Bruce Almighty

Humorous news reporter Bruce Nolan (Carrey) is chasing the anchorman job at his local television station in small-town Buffalo, Colorado. But when more and more things in his life don’t seem to go his selfish way, he begins to suspect God has something against him and believes he can do better. So, when God decides to take a vacation, Bruce is left in charge.

Although apprehensive at first, Bruce soon starts to relish his powers, using them for his own gain. Having lost the anchorman post to his rival Evan Baxter (Carrell), Bruce ensures through the foul use of his new powers that he is soon the king of reporting. As Bruce is now able to make the news, he develops an uncanny knack of being at the right place at the right time, thus ensuring he gets exclusive coverage. Bruce finds himself rising to fame and ultimately lands the post of studio anchorman at the expense of Baxter, albeit with a little persuasion.

Fine so far, but, as with most films these days, there’s a side-line plot of love in the shape of Bruce’s girlfriend, Grace (Aniston). Having supported Bruce as he tried to make it to the top in his career, she finally snaps when she realises there’s no future for the two of them.  Bruce is left with a dilemma which he cannot solve with God’s powers, as he cannot interfere with free-will, and so Bruce has to do some soul-searching to get the love of his life back.

Morgan Freeman, in a genius piece of casting as God, is excellent, showing off his ability with some excellent comic timing and exchanges with Carrey’s Nolan. Jennifer Aniston continues to impress from her performance in The Good Girl, showing real emotion at being left behind by Bruce as he finds fame and his anchorman job. But this film is really about Jim Carrey, who makes a welcome return to what he does best in this film - playing the goofy madcap. His energetic performances have not weakened over the years, and can still raise a laugh. B.E.A.utiful!