
Starring	Jim Carrey Morgan Freeman Jennifer Aniston Catherine Bell Steve Carell Philip Baker Hall
Music by	John Debney
Distributed by	Universal Studios (USA) Buena Vista International (non-USA)
Release date(s)	May 23 2003
Running time	101 min.
Language	English
Budget	$80 million
Followed by	Evan Almighty (2007) |
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Bruce Almighty is a 2003 comedy movie directed by Tom Shadyac and written by Steve Koren, Mark O'Keefe, and Steve Oedekerk. It stars Jim Carrey, Morgan Freeman, and Jennifer Aniston. Steve Carell, Catherine Bell, Lisa Ann Walter, and Philip Baker Hall co-star. Tony Bennett and Juan Valdez make cameo appearances.

When the film was released in American theaters in late May 2003, it took the #1 spot at the box office, grossing $85.7 million, higher than the release of Pearl Harbor, making it the highest-rated Memorial Day weekend opening of any film in motion picture history until the release of over Memorial Day 2006.^[1] The movie surprised media analysts when it beat The Matrix Reloaded after its first week of release. By the time it left theaters in December 2003, it took in a United States domestic total of over $242 million and $484,572,835 worldwide, breaking records as the highest-grossing live action comedy ever.^[2]

Plot

Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) is a TV news reporter at Eyewitness News Channel 7 in Buffalo, New York (WKBW-TV) who fails to get a job as an anchorman and, after a series of other bad luck incidents, complains to God that he is both treating him unfairly and is doing a poor job as supreme deity. Bruce is then contacted by God (Morgan Freeman) who grants Bruce all of his supreme power to see if he can prove that he can do a better job. Bruce quickly uses his new-found powers for personal gain. He sabotages a colleague so that he can get a better job, transforms his car, and enhances his girlfriend's breasts and sex drive. He is then reminded that he also has to take care of other people's problems. Meanwhile, Bruce endangers his relationship with his girlfriend, Grace Connelly (Jennifer Aniston), through his self-centered behavior. In the end, Bruce realizes that God's powers are best left for God to handle and graciously asks for God to take control of his life.

The movie portrays God as a wise but smart-aleckey elderly man. God quotes a line from one of Carrey's other movies ("Alrighty then", from Ace Ventura), and tells Bruce that if he wants, Bruce can fix all the world's problems in a few minutes, knowing full well from eons of experience that he cannot. Bruce receives millions of prayers, all from, according to God, his single town. Having to listen to the prayers of the whole world, one can only imagine how God feels. Bruce is thus able to realize just how much work God must do to keep creation "in line." As Bruce and God themselves put it in two scenes, where Bruce wants the person he loves to love him:

• Bruce: How do you make someone love you without affecting their free will?
• God: [snorts] Heh, welcome to my world, son. If you come up with an answer to that one, let me know.

And a second scene over prayers:

• God: You made a mess of things, huh?
• Bruce: I just gave them what they wanted. [Bruce had answered YES to all incoming prayers.]
• God: Yeah, but since when does anyone have a clue what they want?

This scene continues with poignant lines in which God allows Bruce to understand the true nature of people's problems and how to resolve them:

• God: Parting your soup is not a miracle, Bruce, it's a magic trick. A single mom who's working two jobs and still finds time to take her kid to soccer practice, that's a miracle. A teenager who says no to drugs and yes to an education, that's a miracle. People want me to do everything for them, and what they don't realize is - they have the power. You want to see a miracle, son? Be the miracle.

Near the end of the movie, a depressed Bruce walks onto the highway and is hit by a truck. He talks to God in heaven, who asks him "what he really wants." After Bruce asks for Grace to find a man to make her truly happy, God brings Bruce back to life and Grace returns to him at the hospital. In the end, Bruce has changed his outlook on life - he is happy with the meager stories he covers, donates blood, and marries Grace.

Cast

Actor	Role
Jim Carrey	Bruce Nolan
Morgan Freeman	God
Jennifer Aniston	Grace Connelly
Lisa Ann Walter	Debbie
Philip Baker Hall	Jack Baylor
Steve Carell	Evan Baxter
Catherine Bell	Susan Ortega
Sally Kirkland	Anita Mann
Nora Dunn	Ally Loman
Jack Jozefson	the Homeless Man
Gretchen Hill	the Disgruntled Nurse

Trivia

• The film used the Courthouse Square backlot from the Back to the Future films, as seen in the sequence of the town going crazy (although the familiar clock tower clock has been covered). Also, the scene with Grace jogging was shot on the same street as the one in Back to the Future where Marty McFly followed his 1955 father to Lorraine's house.

• The day care center where Grace works is set in the same school that was used in Liar Liar, one of Carrey's other films, which was also released by Universal.

• Jim Carrey owns the Saleen S7 supercar that he drove in the movie.

• In Bruce's "Mr. Exclusive" billboard, his picture on the billboard was the one used for a promo shot for Liar Liar.

• In an episode of Carnival Capricious (an internet series made with puppets), Mr. Hop says, "I just want her to be happy..." (referring to Madame Misleading) "...whatever that may be..." to which Ali replies, "Aww, how sweet! But it was much more touching when Jim Carrey said it in the 2003 comedy, Bruce Almighty."

