Today’s Prayer Focus
MOVIE REVIEW
Evan Almighty
MPA Rating:
for mild rude humor and some peril.
for mild rude humor and some peril.
Reviewed by: Evan D. Baltz
CONTRIBUTOR
| Moral Rating: | Average |
| Moviemaking Quality: |
|
| Primary Audience: | Family Adults |
| Genre: | Comedy Fantasy Sequel |
| Length: | 1 hr. 35 min. |
| Year of Release: | 2007 |
| USA Release: |
June 22, 2007 (wide) |
Relevant Issues
About the non-fictional God of the Bible
► BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO CREATE AN ALTERNATE GOD of your own liking, a false “christian” diety with which you feel much more comfortable. Likely, most people today have done this. It is foolish, dangerous, and all too popular in our current age.
► God is SOVEREIGN. The Creator and King of the universe (and Heaven and Hell) has the full right to do or allow whatever He chooses, no question—no matter what our human opinions may be.
► INSTANT DEATH—If you actually saw God, YOU WOULD DIE. In fact, when God’s presence was in the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy of Holies, or on Mount Sinai, merely touching or entering would bring you instant death.
► WANT TO SEE GOD? Read a true story (short) about the experience of a biblical man who really, really wanted to see God, which I wrote for young people and families.
► FEAR OF THE LORD IS A GOOD THING! Although God is all-loving, He is also fully righteous, totally holy, totally just—and an infinitely powerful God of wrath and judgment.
► THE WRATH OF GOD has been displayed in awesome ways in the past, and will be seen again in Earth’s future. The real God PUNISHES sin, because He is JUST. See: punishment in the Bible, judgments of God, the Final Judgment, and Hell
How can we know there’s a God? Answer
What if the cosmos is all that there is? Answer
If God made everything, who made God? Answer
ABOUT EARTH’S ENVIRONMENT
Should Christians be concerned about the environment? Answer
What is man’s responsibility to the environment? Answer
How might rain forest destruction affect our weather? Answer
About the awesome Biblical Flood
Accurate information about Noah’s Ark and the awesome biblical Flood
Does the Bible state that the Flood of Noah covered the entire Earth? Answer
How did various animals get from the real Ark to isolated places, such as Australia? Answer
Could the real Noah’s Ark really hold all the animals preserved in the Flood? Answer
How did FISH survive the real Flood? Did Noah take them? If not, how could freshwater and saltwater fish cope with changes in salinity? Answer
ORIGIN OF ETHNIC PEOPLE GROUPS—How could all ethnicities come from Noah, his three sons and their wives? Answer
How can we know there’s a real God? Answer
Who was the real Mrs. Noah? What was she like? Learn about this rarely mentioned, but important woman
ABOUT THE FLOOD AND CREATION vs. EVOLUTION
Accurate, in-depth information on Creation/Evolution. The SuperLibrary is provided by a top team of experts from various respected creationist organizations who answer your questions on a wide variety of topics. Multilingual.
POLITICS AND FOLLOWING CHRIST
Should Christians seek political power or should we only focus on evangelism? Answer
What part should true integrity play in politics? Answer
A single man or woman can help make great, positive changes. Read about some who did through FAITH and God’s help…
Jesus Christ, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and David
FOR KIDS
The story of Noah’s Ark and the Flood
Kids, learn about the Creator of the universe by exploring His marvelous creation. Fun for the whole family with games, activities, stories, answers to children’s questions, color pages, and more! One of the Web’s first and most popular Christian Web sites for children. Nonprofit, evangelical, nondenominational.
| Featuring |
Steve Carell — “Little Miss Sunshine,” “The 40 Year Old Virgin” Lauren Graham, John Goodman, Wanda Sykes, John Michael Higgins, Jimmy Bennett, Jonah Hill, Graham Phillips, Johnny Simmons, etc. |
| Director |
Tom Shadyac (see interview) — “The Nutty Professor,” “Liar, Liar,” “Bruce Almighty” |
| Producer | Dave Phillips, Matt Luber, Ilona Herzberg |
| Distributor |
Prequel: “Bruce Almighty” (2003)
Genesis 6:14 begins with God’s command to Noah to “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood….” In 2007, God has returned in the form of Morgan Freeman to again issue this command, this time to Steve Carell, a.k.a. Evan Baxter. Verily I say unto you, this then is the plot of the $175-million dollar comedy epic, “Evan Almighty.”
Evan Baxter, a Buffalo news anchorman, has just been elected to Congress, so he packs up his family and moves them to suburban D.C. With the job comes a big new house and a Hummer. The Baxter family has it all. But Evan’s family misses their dad, who is now too busy with the trappings of politics to spend time with his family. His campaign slogan was “To Change the World,” but as his family prays for more time with their dad, Evan prays and asks God to help him keep his campaign promise.
The next day Evan is awoken by his General Electric alarm clock at 6:14. He proceeds to find a crate addressed to him on the doorstep with some ancient carpentry tools. Later, a load of wood is delivered to his house from “Go-4-Wood Supplies.” Not much later, God appears and directs Evan to begin building an ark.
Animals begin to follow Evan in pairs. He begins to grow a longer and longer beard, and finally he ends up wearing a long robe. Of course, none of this helps his political career. He eventually seals his doom by announcing at a Congressional meeting that God has instructed him to make an ark. Anytime someone says that, they must be a delusional crackpot, right?
What is God’s plan for Evan? What lessons will he learn through this adventure? They aren’t too surprising, but still quite nice, considering this is a Hollywood movie.
The movie is quite funny throughout, but not uproariously. It’s rather sweet and gentle most of the way. There is no swearing and no sex. There are a few animal jokes, but, for the most part, it is the most unobjectionable mainstream movie I have seen in years. The movie doesn’t make fun of God or the values. The theology is, for the most part, fine. It’s just a nice, cute, $200+ million dollar comedy.
In one particularly poignant exchange between God and Evan, God asks him if he thinks when you pray and ask God for patience, if God gives you patience, or puts you in a situation where you learn patience. If someone asks for courage, does God give them courage or put them in a situation where they can become courageous? Does God give you family togetherness, or does he put you in a situation where you pull together as a family? I thought these observations were right on the money, and probably ideas the general non-Christian viewing public has perhaps not even thought of before.
Steve Carell is the master of the uncomfortable moment, which makes him the perfect actor to play the modern day Noah. We get a sense for how the real Noah must have felt in his day, telling everyone it was going to flood, as he built a huge boat in his back yard. Carell’s character actually sheds some light on what this must have been like for Noah. Morgan Freeman plays God for comedy, at times, but respectfully and thoughtfully, as much as that can be done in a movie.
For me, there was really nothing objectionable in the movie. I found it to be fun and entertaining—and even insightful at times. Is it the funniest or most dramatic movie ever made? No. But it delivers, for what it is. It’s much better than I think many critics are giving it credit. Of course, we know the world of religious cynics like nothing more than panning anything that espouses values and religion. I think this is, however, a movie the whole family could enjoy. I guess time will tell if the movie can make back the money spent on its production and marketing, but I am willing to give it at least 40 days and 40 nights to try.
Violence: None / Profanity: None / Sex/Nudity: None
See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.
Positive
Positive—…My wife and I took my kids, ages 11 and 6½ to see “Evan Almighty.” In general, we liked it. There’s is an obvious chasm between Hollywood and the Church. “Evan Almighty” is NOT the answer, but we knew that going in. We enjoy movies like this, not only for the momentary entertainment value, but also for the conversations sparked afterward.
We don’t need to drink poison to be able to relate its harmful effects, but that analogy is a disproportionate stretch here in my view. What stood out to me as beneficial were “The Moments” when everyone was standing against Evan, and he (after fighting it), knew there was no other REAL option than to stand for God. That’s what actors get paid to do, because for me, he brought me back to those moments when I had to “stand” against all opposition. The kids liked the animal humor, and my 11 year old, and I discussed that the Flood WAS INDEED about divine judgment, and we noted the obvious lack of Christ, period.
In conclusion, there were lots of funny scenes, good “moments” and that fact remains…
We can’t look to Hollywood for our doctrine, but we knew that going in. I pray that if there are any redeeming qualities to people watching it that don’t know Christ as savior, that the Holy Spirit would breathe on their hearts, that they would repent and indeed become redeemed.
Good / 3½
We don’t need to drink poison to be able to relate its harmful effects, but that analogy is a disproportionate stretch here in my view. What stood out to me as beneficial were “The Moments” when everyone was standing against Evan, and he (after fighting it), knew there was no other REAL option than to stand for God. That’s what actors get paid to do, because for me, he brought me back to those moments when I had to “stand” against all opposition. The kids liked the animal humor, and my 11 year old, and I discussed that the Flood WAS INDEED about divine judgment, and we noted the obvious lack of Christ, period.
In conclusion, there were lots of funny scenes, good “moments” and that fact remains…
We can’t look to Hollywood for our doctrine, but we knew that going in. I pray that if there are any redeeming qualities to people watching it that don’t know Christ as savior, that the Holy Spirit would breathe on their hearts, that they would repent and indeed become redeemed.
