--- title: "Bruce Almighty" year: 2003 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/bruce-almighty" fi1m_score: 55 critics_score: 50 critics_reviews: 15 published: "2026-09-17T00:28:48.597476+00:00" updated: "2026-09-17T00:29:02.465542+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Bruce Almighty (2003) Directed by Tom Shadyac · 1h 41m · MPA PG-13 · Fantasy, Comedy **Fi1m score: 55** · Critics 50 from 15 reviews *In a sentence:* Handed the keys to the universe, he uses them to find a parking space and get his old job back > Jim Carrey is given the powers of God and Tom Shadyac’s comedy spends half an hour enjoying it before losing its nerve. Freeman and Carell earn their laughs; the premise is parked, and the last act delivers a sermon nobody asked for. ## Synopsis Buffalo, New York. Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) is the television reporter sent to cover the city’s biggest cookie while Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) is handed the anchor’s chair Bruce wanted. He lives with Grace Connelly (Jennifer Aniston), who teaches small children and would like him to look up from his own career now and then. A live broadcast from Niagara Falls turns into an on-air tantrum, station manager Jack Baylor (Philip Baker Hall) fires him, and Bruce is beaten up in the street on the way home. He shouts at God. God (Morgan Freeman), in a white suit in an empty office building, answers: he is taking a holiday, and Bruce can have the job, with two rules he is not to break. ## Review Tom Shadyac directs a 101-minute comedy from a script by Steve Koren, Mark O’Keefe and Steve Oedekerk whose idea is about as large as ideas get: a self-pitying man is given everything God can do. The film spends roughly thirty minutes having fun with that and the remaining seventy backing away from it. It is amiable, it is sometimes properly funny, and it is frightened of its own premise from the moment the premise arrives. The early stretch belongs to Carrey and it is the best of the film. His live report from Niagara Falls, a puff piece that curdles on air into a tirade against his own station, is the kind of slow-motion self-destruction he does better than anyone, and Scott Hill holds the takes long enough that we watch the smile give way one muscle at a time. Once the powers come, he parts a bowl of tomato soup with a finger, teaches the dog to use the lavatory and pulls the moon in closer for a date. We laughed, properly and more than once, mostly at the soup, because Carrey plays it not as a miracle but as a man checking whether the trick works. Morgan Freeman plays God as a janitor with a mop and then as a man in a white suit who finds all of this mildly amusing. Linda DeScenna gives him a bare white-floored building with nothing in it but a bucket and a filing cabinet, Judy L. Ruskin dresses him like a retired bandleader, and Freeman does the rest by declining to raise his voice. Every scene he is in is calmer and sharper than the scenes around it. Steve Carell, as the smug rival Evan Baxter, has one live news bulletin in which Bruce arranges for his voice to stop obeying him, and Carell plays the mounting panic dead straight. It is the biggest laugh in the film and it does not involve Carrey. The trouble is what the script does with omnipotence, which is very little. Bruce finds parking spaces, settles scores, improves his love life and gets his job back. That is a fair opening move; it turns out to be the only move. In H.G. Wells’s *The Man Who Could Work Miracles*, from 1936, a shop clerk given the same gift very nearly wrecks the world. Here nothing Bruce does costs anything at all until the writers decide it is time for a lesson, at which point everything does, and the film turns into a homily about not bothering God with requests. We were bored by the last half hour, and then irritated by it, because a sermon that arrives that late is a film admitting it has stopped thinking. Jennifer Aniston has the thankless job. Grace exists to be neglected, then wooed with special effects, then neglected again, and the script uses her as a gauge of Bruce’s moral progress rather than as a person. Aniston gives her more warmth than the writing deserves. Dean Semler shoots Buffalo in bright, flat, sitcom light, blue skies and yellow kitchens, which suits the gags and does nothing for the heavenly bits, and John Debney’s score tells you a moral is coming about ten seconds before it does. Philip Baker Hall, as the boss, gets to be gruff twice. Shadyac and Carrey made *Ace Ventura: Pet Detective* and *Liar Liar* together, and *Liar Liar* had a rule it believed in: a man who cannot lie for one day, and every scene tests it. This film has a far bigger rule and does not trust it. The reviews so far are split down the middle, and we are in the middle with them, which is a dull place to be about a film in which a man rearranges the moon. If the household likes Carrey pulling faces, the first hour and the 12 certificate will see you through a Friday night. After that you may find yourself talking over it, and the film will not mind. *Fi1m score 55, published 17 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews split almost evenly, with as many negative as mixed and only a handful warmly in favour. Where there is praise, it goes to Jim Carrey’s physical clowning and to Morgan Freeman’s calm, unhurried God, and most critics agree the premise is a good one. The early stretch, in which Bruce tries out his new powers on parking spaces and passers-by, is generally held to be where the laughs are. The complaint is what happens after that. Most critics find the film loses its nerve, turning preachy and sentimental in the final act rather than taking its idea anywhere dark or uncomfortable. Sight and Sound calls the handling timid, and The AV Club goes furthest, finding the third act toxic. Even The New York Times, broadly approving, notes the preachiness. The spread is wide, from cheerful approval to outright loathing, and the dissent runs in odd directions: Variety thinks Carrey lacks his usual fire, while The Times finds Jennifer Aniston the only saving grace. ### Reviews we read (15) - **Evening Standard**, Alexander Walker (75/100, inferred): Carrey is in tremendous form with his quick-fire comic skills, and the film offers light, quick and diverting entertainment with slick gags and strong support from Morgan Freeman. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/heaven-sent-fun-7432636.html) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (70/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a charmer in which Bruce learns lessons about power and responsibility. Carrey's manic energy and Freeman's warm portrayal of God are singled out as highlights. