In 2003, we had Bruce Almighty. Now, in 2007, we have Evan Almighty. This new movie has already shown signs of earning a big profit and has been heavily advertised on Christian radio. But is Evan Almighty appropriate or desirable for viewing by a Christian audience?
If you don’t remember Bruce Almighty too well or didn’t see it, here’s the gist of the Almighty series: God (played by Morgan Freeman in both pictures) chooses to speak to humanity through two TV news anchormen in Buffalo, Bruce Nolan the first time and Evan Baxter the second. God had worked his will through Bruce, and he now does the same through Evan. As Evan Almighty opens, we learn that Evan has just been elected to Congress on a platform of “changing the world.” He promptly moves his wife and three sons to D.C., where he is soon buttonholed by (slimy) Congressman Long and enlisted in the congressman’s CINPLAN to exploit the national parks under the guise of environmental improvement. God has other ideas, however; He appears to Evan and gently but firmly commands him to build an ark because a flood is coming. (Sound a bit familiar?) Evan disbelieves, saying, “Do I know you?” God replies, “Not as much as I’d like.” Evan at first resists the command, but God will not take no for an answer. When his alarm clock starts coming on at 6:14 every morning (i. e, Genesis 6:14: “So make yourself an ark …”), Evan realizes that something pretty significant is up, especially when a large load of lumber is delivered to his front yard. His beard soon starts to grow and re-sprouts whenever he tries to shave it off, and his hair grows long and shaggy. It isn’t long before Evan experiences a real conversion and actually starts to build the ark. As we would predict, he is scorned by his neighbors and colleagues and for a time is even deserted by his family. Meanwhile, pairs of all kinds of animals descend on Evan’s property. In one of the movie’s funniest lines, Evan shouts to the animals, “I need help. Who has opposable thumbs? Anybody?”
So what are we to make of this picture? Well, it has negatives and positives:
On the negative side:
1. There are a number of misuses of God’s name in the expression “Oh my …..” and the like.
2. Faulty theology: God tells Evan that the principal reason he sent the flood the first time was that people weren’t doing enough Acts of Random Kindness
[= ARK]. This of course is not true; God destroyed most life on earth because man had become sinful.
3. As in Bruce Almighty, God is anthropomorphized and comes off too much as a good buddy and not enough as a holy figure.
On the positive side:
1. It’s a treat to watch the animals, both real and computer-generated.
2. The picture has wise things to say about family life and about prayer. Evan prays, his wife prays, and his kids pray. Prayer is answered. God suggests that a proper way to ask for something might be to request opportunities to deal with a problem instead of just asking him to fix the problem.
3. The movie is unabashedly accepting of Scripture and shows reverence for the Lord. Evan Almighty is theistic, not deistic or pantheistic.
Bottom line: Dr. James Dobson, in an addendum to the review by Focus on the Family’s Plugged-In Online, notes that he personally cannot recommend the movie (largely because of its faulty theology) but thinks Christian moviegoers should decide for themselves. I agree. At the very least, it will make you think.
Film Rating: PG
My Rating: 2 ¾ stars.
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