Good / 3½
Cros, age 38
Positive—I took my three children who are 12, 14, 16 years old. We laughed and cried together. We are a movie-going family and have seen all the family/PG movies so far this summer. This was my personal favorite! It was family friendly and the moral message was loud and clear. Worldly success and money is not as important as family and following God’s will. Some scenes were so funny and the animals on the ark were delightful. I would recommend this to families even with smaller children because the animals—two by two—would fascinate young kids. Take your whole family including Grandma and Grandpa!
Excellent! / 4
Excellent! / 4
Laurie, age 44
Positive—Wonderful. Godliness shines out in this movie through and through. This movie really sinks its teeth into what it means to trust in God and encourage one that He is trustworthy. It’s edifying to see familiar biblical stories given meaning for today.
Excellent! / 4
Excellent! / 4
Chris Monroe, age 34
Positive—I loved this little movie. I’m a fan of Steve Carell and Lauren Graham, so my sister and I decided to see it last minute one afternoon. We found it funny, sweet, and appreciated the interaction between Morgan Freeman and Steve Carell. I was a little reluctant because of the “God” thing. However, I felt that the writers/producers were respectful and sensitive to what God might say in the situations. I appreciated the family aspect, the couple loved and trusted each other and wanted the best for their kids. I also felt for the wife when she thought her husband had completely gone off the deep end! Steve Carell did a great job cringing every time he had to tell the truth about his situation. I enjoyed it so much that I took my husband and kids (6 years and 8 years) a few days later. The kids loved all the animal scenes.
On Ebert and Roeper they gave this movie two thumbs down because it was “so overtly Christian.” I’m not kidding!
“Evan Almighty” is not an Oscar award winning movie, but it is funny and entertaining, and something your whole family can enjoy together. A rarity these days.
Good / 4
On Ebert and Roeper they gave this movie two thumbs down because it was “so overtly Christian.” I’m not kidding!
“Evan Almighty” is not an Oscar award winning movie, but it is funny and entertaining, and something your whole family can enjoy together. A rarity these days.
Good / 4
L.A., age 40
Positive—I loved it. Thought it was excellent. It is not the story of Noah’s ark, but a contemporary spiritual story using of God wanting to use someone to do great things. It also gives great insight into the few details we actually have about Noah. One thought to all of those who harshly criticize this movie due to the use/misuse of God’s name: Do you also harshly criticize ABC “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” when people walk into their new home and exclaim “Oh my God!”? It is a great springboard to talk about the global flood and the Biblical Noah, which is exactly what I am doing in our church. …
Excellent! / 3½
Excellent! / 3½
Mark Lehman, age 40
Positive—Wow! That was a great movie. I came here first to see if I could take my newly 6 year old to this movie for her birthday. With the reviews that were here, I felt confident that it would be okay. We loved it! My dd wants to buy it when it comes out on video, which means “two thumbs up” from her.
The story in the movie was great. Submission to the Lord. Submission and meekness these days are looked down upon. So to see a Hollywood picture making a movie with this at the central core of the plot is AMAZING!… I almost cried at the end when a reporter was wondering how the animals would all get back to where they lived. Then he said, “I guess God got them here, He can get them home.” Wow! Amazing! I was worried about the whole second flood thing, since God promised that there wouldn’t be another Flood, but that was covered. (Can’t tell you how, don’t want to ruin the movie!) Great movie for the whole family!
Excellent! / 5
The story in the movie was great. Submission to the Lord. Submission and meekness these days are looked down upon. So to see a Hollywood picture making a movie with this at the central core of the plot is AMAZING!… I almost cried at the end when a reporter was wondering how the animals would all get back to where they lived. Then he said, “I guess God got them here, He can get them home.” Wow! Amazing! I was worried about the whole second flood thing, since God promised that there wouldn’t be another Flood, but that was covered. (Can’t tell you how, don’t want to ruin the movie!) Great movie for the whole family!
Excellent! / 5
Michelle J., age 36
Positive—This movie is a great opportunity for Christians. It’s very thought-provoking and challenges your understanding of obedience to God’s will. It’s a serious subject, so the humor sometimes falls flat, but it’s thoughtfully made and is loaded with imagery depicting God’s provision and power.
Good / 4½
Good / 4½
Ann, age 46
Positive—This is an amazing movie, because it’s not really entertainment, although I laughed so hard for about 10 minutes that I cried. It is an endeavor to bring spiritual life to today’s generation. I have to applaud Steve Carrel for taking on this project, in which he lives out the story of Noah and the building of the ark, and even appeals to his fellowmen to repent. I was astounded by the explicit Biblical themes in this movie. Only Carrel could have pulled off the completely amazing performance of a man whom God calls in this day and age to build an ark in face of total ridicule and rejection. That God becomes manifest in the body of Morgan Freeman, oh well, fantastical approach to scripture.
But God did speak to Evan, and Evan did obey, and what God said would happen did happen, and Evan was willing to endure utter humiliation to obey God. These are the Christian principles that this movie portrays, and that message is successfully portrayed.
From a secular point of view, the movie bites off very profound and serious subject matter which it presents in a humorous and comical way. As a movie, maybe not too successful, but as a message, it was wonderful.
Better than Average / 3½
But God did speak to Evan, and Evan did obey, and what God said would happen did happen, and Evan was willing to endure utter humiliation to obey God. These are the Christian principles that this movie portrays, and that message is successfully portrayed.
From a secular point of view, the movie bites off very profound and serious subject matter which it presents in a humorous and comical way. As a movie, maybe not too successful, but as a message, it was wonderful.
Better than Average / 3½
Halyna Barannik, age 61
Positive—I just returned from taking my youth group to see “Evan Almighty,” and I have to say, I thought it was a wonderful movie, definitely better than “Bruce Almighty”! This is one I would have no problem adding to my youths’ video collection. Evan has just been elected as a Congressman, on the platform that he wants to “Change the World.” He moves his family from all their friends to a HUGE new home in a very upscale neighborhood, and as most any successful man is portrayed in a movie—Evan starts to pay more attention to his job and outward appearance, than to his family. His wife tries to remind him why he even wanted to become a congressman, which leads Evan to take to his knees and earnestly, truly ask God to help him change the world. That, of course, is when all the fun begins.
I don’t want to give too much away, but I must say, I found this movie not only hilarious, but has given me tons of material for Bible studies.
For example, when Evan is fighting against building the ark, it’s like an uphill battle. It’s only when he surrenders to what he knows God is asking, that things seem to make sense to Evan and fall into place. I felt the movie did a very nice job of showing that even when you do what God has asked you, it may not be an easy road. All too often, a Christian’s life is portrayed as wonderful, without any problems, and well—fake. Here, following God’s will has put a strain on not only his professional life, but his family life as well, although both are resolved in the end. I felt that God was portrayed as loving, without being phony or ridiculous.
I know, there was no mention of Christ, but there was no mistaking that this was supposed to be the God of Christianity and not anyone else, or something more Unitarian. There was only one gag that the movie could have done without; which was the reference to the length of a particular animal’s male reproductive organ.
Other than that, I had no monstrous issue with anything in the movie; it wasn’t made to be a documentary after all, but for entertainment. I could sit here, pick the movie apart, and find all sorts of problems, if I wanted to, but nothing jumped out at me, so I feel no reason to mess-up something that isn’t trying to poke fun at God or even Christianity. If this was a person’s only glimpse at what Christianity looks like, as far as God and faith are concerned, I don’t think the world would come to an end—keeping in mind that what we do everyday as Christians should speak louder than any movie. My youth loved it, I feel they got the overall message, and I would take them to see it again! I look forward to partnering with A.R.K. Almighty to see if my youth take the message and put their faith into action.
Excellent! / 5
I don’t want to give too much away, but I must say, I found this movie not only hilarious, but has given me tons of material for Bible studies.
For example, when Evan is fighting against building the ark, it’s like an uphill battle. It’s only when he surrenders to what he knows God is asking, that things seem to make sense to Evan and fall into place. I felt the movie did a very nice job of showing that even when you do what God has asked you, it may not be an easy road. All too often, a Christian’s life is portrayed as wonderful, without any problems, and well—fake. Here, following God’s will has put a strain on not only his professional life, but his family life as well, although both are resolved in the end. I felt that God was portrayed as loving, without being phony or ridiculous.
I know, there was no mention of Christ, but there was no mistaking that this was supposed to be the God of Christianity and not anyone else, or something more Unitarian. There was only one gag that the movie could have done without; which was the reference to the length of a particular animal’s male reproductive organ.
Other than that, I had no monstrous issue with anything in the movie; it wasn’t made to be a documentary after all, but for entertainment. I could sit here, pick the movie apart, and find all sorts of problems, if I wanted to, but nothing jumped out at me, so I feel no reason to mess-up something that isn’t trying to poke fun at God or even Christianity. If this was a person’s only glimpse at what Christianity looks like, as far as God and faith are concerned, I don’t think the world would come to an end—keeping in mind that what we do everyday as Christians should speak louder than any movie. My youth loved it, I feel they got the overall message, and I would take them to see it again! I look forward to partnering with A.R.K. Almighty to see if my youth take the message and put their faith into action.