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bruce-almighty-2003) - **The New York Times**, Stephen Holden (70/100, inferred): The film is described as rambunctiously funny thanks to Carrey's performance, though it turns preachy at the end. The critic notes it surpasses Shadyac's earlier Carrey comedies in humor. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/23/movies/film-review-god-s-power-as-an-ego-trip-for-an-id.html) - **Empire**, Simon Braund (65/100, inferred): The film delivers plenty of laughs thanks to Carrey's performance and inventive sight gags, but it suffers from a smug tone and an uneasy sense that the story endorses the self-satisfied aspirations of its privileged protagonist. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/bruce-almighty-review/) - **Radio Times**, Brian Pendreigh (3/5): Carrey clowns around enjoyably as the reporter given divine powers in this zany fantasy with a neat premise and plenty of laughs. The film avoids being weighed down by deep theological questions. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ed2gd9/bruce-almighty/) - **Screen Daily** (60/100, inferred): An intermittently hilarious comedy that showcases Carrey's goofy and cerebral sides with an appealing cast including Freeman as God. The uneven humour is too broad for some viewers. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/bruce-almighty/4013685.article) - **The Telegraph**, Sukhdev Sandhu (60/100, inferred): The comedy is amiable and occasionally funny thanks to Carrey reining in his usual style, though predictable with a weak ending. It praises the witty scripting and pacy direction while noting it falls short of its premise. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3597455/Its-a-miracle-Jim-Carreys-funny.html) - **Time Out** (45/100, inferred): The high-concept setup yields a fun half-hour of obnoxious power-testing gags before the film-makers' fear of offending leads to clunky sentimentality and a redemptive final act. Execution is flawed and the premise squandered. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/bruce-almighty) - **Sight and Sound**, Kim Newman (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the premise timidly handled with moralistic homilies that undercut the comedy, comparing it unfavourably to a sharper Wells adaptation. Carrey's physical clowning is tolerated but the film lacks boldness or significant use of its omnipotence concept. [Read](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/1244) - **The Times**, JC (2/5): The film is divine tripe, a ghastly romantic comedy where the self-obsessed protagonist misuses powers at the expense of his girlfriend. It singles out Jennifer Aniston as the only saving grace. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/article/new-releases-0dmm5wwhlx6) - **Slant Magazine**, Chuck Rudolph (30/100, inferred): The review dismisses the film as warmed-over pap and a conservative one-joke comedy that fails without Carrey's contortions providing most of the laughs. It singles out the maudlin sentimental overload in the final act as a major complaint. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/bruce-almighty/) - **The Guardian**, Mark Kermode (30/100, inferred): The film is insubstantial and fails to explore its premise darkly, generating only a few laughs. It singles out Steve Carell's hilarious supporting turn and Morgan Freeman's portrayal of God for praise. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/jun/29/features.review) - **Variety**, Robert Koehler (30/100, inferred): The premise is under-realized and the film is routine work from the veterans involved, with Carrey's performance lacking his usual comic fire. Visual jokes and the third-act messages are noted but the overall effect is subdued. [Read](https://variety.com/2003/film/reviews/bruce-almighty-1200541426/) - **The AV Club**, Scott Tobias (20/100, inferred): The critic finds the film loathsome and unimaginative, criticizing its high-concept formula and toxic third-act sentimentality that turns a narcissistic jerk into a mildly improved person. Carrey's rubber-faced shtick and egotism are singled out as central to the movie's flaws. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/bruce-almighty-1798198653) - **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (55/100, inferred): The critic finds some funny moments and good chemistry between Carrey and Aniston but faults the script for turning sentimental and the film for being conservative compared to similar fantasies. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/bruce-almighty-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) ## Details - **Director:** Tom Shadyac - **Director:** Tom Shadyac - **Screenplay:** Steve Oedekerk, Steve Koren, Mark O'Keefe - **Story:** Steve Koren, Mark O'Keefe - **Cinematography:** Dean Semler - **Editor:** Scott Hill - **Music:** John Debney - **Production design:** Linda DeScenna - **Costume design:** Judy L. Ruskin - **Producer:** Michael Bostick, James D. Brubaker, Jim Carrey - **Cast:** Jim Carrey as Bruce Nolan; Morgan Freeman as God; Jennifer Aniston as Grace Connelly; Philip Baker Hall as Jack Baylor; Catherine Bell as Susan Ortega; Lisa Ann Walter as Debbie; Steve Carell as Evan Baxter; Nora Dunn as Ally Loman - **Runtime:** 1h 41m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13 - **Release (the US):** 23 May 2003 - **Genres:** Fantasy, Comedy - **Budget:** $80 million - **Box office:** $485 million ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-17.* Also available in: AR, AU, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, GB, HK, IE, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, RO, SE, SG, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie 2004: Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie (nominated) ## If you liked this - *Liar Liar* (1997), Fi1m 68: Shadyac and Carrey with one rule they actually keep; the better film by some distance. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/liar-liar.md) - *The Man Who Could Work Miracles* (1936): Wells gives a shop clerk the same gift and follows the idea all the way down. - *Groundhog Day* (1993), Fi1m 88: A man handed a cosmic loophole, and a script that thinks hard about what he does with it. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/groundhog-day.md) - *Bedazzled* (1967): Peter Cook’s devil grants Dudley Moore seven wishes and ruins every one; dry, British, unsentimental. - *A Matter of Life and Death* (1946), Fi1m 92: Powell and Pressburger put heaven on trial and make the afterlife look like a civil service. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-matter-of-life-and-death.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/bruce-almighty