Bruce Almighty

Last night, the family settled down for a quiet evening. I started a game of Nexus Ops with our oldest. (#2 deferred, laying on the couch, not feeling too well.) Tonia played Bible Bingo with the youngest two.

We had the TV on, at first, to watch America's Funniest Videos-- a real crowd-pleaser with young kids, don't ya know. After that was over, Bruce Almighty came on. Tonia and I had seen about half of it previously. Knowing the themes, we decided to make it an impromptu family movie night. (That said, we had to turn the movie off for one scene-- and had to cover a few other "situations" with them.) It allowed us to wrestle with some good real-life and theological questions.

One great moment comes when Carrey is frustrated at God, goes for a drive, and asks/demands God to show him a sign. He passes a flashing road sign (with an appropriate message for him), but he ignores it. Then, literally, a whole truckload of signs cuts in front of him. Again, he doesn't see what God is obviously trying to say to him-- at least, it's obvious to the objective outsider! And then, this (from a CT essay):

With precise timing, Bruce's beeper goes off. He pulls it out, and sees the numbers: 555-0123. [In a following scene we discover that God is paging him.] Deadpan, he says, "Sorry, don't know you. Wouldn't call you if I did."


Also from CT, an interview with director Tom Shadyac and an overview of his films-- which is excerpted from a longer interview-- in both cases, a lot of interesting thoughts, including the portrayal of flawed humanity and redemption.


There are many subtle things along the way, but the most obvious theological theme is the tension between man's free will and God's "hope"/desire that man would love him.

Here's an excerpt from CT's review by Anna Waterhouse:

Make no mistake: Bruce Almighty is Judeo-Christian to its bones. Even a gift of prayer beads from Bruce's girlfriend can't quite bestow on the film that glossy "all religions are one" hue. After all, with God the Father represented by the venerable Morgan Freeman; with grace embodied by the all-loving, all-forgiving, faithful-to-the-end girlfriend; and with the Holy Spirit writing on the cardboard placards of a homeless man, it would be tough to argue that the film's foundation is skewed.

Granted, there is no ultimate sacrifice here, and therefore no true redemption. But that's not the story Bruce Almighty is trying to tell. The film is more a primer on God's existence and his active presence in our lives. Before it's done, Bruce discovers that God is not only loving—he's as close as our breath, and we are his feet, hands, and heart.

Yes, there are flaws...Yes, there's "language." But these characters simply speak the way most people speak, and most people will find them real and sympathetic.

Less easily brushed aside is the sexual relationship between Bruce and Grace "without benefit of clergy." Director Tom Shadyac, a Christian, defends this choice by underlining that, while Grace longs for marriage, Bruce has yet to grow up. "Bruce wasn't mature enough yet. That's why the movie ended up [with the characters finally getting engaged]."

Back when I thought publishing books would be easier (after my first book had been published), I had wanted to write a book on culture from a Christian perspective (summarizing an already vast literature and adding commentary on the relevant biblical passages) and writing chapters on particular movies which were not explicitly Christian but had great Christian themes.

At least for now, I'll have to content myself with the occasional blog entry (like the earlier one on Stranger than Fiction)! For those interested in such things, I recommend Books and Culture.