Excellent! / 5
Heather, age 23
Positive—From reading all the negative reviews in the newspapers I buy, my wife and I almost did not go to see “Evan Almighty.” Fortunately, I managed to pick up on the near-constant bashing of religion by the critics who rated the movie poorly and decided that it was worth taking a look at. I am sincerely glad I did. In spite of the critics who said the movie wasn’t funny, we both laughed hysterically in several places, and just as with “Bruce Almighty,” Morgan Freeman was so enjoyable to watch in his role as God. Yes, I know it’s an impossibility for God to appear to mortal men, but “Evan Almighty” isn’t designed to win converts to Christianity or teach men about who God really is. If anything, the negative reviewers in the print media are right when they state that this movie was made with Christians in mind. So, let me begin with that.
“Bruce Almighty” was the story of a man who thinks he knows more than God and deserves better than the lot he has in life, and having God’s power allows him to demonstrate the folly of his, and man’s, thinking. To me the undesirable or offensive material in the first film was necessary to really drive home that message.
“Evan Almighty” is different. This is a story about faith and believing in something when the only thing you have to go on is God’s word. There was no need here for offensive material, and apart from the use of the word “pissed,” in one scene, there are no other words parents might be concerned about. Some might refer to the penis fact mentioned twice in the movie as being unnecessary, but I would point out that the Bible discusses sex in far more graphic and sometimes uncomfortable ways than the cute and humorous mention of one particular animal’s large penis size.
In this movie, Evan Baxter is shown as the news anchor we remember him as in “Bruce Almighty” at the very beginning. It is here that we are told he has been elected to Congress to “change the world.” He, his wife, and his three sons have moved to Virginia, and early on his wife encourages him to pray to God to help him achieve his goal. He does, and starting the next morning, he is given sign after sign that the Almighty is responding.
After meeting God and being told that he must build an ark to prepare for a flood, Evan plays the role of Jonah for awhile and finds that running from God is an impossible objective. Two of every sort of animal begin to follow him around, he grows a beard which he cannot seem to shave off without it coming right back, and his attempts to wear clothing other than that which God has specified end hilariously. Finally, at the risk of making a laughingstock of himself to his family and even to the entire nation, Evan relents and agrees to build the ark.
One of the more wonderful moments of the film takes place when Evan’s wife decides to take their kids and leave him, only to quickly meet up with God in a restaurant. Just as God asked Bruce in the previous film, if people knew what it was they really wanted or could identify miracles not of the supernatural kind, here he also gives out some words of wisdom concerning answers to prayer that I believe are wholly consistent with the Bible’s teachings. Watch for it. It’s truly precious. I strongly recommend this movie. Enjoy!
Excellent! / 5
“Bruce Almighty” was the story of a man who thinks he knows more than God and deserves better than the lot he has in life, and having God’s power allows him to demonstrate the folly of his, and man’s, thinking. To me the undesirable or offensive material in the first film was necessary to really drive home that message.
“Evan Almighty” is different. This is a story about faith and believing in something when the only thing you have to go on is God’s word. There was no need here for offensive material, and apart from the use of the word “pissed,” in one scene, there are no other words parents might be concerned about. Some might refer to the penis fact mentioned twice in the movie as being unnecessary, but I would point out that the Bible discusses sex in far more graphic and sometimes uncomfortable ways than the cute and humorous mention of one particular animal’s large penis size.
In this movie, Evan Baxter is shown as the news anchor we remember him as in “Bruce Almighty” at the very beginning. It is here that we are told he has been elected to Congress to “change the world.” He, his wife, and his three sons have moved to Virginia, and early on his wife encourages him to pray to God to help him achieve his goal. He does, and starting the next morning, he is given sign after sign that the Almighty is responding.
After meeting God and being told that he must build an ark to prepare for a flood, Evan plays the role of Jonah for awhile and finds that running from God is an impossible objective. Two of every sort of animal begin to follow him around, he grows a beard which he cannot seem to shave off without it coming right back, and his attempts to wear clothing other than that which God has specified end hilariously. Finally, at the risk of making a laughingstock of himself to his family and even to the entire nation, Evan relents and agrees to build the ark.
One of the more wonderful moments of the film takes place when Evan’s wife decides to take their kids and leave him, only to quickly meet up with God in a restaurant. Just as God asked Bruce in the previous film, if people knew what it was they really wanted or could identify miracles not of the supernatural kind, here he also gives out some words of wisdom concerning answers to prayer that I believe are wholly consistent with the Bible’s teachings. Watch for it. It’s truly precious. I strongly recommend this movie. Enjoy!
Excellent! / 5
Edward N Drake, age 36
Positive—If you are a Christian, this movie brings laughter to a biblical story with a biblical theme. I laughed, and I was in awe of the morality behind the story. No cursing or adult content. Just funny humor with a masterpiece storyline 2 thumbs up!! A must see movie!!
Good / 5
Good / 5
Denise, age 45
Positive—I just wanted to take the time to recommend this movie to practically anyone that may be hesitant to go and see this. I don’t want to list any spoilers, but this movie to me was a lot better than what I had anticipated from the trailers, and Thank God it was different from “Bruce Almighty”… My 9-year old daughter laughed along side of me… and it was refreshing to see proof that Hollywood can make an entire movie without profanity… ;-) I think it’s a must see!
Good / 5
Good / 5
Chris C., age 35
Positive—My husband and I went to see this film and thought it was really good. Steve Carell is so funny, and it was really good to see him in a movie that is so family-friendly. I am so happy to see something with such a strong biblical message coming from Hollywood. I liked this better than “Bruce Almighty,” and it is definitely cleaner.
Good / 4
Good / 4
Ali, age 25
Positive—I hadn’t planned on seeing this movie until I kept hearing that it had a lot of good christian values in it, so I went with some friends. I was very surprised that a mainstream movie was able to put Christian values and morals in a movie without compromising a great deal. I was particularly worried about the “flood,” since I didn’t see how that could be accomplished without blasphemy, but it was very tastefully accomplished! I completely recommend this film to families with children, since good family movies are hard to find.
Excellent! / 5
Excellent! / 5
Emily, age 19
Positive—I work for a Christian company, and we were having a company outing the Friday of the movie’s release, so I sent out an e-mail to invite others to join me in going to see the movie, and we took a group to for a later showing on a Friday night. I was pleased to see that this movie stuck more to getting across the values and important characteristics of being a Christian that should be associated with the story of Noah rather than trying simply to entertain, although it accomplished both. I love Morgan Freeman as God, his voice and mannerisms display a dignity and reverence that very few actors can pull off. His responses to Evan made me think about my own attitude toward prayer and faith. I have already recommended this movie to people, and I would not have a problem taking children as young as 5 or 6 to see this movie, as the animals will entertain them even if they don’t catch the deeper ideas. For the kids that do understand, it’s definitely a great movie to see to create conversations about prayer, faith, and trusting God’s plan for your life.
Good / 4½
Good / 4½
Matt, age 25
Positive—Simply put, our family, including our 8-year-old daughter, loved this movie! We are very particular about what we expose our daughter—and ourselves—to, as we know you are. What a blessing to be able to go to a movie that is funny, touching, and reveals our loving God in a way that maybe some Christians haven’t thought of! Honestly, I kept waiting for God to be made fun of/mocked, and was sure I would hear some soft, fuzzy, twist of the truth in “the poignant moments.” I’m so pleased to say that I was wrong! Cudos to the director, producers, writers and actors, as well as Spyglass Entertainment, Shady Acres Entertainment, Original Film, and Universal Studios for making such a wonderful movie! Oh, yes, and all the animals… We’re recommending this movie to all we know, and will be seeing it again. Already planning to buy the DVD!
Good / 5
Good / 5
Mrs. Terry Semple, age 49
Positive—I was quite worried that they were going to do something with the story that would have gone against what God said to Noah when Noah left the ark. I was surprised that, it did not happen. While I enjoyed the first Almighty, I enjoyed this one a lot more. It was clean, it was mostly biblical, and it was just down right funny especially all the birds. I would suggest this to all my friends and family and all my Brothers and Sisters in Christ.
Good / 4
Good / 4
James Simison, age 22
Positive—Hey, I am not normally someone who goes to religious movies, but this one was really good, I am going to read about noah’s ark, I am not religious, and not fond of it too much, but I actually opened the Bible today and read in the Book of Acts, really good, I know the producers probably didn’t have all the “correct theology;” it’s a comedy, but now I will start to read and check things out. It was good to have no sexual junk/humor and bad words, except the stupid word… jack___s comment. I brought my kids and they liked it. I can bring my kids to movies that don’t have bad words etc. garbage in it, I liked it, and hopefully will read them Noah’s Ark and find out why the Earth was destroyed by god.
Excellent! / 5
Excellent! / 5
Leo, age 34
Positive—I was very impressed with this film. Although I can imagine that the flood in Biblical times did not happen in the exact same way, that’s not what this film was to portray verbatim. The overall feel that I received from this film was that God is love. As one viewer commented earlier, God is a God of justice and I do agree with that, but I do believe that our God also loves us and desires to use us to serve Him. If God was only a God of wrath and vengeance, then how did He allow the world to be populated again by sinners? It’s because of His love and His desire to have a personal relationship with each and every one of us. This film helped me to realize and understand how on the outside we often do not understand God and believe that He creates problems for us to go through when in reality, as portrayed in this film, he only does the things he does for us because He loves us. Even when this means we are punished or possibly receive injustice. His love for us gives glory to Him.
