Movie Review: BRUCE ALMIGHTY 2003

You want to see a miracle? Be the miracle.

MORGAN FREEMAN – God

If some lives form a perfect circle, others take shape in ways we cannot predict or always understand.

ROBIN WRIGHT – Theresa

I guess that’s how life is, isn’t it? Some people are drenched, freezing to death, on a stupid boat, with a stupid hat, while others are in comfy news studio, suckin’ up all glory.

JIM CARREY – Bruce Nolan

Title Bruce Almighty
Year 2003
Director Tom Shadyac
Genre Drama, Comedy, Fantasy

I. SYNOPSIS

Bruce is a local Eyewitness News TV on WKBW-TV in Buffalo, New York. He is unsuccessful at getting a job as an anchorman. When anticipating a promotion to a vacant anchor position, and while on the air , Bruce become furious when he hears that rival co-worker Evan Baxter gets promoted and he gets fired. After Bruce gets fired from his job , he complains to God that He isn’t doing his job correctly. God then contacts Bruce via Bruce’s pager and meets him at an old building.

​​​Bruce at first does not believe God is who he says he is, since God is dressed up as a janitor. God states that he is tired of how Bruce complains about him and grants Bruce all of his powers so as to prove that he is doing his job correctly. The only limitations are that Bruce cannot tell people he is God, and cannot interfere with free will then later on Bruce uses his power for personal gain. However he is bothered by the voices he ca only hear.

​​​Bruce uses God’s power to gain the reputation Mr. Exclusive by causing exciting news, such as meteor impact, to occur whenever he is reporting. He also forces Evan to humiliate himself on air by making him speak gibberish, and Evan is removed as an anchor in favour of Bruce .Bruce takes Grace ( girlfriend of Bruce) to dinner to tell her this,  and Grace is disappointed as she was expecting him to propose. As Bruce as once again overwhelmed by voices, God appears to Him and tells Bruce the voices are prayers, and will continue to build up if not answered. He also confronts Bruce on using His power for personal gain and not helping people. Reading prayers in form of e-mails, Bruce attempts to answer them individually, but when he discovers he is receiving prayers than he can respond, Bruce decides to set e-mail account to automatically answer  “yes” to all prayers, assuming this will make everyone happy.

However, when grace arrives, Bruce is then seduced by Susan who passionately kisses him.Grace witnessed and leaves him.Bruce to use his powers to win her back but cannot , as he is not allowed to interfere with free will. Bruce finds that his abuse of his powers has consequences: some people take their meteor impact and other phenomena as a sign of apocalypse while others are outrage over thousands winning the lottery and a riot breaks out in the city . Brought before God again, Bruce protests that he only gave people what they wanted, and God tells Bruce that he only gave people what they wanted, and God tells Bruce that people need to stop looking to him for answers. That evening, Bruce decides to look at the prayers Grace has sent and discovers she continually prayed for success and well-being. As a new prayer begins to arrive, Bruce goes to witness Grace praying in person, and hears her wishing to not be in love with him any more so she will stop hurting.

Bruce walks on the highway and submits to God, asking Him to take back His powers and trusting Him with fate. Bruce is suddenly struck by a truck and is brought before God in a while void. God asks Bruce what he really wants and assuming he is dead, Bruce asks that Grace find a man who may make her truly happy and see her through God’s eyes, even if it is not Bruce. God agrees and and revives Bruce, who wakes up in the hospital to be told “someone up there” favors him. Bruce and Grace reconcile and become engaged, and Bruce’s life became normal.

II. PHILOSOPHICAL IDEAS

1. God can’t force the people to love Him.
2. God has the ability to hear them all and understand them unlike Bruce. Bruce says, “ Yes to all of them God can’t do that he has the wisdom to know what we need.
3. Bruce says, “ Why do you hate me God” ! Talk about suffering and going through bad times and that often we can blame God when things go wrong or doubt He exists due to the pain and suffering in the world.
4. Bruce does not recognise the signs that has God given him. What God says is often is not often what we expect.
5. Life is just. Life has a consequences.

III. LIFE APPLICATION

There was a time I asked God, why he let me to hurt my family,why he let Him to put me in situation that so tough , why he let Him my brothers get lost in an hilarious accident. So then, my question answered through His own way. The only thing I could is to pray and faith on Him, that everything are happens and sets according to His plan.

As what said on the book of JEREMIAH 29:11 “ For I know the plans of the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you ,plans to give you hope and a future.” This verse , help me to understand the situation I am going to encounter and how I overcome every challenges comes in my life. The best thing we can do is to pray with all our heart and soul. Truly God give us better life .