Jim Carrey’s long awaited return to comedy is here. Carrey shows up in his traditional face-twisting fashion in “”Bruce Almighty”” as an egomaniac who is given celestial powers after repeatedly criticizing the work of the heavenly father (Morgan Freeman).
While Carrey brings a presence to the screen that is all his own, his performance lacks the zeal that he brought during his earlier days. While a portion of this problem can be chalked up to playing increasingly mature roles, there is definitely the feel that Carrey is not his old self on screen. His career transitions are understandably difficult to navigate. He has gone from strictly slapstick to dead serious, and “”Bruce Almighty”” finds him in a lukewarm romantic comedy.
While no one will deny that the entire premise is intended to be a vehicle for Carrey’s comedy, “”Bruce Almighty”” takes a while to get its engine going. The first half hour is full of spastic and oftentimes uncomfortable monologues. The film also pretends to have a message, detracting from its much clearer purpose of getting Jim Carrey into otherwise unimaginable situations.
The side performances in “”Bruce Almighty”” are limited and relatively mundane. Jennifer Aniston, who plays his girlfriend, brings a feel of “”same old romantic comedy”” to a film that might have been better off without that burden to carry. It takes a special kind of script to allow Carrey to show off his genius and at the same time carry another purpose. “”Man on the Moon”” did it with Carrey as a lead and “”The Cable Guy”” did it with him as a co-star. “”Bruce Almighty”” doesn’t really do it at all.
That being said, “”Bruce Almighty”” does offer moments of hilarious comedy that will be required viewing for Jim Carrey junkies. This film does not have the replay value that the average Carrey comedy does, but will inspire plenty of laughs the first time around. As far as romantic comedies go, “”Bruce Almighty”” is middle of the pack.
Ultimately, “”Bruce Almighty”” is another entertaining misstep in Jim Carrey’s career. Most viewers will enjoy it, but not remember it. Carrey’s fan base is going to ensure the film’s success; they will do it half-smiling. Carrey’s genius goes to waste in “”Bruce Almighty.””
Bruce Almighty
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Starring Jim Carrey, Morgan Freeman and Jennifer Aniston
In theaters May 23
Rated PG-13