Good / 4
Good / 4
Erinn Puckett, age 21
Positive—As a rule sequels tend to be disappointing at best. However, over the past few years we have seen a move away from this trend first with the Spider-man series and now with this sequel-of-sorts to the Jim Carrey hit “Bruce Almighty.” I won’t give too much of the plot away, but this movie rocks! A safe, family friendly movie that is just that… I took my daughter (aged 12) and she loved it. In fact, all the way home she asked me faith-based questions about the movie.
There are some really amazing moments in which the truth shines forth and where God (played brilliantly by Morgan Freeman) lays it down so simply for Evan. For me I guess that’s what I got from this movie… simplicity. For too long believers have spoken in code (I call it Christianese) and have cut themselves from those in the world (churchianity) instead of doing what God says in his Word… to reach out to them in ways they understand. This movie has been criticized by some for the idea that simply doing good could change the world… but what would happen if we all performed Acts of Random Kindness (ARK), would this eventually lead people to God? Could it be that simple?See all »
Good / 5
There are some really amazing moments in which the truth shines forth and where God (played brilliantly by Morgan Freeman) lays it down so simply for Evan. For me I guess that’s what I got from this movie… simplicity. For too long believers have spoken in code (I call it Christianese) and have cut themselves from those in the world (churchianity) instead of doing what God says in his Word… to reach out to them in ways they understand. This movie has been criticized by some for the idea that simply doing good could change the world… but what would happen if we all performed Acts of Random Kindness (ARK), would this eventually lead people to God? Could it be that simple?See all »
Good / 5
Christian St John, age 35
Positive—I have never rated a movie before, and I am a real Christian, so having said that, I just have to say this was probably the FUNNIEST movie I have ever seen!!! The content was Biblical, and our human perspective was portrayed wonderfully. I took my 10 and 5 year old sons, and we cracked up the whole time. I hope Steve Carell and Wanda Sykes are saved, because they just might be my favorite two people! I LOVED IT!!!…
Excellent! / 4
Excellent! / 4
Keya, age 30
Positive—I went to see this movie with some of our youth kids from church after they did a GREAT job volunteering in VBS all week. This movie was SOOOOO great!!! It was nice to go to a movie where you did not have to worry about the content. This was so good that we are planning on going back and bringing my husband.
Good / 5
Good / 5
Tina Coffey, age 35
Positive—I was actually surprised by this movie, but in a good way. The movie, I think, really put us in Noah’s shoes without mocking the Bible or God. Yes, God in this movie makes jokes, but God invented humor, so he should be pretty good at it, and the jokes are relevant and in no way disrespectful. The movie is better than most critics said it was; I agree with the feature review, as I think it being a faith-based movie hurt its cause. Luckily, it still made a good amount of money. Not the best movie in the world, but something I will be renting when it comes out to watch again.
Good / 3
Good / 3
Matthew Robinson, age 18
Positive—I haven’t seen a [Hollywood] movie with this much spiritual focus and theme in a very long time! It has such a strong message of obedience to God and on the importance of prayer. My children are 7 and 9 and they both said it was a great movie and I asked them why—they said “It was about God!.” There are a few negative elements worth mentioning if you are considering taking children: the word “pissed” is used once, 'What the he**' and 'Son of a …' were included just once each. Both times they implied profanity although the sentences weren’t completed with /the actual curse word. Compared to even some “G” rated films we’ve seen—I still found these negative elements to be mild.
Great movie with a wonderful message (simple enough for even small children to understand) of believing God will hear our prayers and if we obey Him, He will take care of us! It’s worth seeing and sending a message to Hollywood that we want to see more movies like this made.
Excellent! / 5
Great movie with a wonderful message (simple enough for even small children to understand) of believing God will hear our prayers and if we obey Him, He will take care of us! It’s worth seeing and sending a message to Hollywood that we want to see more movies like this made.
Excellent! / 5
Kelly, age 33
Positive—2 things: the youngest boy talks about a duck’s penis, and later on in the movie so does Evan. Also Evan says he is pissed, I think that is [vulgar] myself!
Good movie! Lots of Biblical truths! REALLY funny movie!
Excellent! / 5
Good movie! Lots of Biblical truths! REALLY funny movie!
Excellent! / 5
Melissa P., age 33
Positive—My family (wife, two teenage boys and a 6 year old girl) just saw this movie and loved it. I was so excited to watch a fun film with a good moral message. Hollyweird generally shows husbands as complete idiots who must seek their wife’s guidance in order to do anything correctly. This movie portrayed Evan as a bumbler, yet he stuck to his guns and provided strong leadership and eventually his family followed him. Evan is a man loyal to God’s will in his life and truly put God first, trusting that the Lord would bring his family back to him. Just as Evan followed God, his son’s learned to follow him also, even when others doubted him.
I’ve never gone to a Hollyweird production in order to hear a theologically correct and relevant sermon. Sin is never addressed, and the major sin they are addressing is one that Al Gore would punish severely. Yet the environmentalist message isn’t ham-handed nor overtly paganistic. Someone could certainly find many problems with the movie’s theology, but I was excited to see the Bible and faith displayed in a positive way.
Finally, it was great to see law enforcement portrayed positively! Initially, the police are ogres, but when everyone runs into the ark, they shepherd the people in and are the last ones to enter.
Good / 4
I’ve never gone to a Hollyweird production in order to hear a theologically correct and relevant sermon. Sin is never addressed, and the major sin they are addressing is one that Al Gore would punish severely. Yet the environmentalist message isn’t ham-handed nor overtly paganistic. Someone could certainly find many problems with the movie’s theology, but I was excited to see the Bible and faith displayed in a positive way.
Finally, it was great to see law enforcement portrayed positively! Initially, the police are ogres, but when everyone runs into the ark, they shepherd the people in and are the last ones to enter.
Good / 4
Chris Nelson, age 40
Positive—Please Please Please take your family to this movie. We say so often about movies with poor morals. This is so cute and so good. Support what we can. I’ll buy it when it come out. I am very particular and rarely go to first run movies, but I enjoyed the movie and the message.
Excellent! / 5
Excellent! / 5
Melody Goss, age 49
Positive—I saw this movie yesterday with my younger sister and 13-year old daughter, and I was not offended or embarrassed. Without getting into exhaustive details about the movie, I will say that it was certainly a film worth seeing. It’s unfortunate that there were any negative comments at all. I can definitely criticize things that I would have done differently, but I think it’s nitpicking to ridicule this movie. A blockbuster such as this will bring in droves of people that may otherwise have very little exposure to our Lord.
I’ve seen the movie, “The Bible,” which portrays Noah and his sons building the ark. There’s no comparison as far as which one is more Biblically accurate, but I’m sure “Evan Almighty” has much more potential of keeping lost ones awake. There was also a 1998 movie simply titled, “Noah.” This starred Tony Danza in modern times also building an ark. I think we should focus on what positive messages we can get across using opportunities like these movies. Wouldn’t it be much easier to ask an agnostic or even an atheist to see “Evan Almighty” than “The Passion of The Christ”? Just so you understand that I am not all-accepting as far as any movie relating to the Bible, I did have several problems with “Bruce Almighty.” I don’t think it is worth demeaning our faith to reach out to the secular world, and I am not concerned that “Evan Almighty” could possibly disgrace Christianity.
In short, I think this is a rare opportunity for the entire family to go see a movie together. It’s also a chance to begin a dialogue with those we may know who need salvation. If Christians would take away one thing from the movie referring to what the acronym, ARK, means in the movie, we will be doing the work of The Lord.
Better than Average / 4
I’ve seen the movie, “The Bible,” which portrays Noah and his sons building the ark. There’s no comparison as far as which one is more Biblically accurate, but I’m sure “Evan Almighty” has much more potential of keeping lost ones awake. There was also a 1998 movie simply titled, “Noah.” This starred Tony Danza in modern times also building an ark. I think we should focus on what positive messages we can get across using opportunities like these movies. Wouldn’t it be much easier to ask an agnostic or even an atheist to see “Evan Almighty” than “The Passion of The Christ”? Just so you understand that I am not all-accepting as far as any movie relating to the Bible, I did have several problems with “Bruce Almighty.” I don’t think it is worth demeaning our faith to reach out to the secular world, and I am not concerned that “Evan Almighty” could possibly disgrace Christianity.
In short, I think this is a rare opportunity for the entire family to go see a movie together. It’s also a chance to begin a dialogue with those we may know who need salvation. If Christians would take away one thing from the movie referring to what the acronym, ARK, means in the movie, we will be doing the work of The Lord.
Better than Average / 4
John Lake, age 34
Positive—I absolutely LOVED this! I was so worried that it would have sexual things in it like the first one did or make fun of the bible. I wanted to go see it, my kids did also. I decided to look up the reviews here to see what it said. …Totally correct, highly moral. Great Great morals! I just loved it and made me stop and think about things in my own life. Especially the part where she’s talking to “God” in the restaurant, he said 'that if you pray for things he gives you the opportunity to change' like if you prayed for your family to be closer, he doesn’t give you warm fuzzy feelings, he gives you the opportunity to make you closer as a family.