• Jim Carrey and Steve Carell were reunited in the animated film, Horton Hears A Who!

• Grace claims that her blood type, AB+, is a high demand blood type due to its rarity. In reality, AB+ blood is not very feasible for transfusions, since it can only be supplied to another person with AB+ blood, who could instead receive a transfusion from a more readily available source, such as the more common O+.

• In the sequel to Bruce Almighty called Evan Almighty, the character "Evan Baxter" is an antagonist in Bruce Almighty but a protagonist in Evan Almighty. Both movies share this same character played by the same actor. Morgan Freeman also makes a return, again playing the character of God.

Controversy and reception

• The movie was banned in Egypt and Malaysia due to pressure from Islamic religious circuits who objected to the portrayal of God as a visually ordinary man. The ban in Malaysia was eventually lifted after the Censorship Board gave it the "18" rating (suitable for adult viewers only^[3].^[4][5]
• In Iran, the movie was interpreted in the light of Twelver Shiism—the predominant branch of Islam practiced in the country. The appearance of Morgan Freeman's character at the end echoes the prophesied return of the 12th Imam.^[6]

The movie received rather mixed reviews (50% on Rotten Tomatoes and an average of 46 out of a 100 on Metacritic.com). The film took nearly $243 million at the box office, making it Jim Carrey's most successful film since 2000's How the Grinch Stole Christmas (also released by Universal).

Telephone numbers

The film caused controversy because God contacts Bruce, via pager, using an actual phone number rather than a number in the standard fictional 555 telephone exchange. The original telephone number was 776-2323.^[7] No area code was included. Several people and groups sharing this number have received hundreds of phone calls from people wanting to talk to God. Oddly enough, some of the calls went to a church located in Sanford, North Carolina, whose pastor happened to be named Bruce.^[8] A church in Georgia also happens to use this number. The number even turned out to be valid in Greater Manchester in Britain.^[9]

The producers noted that the number chosen was not in use in the Buffalo, New York (area code 716) area where the film is set in, but did not check anywhere else. The DVD and television versions changed the display of the pager to 555-0123.

Religious allusions

• At the diner when Bruce Nolan just discovered his new powers he "parted" the red tomato soup as a reference to Moses parting the Red Sea from the Book of Exodus in the Bible.
• Before the news party for Bruce begins, a golden calf statue can be seen.
• When talking to his boss, Bruce jokes about how much he can do in 7 days, which is how long the Bible says God took for the creation.
• During the big party scene, while everyone is cheering Bruce when he arrives, he can be seen pouring a pitcher of water into a wine cup. As he pours, the water is turned into wine. This is a reference to Jesus' first miracle at the wedding at Cana.
• He can be seen talking to God whilst walking on the sea, citing another miracle of Jesus, this at the point where God is telling him what he can and cannot do with the powers, God (Morgan Freeman) then picks up the prayer beads and walks away.
• When Grace drives away during the party, Bruce says "I am the Alpha, I am the Omega", referencing God being the beginning (Alpha) and the end (Omega).
• Director Tom Shadyac stated in the DVD commentary that God appearing as the boss, the janitor and the electrician was a parallel to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, although this was not his original intention, and he only noticed this afterwards.

Sequel

Main article: Evan Almighty

On June 22, 2007, Evan Almighty was released. The film stars Steve Carell reprising his role as Evan Baxter, and Morgan Freeman reprising his role as God. Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston, both co-stars of the first film, were not involved with this film.

Soundtrack

Original Release Date: June 3, 2003
Number of Discs: 1
Format: Soundtrack
Label: Varese Sarabande

• 01 - One of us - Joan Osborne
• 02 - God-shaped-hole - Plumb
• 03 - You're a God - Vertical Horizon
• 04 - The power - Snap!
• 05 - A Little less Conversation - Elvis vs. JXL
• 06 - Rockafeller Skank - Fatboy Slim
• 07 - God gave me Everything - Mick Jagger
• 08 - AB Positive - Hollywood Studio Symphony, Brad Dechter, Sandy De Crescent
• 09 - Walking on water - Hollywood Studio Symphony, Brad Dechter, Sandy De Crescent
• 10 - Seventh at Seven - Hollywood Studio Symphony, Brad Dechter, Sandy De Crescent
• 11 - Bruce Meets God - Hollywood Studio Symphony, Brad Dechter, Sandy De Crescent
• 12 - Bruce's Prayer - Hollywood Studio Symphony, Brad Dechter, Sandy De Crescent
• 13 - Grace's prayer - Hollywood Studio Symphony, Brad Dechter, Sandy De Crescent

Usage of the Bruce Almighty name

When registering for hotel stays, Don Mattingly used the alias "Bruce Almighty" to avoid unwanted fan attention [1].

References

External links

• Bruce Almighty at Rotten Tomatoes
• Bruce Almighty at Box Office Mojo
• Original Site

Preceded by "The Matrix Reloaded"	List of Box Office #1 Movies May 25 2003	Succeeded by "Finding Nemo"

Preceded by "Liar Liar"	Movies made by Spy Glass Productions 1997-2007	Succeeded by "Evan Almighty"