Bruce Almighty

Bruce Nolan toils as a "human interest" television reporter in Buffalo, NY, but despite his high ratings and the love of his beautiful girlfriend, Bruce remains unfulfilled. At the end of the worst day in his life, he angrily ridicules God — and the Almighty responds, endowing Bruce with all of His divine powers.

Critics were split down the middle on this Jim Carrey vehicle, with most agreeing his physical comedy lands but the film loses its nerve whenever it reaches for emotional weight. The premise — a bitter everyman handed divine power — struck several reviewers as wasted potential, the slapstick sequences doing most of the heavy lifting while the romantic and spiritual threads collapse into sentimentality. Audiences responded far more warmly than critics, suggesting the film's broad, feel-good aims landed better with general viewers than with the press.