Good / 5
Good / 5
Kristi, age 30
Positive—Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at the film. I am not going to get into semantics about the film’s name. I can understand people’s concerns on both sides-those who enjoyed the film and those who didn’t. I would, however, ask those who objected to the film do so on their own analysis of the film and not on “heresay” about what they have heard in reviews, television, or their friends. Some may even choose not to view the film and they have that right. I however enjoyed the film. I found it refreshing to show that God would indeed have a since of humor (look at some of the animals He created). He also made man with a sense of humor and we have largely used it to mock Him, each other, and generally be offensive. I am grateful some one has the guts to spend the amount of money they did on this film. Hopefully, this will encourage others to do the same. We do indeed need to give our inputs good and bad. This will cause better films to be produced. If not as one writer put it—The devil will use theaters completely to his gain. We need to seize control of the theaters with films that uplift God and urge Christians to support them. If we don’t and “nit pick” every film for our “scriptural analysis” then the devil will indeed prevail in the theaters! I was glad to see God portrayed as someone who is indeed “almighty” and yet had a compassionate side. Not that He sets aside judgment or the effects of sin, but if we are indeed made “in His image” wouldn’t He be both righteous and have a sense of humor? Please give filmmakers something to work with and not “boycott” everything that comes along. …
Better than Average / 4
Better than Average / 4
George Dean, age 45
Positive—Great Movie, and I’m saying this as a Christian, no offensive language. Me and my wife went to see it before taking my 8 Year old Daughter to make sure it was suitable. I ended up taking my 2 Year old and 8 Year old and the story is great. I know and I have read a few Negative Reports saying “God promised not the flood the world” HIT without giving the story away… in the MOVIE… the world doesn’t get flooded and I’ll leave it at that. Evan Almighty? He has no powers and learns that he has to trust God. Evan learns that he is powerless and that his (Evan) fancy house, fancy job, fancy car, nice suit mean nothing. Its only when Evan obeys God that his prayers truly come true. Stop complaining and go support a CLEAN, POSITIVE FILM. If you punish HOLLYWOOD for making a GOOD FILM for ONCE, then why would they be encouraged to make another. And if you say “Hollywood made THE PASSION of THE CHRIST” then you forget HOLLYWOOD refused to make the film. Mel Gibson had to fund the film and find distribution.
Excellent! / 5
Excellent! / 5
Finn, age 39
Positive—Boy did I enjoy this film! And I was surprised at the accuracy of the biblical principles. First, God showing up in a man’s body is not unusual. Abraham encounters God in the form of 3 men when he is notified that his wife would in fact have a child. Hebrew commentary says the men were actually angels. Some Christians believe that one of the men was God, our savior, Christ. And of course God in bodily form is a foundational Christian concept. Also, there is special scene where God speaks to one of the main characters, encouraging her and affirming his love for her; and it is convincing of His love for mankind. Personally my favorite scene [POSSIBLY A SPOILER] is at the end when God tells Evan to do “the dance” and together they dance. My thoughts go immediately to 2 Sam 6:15-16 NKJ: So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. / And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.
I also think of Jeremiah 31:13… Evan was glad when he danced before the character representing God. Haven’t you ever danced before Christ when you were filled with joy, praise and thanksgiving? Also, my husband has added a new dance to his collection of strange movements and it’s called “the dance,” and it’s hilarious. This film was really pleasing. I recommend it to adults and children of all ages who are old-enough to sit still in a theater.
Excellent! / 4½
I also think of Jeremiah 31:13… Evan was glad when he danced before the character representing God. Haven’t you ever danced before Christ when you were filled with joy, praise and thanksgiving? Also, my husband has added a new dance to his collection of strange movements and it’s called “the dance,” and it’s hilarious. This film was really pleasing. I recommend it to adults and children of all ages who are old-enough to sit still in a theater.
Excellent! / 4½
Ariana, age 24
Positive—I was “one of those” Christians who had no intention of seeing this movie. Then, my very best friend recommended it, stating that it is certainly not a movie to base your theology on, but it is innocent entertainment. I loved it, and am glad I let my kids see it. Yes, I did need to explain a few things that were “wrong” biblically, but don’t we, as Christian parents, need to do that with every movie we let our kids watch? My kids know God isn’t a man, and that Morgan Freeman by no means depicts our God. The ARK acronym wasn’t a bad thing—Acts of random kindness are wonderful and I believe they honor God if done with the intent of honoring God. There is nothing in the movie that says we are not saved by grace(unless it was subtle and I missed it). Ephesians 2:8-10 paraphrased says we are saved by Grace, and that we are created in Christ Jesus to do good works—so what’s wrong with promoting acts of random kindness? I felt very good walking out of this movie, with no conviction other than to clarify with my kids that it was not based on the bible, which we had already discussed prior to seeing the movie. I think this is the first time I have ever submitted a review, and I definitely felt compelled to do so.
Good / 4½
Good / 4½
Mom in Arizona, age 44
Positive—…I think it deserves a special rating not PG, but PE. “Parental Edit” Obviously aimed at the Christian market, it romps along quite well and manages to avoid Christian bashing for the most part. However, it is riddled with incongruous crude little moments that have nothing to do with the story. These unnecessary vulgarities would be so easy to edit out that I am seriously tempted to do exactly that, then add it to our family library. Why? Why? Why? Are the film moguls so incredibly ignorant of Christian values that they accidentally forgot to remove the following?
'God/Oh My God—7 times'
'Butt—once'
'P*nis—twice'
'Someone is referred to as a Jack*ss.'
'Suc*ing up'
'Suc*er.'
A dog bites man in privates
A character strikes himself in privates
The main character walks out his front door in front of a female mail worker completely nude because God removed his clothes. (You see everything except a bush hides the parts that would effect the rating)
The Biblical scale Ark is nice to see.
Offensive / 4½
'God/Oh My God—7 times'
'Butt—once'
'P*nis—twice'
'Someone is referred to as a Jack*ss.'
'Suc*ing up'
'Suc*er.'
A dog bites man in privates
A character strikes himself in privates
The main character walks out his front door in front of a female mail worker completely nude because God removed his clothes. (You see everything except a bush hides the parts that would effect the rating)
The Biblical scale Ark is nice to see.
Offensive / 4½
Tim Lovett, age 44
Positive—Movie is slow to pick up but then about 20 minutes in it’s really cute. As far as offensive content, one thing is definitely little crude references as others have already mentioned (saying things that definitely could have been left out). Also, as someone else already mentioned, Evan did end up naked at one point but the scene did not show anything.
As far as positive aspects go; I LOVED how this movie showed us that God allows even hard things that to us look completely ridiculous or even down right stupid for a good reason in the end (in all things GOD WORKS for the good of those who love Him…). What’s more, “God” at one point told Evan how much He loves everyone, and I thought that was so awesome. This movie incorporated a bit (little as it was) of Scripture and overall I really believe that those willing and open will be positively moved by this film.
I think the problem so many have is they have taken “The Greatest Command” out of life and are living by the letter of the law so the idea of a movie like this is horrifying. Why couldn’t God use it? I KNOW that for me, this movie is another “tool” by which the Lord is revealing little by little what His love looks like (something I have prayed to understand). Overall, a cute film, and my husband and I really enjoyed it.
Better than Average / 4
As far as positive aspects go; I LOVED how this movie showed us that God allows even hard things that to us look completely ridiculous or even down right stupid for a good reason in the end (in all things GOD WORKS for the good of those who love Him…). What’s more, “God” at one point told Evan how much He loves everyone, and I thought that was so awesome. This movie incorporated a bit (little as it was) of Scripture and overall I really believe that those willing and open will be positively moved by this film.
I think the problem so many have is they have taken “The Greatest Command” out of life and are living by the letter of the law so the idea of a movie like this is horrifying. Why couldn’t God use it? I KNOW that for me, this movie is another “tool” by which the Lord is revealing little by little what His love looks like (something I have prayed to understand). Overall, a cute film, and my husband and I really enjoyed it.
Better than Average / 4
Angelica, age 22
Positive—I have seen many movies in my life time and by far, “Evan Almighty” is, perhaps, the only movie I would recommend to anyone, Christian, Jew, whatever religion or background. It makes you question God’s existence in a positive way, and the possible relationship with Him. It has personally impacted my life. I will continue to pray for movies like this.
Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
John Quinones, age 40
Positive—I’ve come to be, just from seeing “Evan Almighty,” a fan of Steve Carell, and he lived up to my expectations in this film. I’m not much of a romantic comedy person (mostly because “romantic comedy” insinuates tasteless innuendo, genital humor, implied sex, etc.) and I actually found “Dan in Real Life” charming. At its heart, its theme is love. From selflessly avoiding Marie (fighting his own physical temptation) in order to avoid hurting his brother to disciplining his daughters despite their cold receptance, Dan is a surprisingly wholesome father figure in the film. I also appreciated that the filmmakers denied the liberty of pushing the envelope of the “PG-13” rating; for example, when Marie is naked in the shower, Dan is extremely embarrassed and puts a washcloth over his face and crawls out a window in order to avoid seeing her body (by Hollywood standards, they could have easily made this very sensual). True to Carell humor, there are plenty of funny moments in the movie. Unfortunately, it wasn’t without its flaws—Dan’s daughters are each disrespectful to him in varying degrees, even in the “fuzzy ending” of the movie, and some aspects of family and relationships that could have been endearing were shallow. As an overall review: surprisingly deep, is fairly mild for the rating, but has flaws worth considering.
Average / 4
Average / 4
Allie, age 18
Neutral
Neutral—I just thought parents of younger children would like to know that they do use the word “jackass” when referring to needing two of them on the ark, and then Evan says he will be “pissed” if he has done all of this for nothing.
Tracy Williams
Neutral—This movie was pretty “ok.” It was funny in parts, but mostly it was boring. I can’t really agree with the folks here taking the movie so serious and calling it blasphemous or idolatrous (however you spell that?). The movie was made by the creators of “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.” They aren’t even close to taking the subject matter seriously. It’s a funny heart warming story for them. That’s it. Could be about Santa Claus for all they care. They aren’t trying to convince anyone of anything other than that being charitable is better than being selfish.
As for the guy who claims that God is not your pal… you need to read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Jesus said that if you have seen him that you have seen the Father. Jesus said of his sacrifice 'true love is laying down one’s life for your friends.'
Also, don’t forget that at the end of the Flood that God felt bad for having wiped out nearly all of the world and he made a promise never to wipe it out with water ever again. He made rainbows to remind us of the promise.
And remember how he decided to go see what Abraham thought about the plan to wipe out S and G? And how he was persuaded by Abraham to spare the whole city if enough righteous inhabitants were found? And the people in those towns… the Bible said that there was an outcry from the WHOLE world about the evil they were doing. Such as gang raping visitors. The entire city wanted to rape the angels. The whole entire city. That’s not just “little” sin and God was still willing to stay his hand after the outcry from the WHOLE world. There is no such thing as a holy love. God demands love from us for each other, and he doesn’t say it gets to be less than his own. Love is love. Period. God is gentle, kind, slow to anger, etc., etc. He’s tells us to be like the Good Samaritan. Because that is the way he is.
Average / 3
As for the guy who claims that God is not your pal… you need to read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Jesus said that if you have seen him that you have seen the Father. Jesus said of his sacrifice 'true love is laying down one’s life for your friends.'
Also, don’t forget that at the end of the Flood that God felt bad for having wiped out nearly all of the world and he made a promise never to wipe it out with water ever again. He made rainbows to remind us of the promise.
And remember how he decided to go see what Abraham thought about the plan to wipe out S and G? And how he was persuaded by Abraham to spare the whole city if enough righteous inhabitants were found? And the people in those towns… the Bible said that there was an outcry from the WHOLE world about the evil they were doing. Such as gang raping visitors. The entire city wanted to rape the angels. The whole entire city. That’s not just “little” sin and God was still willing to stay his hand after the outcry from the WHOLE world. There is no such thing as a holy love. God demands love from us for each other, and he doesn’t say it gets to be less than his own. Love is love. Period. God is gentle, kind, slow to anger, etc., etc. He’s tells us to be like the Good Samaritan. Because that is the way he is.
Average / 3
Anton Bursch, age 33
Neutral—My husband, my 5 year old and I watched this movie last night. A reasonably funny film, at least my 5 year old got quite a few laughs, except for two scenes that caused me a lot of grief and had my 5 year old asking questions that I wish I did not have to answer. In the beginning of the film a dog goes for the crotch of Evan and appears to be chewing there. My 5 year old asked why the dog was eating the man’s private butt. The second time this was shown Evan was lying on his back with his legs spread apart and the dog looked like he was trying to pull something from the crotch of his pants. My 5 year old closed her eyes saying 'Oh, no! Here comes that bad part again.' What was the purpose of those two scenes? They did not make any contribution to the story and were not funny in any way. It seems a lot of movies have a “hit the guy in the crotch” scene which I personally find offensive and fail to see what is suppose to be funny about it. What is so funny about a dog gnawing on a guy’s crotch and what did it have to do with the overall point of the movie?
Offensive / 3
Offensive / 3
Laura Theoux, age 49
Negative
Negative—I had no intention of seeing this movie. But after seeing the rave reviews from pastors and youth leaders, and the shouts from Christians of “don’t judge it til you’ve seen it”, I had to find out if my concerns were real or imagined. They were mostly real.
I admit that “Evan Almighty” was not as bad as it could have been. I wrongly assumed that its underlying goal was to make a mockery of all things Christian, sending a subliminal message that Christianity is an irrelevant fad, whose poor followers deserve pity. It didn’t do that.
But as I expected, the movie’s glaring offense is idolatry. A vast majority of Americans believe in God, but most have imagined a god in their minds who bears little resemblance to the actual God of the Bible. We believe that God is our best buddy, our get-me-out-of-trouble helper, and our sugar daddy. The watered-down mess that we call “Evangelical Christianity” today has bought into this kinder, gentler God. Why? Because He makes people feel better about themselves and their problems, and if you tickle people’s ears (2 Tim 4:3-4), they won’t run out of church as fast.
But this god is an idol. He’s not real. This was the God portrayed in “Evan Almighty.” For those tempted to rant about the all-loving God of the Bible, whose primary goal is to get us all to just do more “acts of random kindness”, you might want to actually read your Bible. Reality check: God is not our pal. He’s our Savior. God loves us, but with a holy love that includes chastening and justice. He is extremely angry at sin, even “little sins”, and He’s not nearly as concerned with our happiness as with His own glory.
So with all due respect to the reviewer, who found the theology mostly “fine,” the movie is a theological disaster. It makes God out to be a grandfatherly old push-over who would just be happy if only there were a little bit more “nice” in the world. Possibly the most cataclysmic event in history is sluffed off as merely an object lesson on kindness. Umm, no, the flood was God’s righteous judgment on rampant wickedness. Read the account in Genesis (all of it). See how “funny” it is. You won’t find any poop jokes. Untold masses of people died. Why? Well, it wasn’t exactly a “love story” to teach us how to stick together side-by-side, as Morgan Freeman would have us believe. The movie centered around Genesis 6:14, but it buried 6:5 and 6:11-13. Unless we repent, we will likewise perish. “Acts of random kindness” don’t qualify as repentance, they flow naturally from it.
A common theme from many viewers goes like this: “Relax! It’s just a fictional movie. Have a sense of humor and enjoy it! Who cares that it wasn’t biblically accurate—it wasn’t intended to be.” I urge you to pray and search the Scriptures. God does not allow us to mold Him into a god of our liking, keeping the parts we like and throwing out the rest. When describing God, accuracy matters because most movie-goers will never read the Bible, and will assume what they see in the movies is largely a good approximation of who God is. They will go home deceived. We should be showing off God to the world for the incredible grace He showed at the cross. Instead, we are only giving the world fewer reasons to care.
Offensive / 2½
I admit that “Evan Almighty” was not as bad as it could have been. I wrongly assumed that its underlying goal was to make a mockery of all things Christian, sending a subliminal message that Christianity is an irrelevant fad, whose poor followers deserve pity. It didn’t do that.
But as I expected, the movie’s glaring offense is idolatry. A vast majority of Americans believe in God, but most have imagined a god in their minds who bears little resemblance to the actual God of the Bible. We believe that God is our best buddy, our get-me-out-of-trouble helper, and our sugar daddy. The watered-down mess that we call “Evangelical Christianity” today has bought into this kinder, gentler God. Why? Because He makes people feel better about themselves and their problems, and if you tickle people’s ears (2 Tim 4:3-4), they won’t run out of church as fast.
But this god is an idol. He’s not real. This was the God portrayed in “Evan Almighty.” For those tempted to rant about the all-loving God of the Bible, whose primary goal is to get us all to just do more “acts of random kindness”, you might want to actually read your Bible. Reality check: God is not our pal. He’s our Savior. God loves us, but with a holy love that includes chastening and justice. He is extremely angry at sin, even “little sins”, and He’s not nearly as concerned with our happiness as with His own glory.
So with all due respect to the reviewer, who found the theology mostly “fine,” the movie is a theological disaster. It makes God out to be a grandfatherly old push-over who would just be happy if only there were a little bit more “nice” in the world. Possibly the most cataclysmic event in history is sluffed off as merely an object lesson on kindness. Umm, no, the flood was God’s righteous judgment on rampant wickedness. Read the account in Genesis (all of it). See how “funny” it is. You won’t find any poop jokes. Untold masses of people died. Why? Well, it wasn’t exactly a “love story” to teach us how to stick together side-by-side, as Morgan Freeman would have us believe. The movie centered around Genesis 6:14, but it buried 6:5 and 6:11-13. Unless we repent, we will likewise perish. “Acts of random kindness” don’t qualify as repentance, they flow naturally from it.
A common theme from many viewers goes like this: “Relax! It’s just a fictional movie. Have a sense of humor and enjoy it! Who cares that it wasn’t biblically accurate—it wasn’t intended to be.” I urge you to pray and search the Scriptures. God does not allow us to mold Him into a god of our liking, keeping the parts we like and throwing out the rest. When describing God, accuracy matters because most movie-goers will never read the Bible, and will assume what they see in the movies is largely a good approximation of who God is. They will go home deceived. We should be showing off God to the world for the incredible grace He showed at the cross. Instead, we are only giving the world fewer reasons to care.
Offensive / 2½
Keith, age 40
Negative—Making a movie loosely based on a Bible Story, is not usually any good—let alone a comedy. One redeeming scene was when Morgan Freeman said this, (Pardon my paraphrase), When you pray for patience, God doesn’t zap you patience, but gives you opportunities to be patient.
Average / 4½
Average / 4½
Bobb Kendall, age 36
Negative—…It is one thing to not have anything offensive (such as profanity and nudity) in the movie another to blaspheme the Word of God and call God a liar by denying the truth of the scriptures. …As the other “negative” reader stated, in the Bible, the purpose of the flood was to wipe out a sinful world. The Bible says that God was sorry he created it. So only Noah, his sons, and the sons wives (plus Noah’s wife) was “saved” from the judgment. I cringed when Morgan Freeman acting as God negates the word of God by saying that people are afraid that God is a judge and that this is not why Noah built the ark.
Well, here I am having to explain to my kids that this is wrong, that God WAS judging the Earth for sin. I saw this movie as an act of Satan to snatch any good seeds that have been planted by Christian parents about God being a God of wrath and justice in favor of the worldview of God as “loving,” not condemning anyone. I just couldn’t get beyond this… It was a “biggie” for me. Anyway, no one sees the face of God… how can an actor play God anyway? And if someone played God he may as well state the truth according to the Bible. I noticed the producers (or writers) are both Jewish, so any perspective they have of God will be according to what they ascribe to in their own traditions. I am a Jewish Christian so I understand this. Most conservative Jews believe their good deeds will earn them favor because they deny the cross and also deny their sin nature. Could it be that this is the message they were trying to get across in the movie??
Good / 3½
Well, here I am having to explain to my kids that this is wrong, that God WAS judging the Earth for sin. I saw this movie as an act of Satan to snatch any good seeds that have been planted by Christian parents about God being a God of wrath and justice in favor of the worldview of God as “loving,” not condemning anyone. I just couldn’t get beyond this… It was a “biggie” for me. Anyway, no one sees the face of God… how can an actor play God anyway? And if someone played God he may as well state the truth according to the Bible. I noticed the producers (or writers) are both Jewish, so any perspective they have of God will be according to what they ascribe to in their own traditions. I am a Jewish Christian so I understand this. Most conservative Jews believe their good deeds will earn them favor because they deny the cross and also deny their sin nature. Could it be that this is the message they were trying to get across in the movie??
Good / 3½
Mom in Florida, age 50
Comments from young people
Positive—Like many other Christian viewers, I’m sure, I found myself pleasantly surprised with the quality of “Evan Almighty.” Considering Hollywood’s history with supposedly Christian films, “Evan Almighty” was not only a refreshing change of pace from irreverent “religious comedies,” but also well-written and very entertaining. Not only did it skirt the cookie cutter of Hollywoodized Christianity, it also had plenty of biblical references; for example, Evan is haunted in the beginning of the film with Genesis 6:14 (which he goes so far to actually read aloud onscreen). *Moderate Spoiler*: for those of you who are suspicious of a movie about another flood which God clearly promised against after the first, it stays true even to that. You find out at the close of the film the true nature of the “flood.” While it didn’t prove completely pure (there are a few references to the genitals of a duck and one “p****d”), it still soared above and beyond my standards of a Hollywood remake of a classic Bible story.
Good / 4½
Good / 4½
Allie, age 17
Positive—At first, I was a little reluctant to view this film, because I thought it might be somewhat offensive to the Christian faith. But with all of the tickets for “1408” sold out, it was the only other movie that I hadn’t already seen showing at the theaters.
“Evan Almighty” was a fresh, pleasant surprise. It really did not mock the Christian faith, as I had thought it surely would, and could actually be considered somewhat “pro-Christian.” There were many Christian themes and morals presented in the movie, such as “family first” and “saving the environment.” I also liked the line that God said at one point in the film: “Whatever I do, I do it because I love you.”
Overall, although I was a little sour due to “1408” being sold out, I enjoyed watching “Evan Almighty” and was entertained the entire time. The actors all did a decent job, (esp. Steve Carell) and the special effects were okay. I recommend this movie for all ages.
Better than Average / 4
“Evan Almighty” was a fresh, pleasant surprise. It really did not mock the Christian faith, as I had thought it surely would, and could actually be considered somewhat “pro-Christian.” There were many Christian themes and morals presented in the movie, such as “family first” and “saving the environment.” I also liked the line that God said at one point in the film: “Whatever I do, I do it because I love you.”
Overall, although I was a little sour due to “1408” being sold out, I enjoyed watching “Evan Almighty” and was entertained the entire time. The actors all did a decent job, (esp. Steve Carell) and the special effects were okay. I recommend this movie for all ages.
Better than Average / 4
Jessaca, age 16
Positive—great movie; hilarious; It was totally unpredictable, totally awesome movie, definitely the best movie I’ve seen in a long time. I loved it !!!…
Excellent! / 5
Excellent! / 5
Brynna Hughes, age 12
Positive—This movie was a great Christian film! We took my three year old nephew to it, and he got a kick out of all of the animals. That is one reason why this movie is such a good family film. I liked how Evan prayed to God, and that he became closer to him and with his wife and children. We were all cracking up pretty much the whole movie. I got chills when the flood came. It was very exciting and entertaining. I thought of how Noah must have felt when he was on the ark for 40 days and 40 nights, while Evan was on for about ten minutes. I recommend this movie for all ages. Go and see it!
Excellent! / 4½
Excellent! / 4½
Ellen, age 13
Positive—I thought that this movie was great for the whole family! It had such a great message. The movie really touched me when the man asked Evan what they should do and he answers to him “Repent.” The only part that I thought was offensive was when Evan put on the clothes that god sent him but put the work clothes on over that and all of the clothes came off in front of the mail lady!! I also thought it was offensive when they talked about how some sort of male animals “thing” was longer then its own body. Other then that I thought the movie was GREAT!!!… I definitely suggest seeing it with the whole family! I give it 2 thumbs up!!!…
Good / 4½
Good / 4½
Alexa, age 12
Positive—I thought this movie was very good. It did not mock christianity or followers of Jesus Christ. If you are looking for a movie that is positive and gives a good laugh, this would be the film to see. It actually pointed out some interesting aspects of prayer and faith that many people have never thought about. Enjoy!
Good / 5
Good / 5
Christina, age 15
Positive—I thought this movie was excellent. Nothing morally offensive. As mentioned in another review, comments about the jackasses and use of “p_ssed” is included in the movie. I was focused more on the meaning of the movie instead of these two menial words. It was a good, fun, light movie. I found the movie to be educational as well. The scene where “God” comes to Evans wife and says that when we ask God for courage he doesn’t just give it to us he gives us the opportunity through situations to become courageous. If you pray for the family to become closer (which his wife does) God will answer by giving the opportunity through the situations to become closer as a family. The movie shows how God listens to our prayers and answers them, not in the way we necessarily desire but the way he wants to give it. The movie is based on the story from the bible about Noah and the flood but as any movie goer will see it was really not the flood from the bible that God promises never to send again. In this movie (and it IS just a movie) they are sending a message and a good one about praying, listening, and doing God’s will, and we should love one another. The “flood” was just a way to get the point across. Great movie.
Good / 4
Good / 4
Carley, age 13
Positive—I want to start by saying that judging this movie when you refuse to even watch it is very naive. I, like most, expected this movie to be at least a little offensive and mock Christianity. It didn’t. In fact, it promoted it. It is a modern day Noah’s Ark. And I think by setting it in modern times, it helps people understand it better. It’s one thing to read the story in the Bible, but it takes it to a whole different level to be able to see it in your time period. I think people can relate to it better. You can really understand what Noah probably went through. Don’t you think people thought Noah was crazy and made fun of him just as people mock Evan in this movie? They didn’t change the story or make fun of it in any way. A first for Hollywood, in my opinion. They kept true to the story of Noah’s Ark. It promotes family, and how you should always stick with your family no matter what. A rare thing to find today.
Many people are offended by the title. Why? It might be called “Evan Almighty,” but not once do they even imply that Evan is all-powerful or above God. Many people are offended by the fact that they made it a comedy. Again, why? Honestly, it’s not as comedic as you think. And not once do they make a comic joke about Christianity. They joke about the fact that hundreds of animals are following him, and that his hair keeps growing longer. I honestly couldn’t find one thing wrong with this movie.
It has a good message, and it provides a chuckle now and then. I really don’t know why some Christians are so against this movie. Especially without even having seen it. Don’t you at least want to know how society is portraying Christianity? I challenge everyone who has knocked it without seeing it to go see it. I think your mind will be drastically changed.
Good / 4
Many people are offended by the title. Why? It might be called “Evan Almighty,” but not once do they even imply that Evan is all-powerful or above God. Many people are offended by the fact that they made it a comedy. Again, why? Honestly, it’s not as comedic as you think. And not once do they make a comic joke about Christianity. They joke about the fact that hundreds of animals are following him, and that his hair keeps growing longer. I honestly couldn’t find one thing wrong with this movie.
It has a good message, and it provides a chuckle now and then. I really don’t know why some Christians are so against this movie. Especially without even having seen it. Don’t you at least want to know how society is portraying Christianity? I challenge everyone who has knocked it without seeing it to go see it. I think your mind will be drastically changed.
Good / 4
Krystal, age 17
Positive—I thought the movie was okay. “Bruce Almighty” was definitely worse. It was extremely offensive to me. My main concern about the movie was, how does God view this movie? I have been a Christian for as long as I can remember. I thought that they were accurate as far as the Scripture they used in the movie. As soon as he brought out the Bible and read Genesis 6:14, I ran to get a Bible to make sure it was accurate and not just making up anything. I also think they portrayed God as a God who is all love and wants to love everyone. Any Christian knows that the scripture clearly states that God is full of wrath, but he is just. He sent his son to save us from his wrath. I think that for Hollywood, it was pretty good but it was definitely not a good church film. I recommend that you rent it, but don’t buy it.
Average / 4
Average / 4
Elena Manubens, age 16
Comments from non-viewers
One major concern of mine with this movie is its blasphemous prequel and its blasphemous title. To name a movie “Evan Almighty” alone is an offense toward God because He alone is almighty. To the movies credit, I hear it is a light-hearted movie and void of any lewdness. However, the seriousness of the Bible story of Noah and the ark should not be made into a light matter. God destroyed the entire world including man, woman, boy and girl, because of their extreme wickedness. To make light of God’s judgment upon the Earth, I believe, does damage to people’s perspective of the severity of God’s wrath and how we should flee to Jesus Christ to save us from the wrath to come. I will not be taking my family to see this film.
Daniel, age 28
Let me ask you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, should we be spending our Lord’s money, the money He’s entrusted to us as stewards, for Hell-e-wood’s profit? EVERY movie that is released is nothing but further indoctrination by our Lord’s very enemy himself! Please realize that a theatre is the devil’s classroom, where lies and “doctrines of demon’s” are taught; ever so subtly and ever so cunningly at times.
Is the judgment of God really a laughing matter? Should we trivialize the doom hundreds of thousands if not millions of people experienced as the Flood swept them away? Can we now expect to see a future film lampooning Lot and the people of Sodom? That, I’m sure, will elicit TONS of laughs!!!
Or better yet, how about a spoof in regards to the “great-white throne judgment” yet to come; where ALL will be judged. But, instead, Hell-e-wood can once again remake the likeness of a Holy and Righteous God into a benevolent, jolly-'ol buddy who could never pass judgment… instead everyone will just start partying “upstairs.” Funny, absolutely funny, don’t you think? On the contrary: God’s judgment to come should be taken very seriously. We should fear and reverence Him! I’ll leave you with this: the days are short people! Are your lamps filled with oil?
Is the judgment of God really a laughing matter? Should we trivialize the doom hundreds of thousands if not millions of people experienced as the Flood swept them away? Can we now expect to see a future film lampooning Lot and the people of Sodom? That, I’m sure, will elicit TONS of laughs!!!
Or better yet, how about a spoof in regards to the “great-white throne judgment” yet to come; where ALL will be judged. But, instead, Hell-e-wood can once again remake the likeness of a Holy and Righteous God into a benevolent, jolly-'ol buddy who could never pass judgment… instead everyone will just start partying “upstairs.” Funny, absolutely funny, don’t you think? On the contrary: God’s judgment to come should be taken very seriously. We should fear and reverence Him! I’ll leave you with this: the days are short people! Are your lamps filled with oil?
Richard Rudock, age 37
Is not the title of this movie enough to give indication that it should be avoided for the obvious dishonor towards God? Do we really want to support making a story of judgment against evil and the necessary destruction of mankind to be made into a Hollywood comedy? God allowed this movie to be made. He could have prevented it. Has a test for believer’s been presented? Please recognize this test and avoid this movie. I passed on this one as well as the first one (Bruce). I discerned the obvious and read the detailed reviews. Please pray for discernment from the Holy Spirit and be careful of the other reviewer’s on this particular movie. …it can’t be good when we start letting Hollywood interpret and portray biblical stories to us, when they don’t have a love for God.
I can’t help but wonder if in the future when someone reads or is taught the account of the flood and of it’s judgment and how the Ark is a type of Christ, will they be left feeling it was just not as “Good” as the Hollywood version. Might the bible seem boring in comparison now? That God the Father is a man instead of spirit? Some things are better left avoided by Christians, and this is definitely on of them. It’s just not worth failing the test. God is holy, and when His revealed works are made into a Hollywood money making venture it’s unfortunate. Let the non-converted support it, if they wish, but I encourage believers to forgo the entertainment out of respect for the holiness of God. The reward you’ll receive will be an eternal one instead of a two hour one.
I can’t help but wonder if in the future when someone reads or is taught the account of the flood and of it’s judgment and how the Ark is a type of Christ, will they be left feeling it was just not as “Good” as the Hollywood version. Might the bible seem boring in comparison now? That God the Father is a man instead of spirit? Some things are better left avoided by Christians, and this is definitely on of them. It’s just not worth failing the test. God is holy, and when His revealed works are made into a Hollywood money making venture it’s unfortunate. Let the non-converted support it, if they wish, but I encourage believers to forgo the entertainment out of respect for the holiness of God. The reward you’ll receive will be an eternal one instead of a two hour one.
Mark, age 46
Let me say that I have not and will not see this movie based on my personal convictions, but my comment refers to the 4-6 times the movie uses God’s name in vain. I read comment after comment stating this movie does not blaspheme the holy name of God, but it does several times. Is it okay to overlook movies wherein God’s name is blasphemed because the movie was moral or had a good storyline? Exodus 20:7, “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” I am as guilty as the next Christian, if I sit idly by and allow (or pay) to have someone blaspheme my God or entertainment’s sake.
Kevin, age 37
Christians should reject this movie because it is blasphemous, not unlike the 1970’s “Oh God!” From what I can discern, this movie does a good job of reducing God to the level of mere man (a more palatable, man-made God) which is idolatry. I have no intention of seeing “Evan Almighty” or taking my children to see it. When we first saw the preview for it in the movie theater, I was appalled at the very idea of making a comedy out of something that was definitely NOT funny; there is nothing funny about God’s judgment and wrath being poured out over the entire Earth. Sadly, it seems not too many Christians have a problem with Hollywood once again mocking and trivializing the Bible for entertainment purposes. …
Suzanna Savukas-Duttera, age 38
This movie is saying god’s name in vain; it is calling a man almighty. That is so wrong; they make a person God. I DON’T WANT TO SEE THIS AT ALL.
Elise, age 10
…Keep in mind that Jesus was put to death for calling himself, essentially, “Jesus Almighty;” Noah’s flood buried the entire planet—people and all; and a comedy about the Asian Tsunami would be very inappropriate. Sure, we Christians can laugh, but I bet the Roman soldiers made up some really witty lines, too. Humor might be a medicine, but it doesn’t wash away sin. Universal tried to tap into the Christian movie market. Sorry guys—it ain’t the real thing. But keep trying, at least you read enough of the Bible to get the dimensions of the Ark about right. But as for the script… Dear Hollywood—you need to get saved first before trying to copy Mel Gibson.
Tim Lovett, age 44
I am looking forward to seeing this movie. It is nice to be able to come here first and get reviews before I spend money and time on going out to see a new flick. However, I think it is absurd that there are people who have not seen this movie that are giving negative reviews and being critical based upon a title. They are using the facade of a movie review to further their illusions that they alone have a grip on the Bible, God and Christianity. This is not effective ministering, it is egocentricity mixed with ignorance of the subject at hand. In my experience, people often base their judgments on feelings rather than facts, and the critics who are acting out their uninformed rhetoric here are misusing this forum.
Tamra, age 36
…Although I haven’t seen it personally, my husband, 9 yr. old son, and 21 yr. old daughter all have and highly recommended it. I am thrilled that Hollywood has put out a movie with good morals and values, that the general public will see and may actually make them stop and think, rather than be bombarded with smut as the majority of movies these days do. My daughter took a non-Christian friend with her and it opened many windows of conversation with him. Our main duty as Christians is to reach out to the nations and share God’s Word. Many times Christians stay in their own little bubbles, condemning everyone else, being critical and “Holier than Thou” in many ways. This turns the non-Christians off rather than drawing them closer.
Films such as this that maybe not as accurate as we would like, but at least gets them in the theatres seeing something wholesome and gets them asking questions. It is up to us to take it from there. I realize that there are a lot “better” Christian movies out there, but those are the ones that the non-Christians won’t even darken the doorstep of the theatres to see. We can’t ram Christianity down their throats; we need to model what we preach.
Films such as this that maybe not as accurate as we would like, but at least gets them in the theatres seeing something wholesome and gets them asking questions. It is up to us to take it from there. I realize that there are a lot “better” Christian movies out there, but those are the ones that the non-Christians won’t even darken the doorstep of the theatres to see. We can’t ram Christianity down their throats; we need to model what we preach.
Laurie, age 45
I was absolutely nauseated when I saw the trailer. It is and was one of the most shocking things I have seen in a very long time. Will we one day, when we see God in heaven, pat Him on the back and share a joke? I think not—but we proclaim to the world that a movie such as this promotes good values and all such things—so very ironic. According to me it makes a shocking mockery of all that I believe God to be.
Ben Bron, age 26, South Africa
The overall message is great, and it doesn’t mock our faith in any way. While there are complaints about how Morgan Freeman plays God, I thought he did a good job. No one can or has the ability to match the all the characteristics of God. The film isn’t perfect, but it is good entertainment for the family. I would give it a shot, if not in theaters, at least rent it when it comes out on DVD.
My Ratings: Better than Average / 4