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Previous Article | · | copyright notice | · | Next Article |
Bruce Almighty: A Review
www.brucealmighty.com© Copyright 2003 by Fred Currie
Steve Koren and Mark O'keefe (with Steve Oedekerk) have written a terrific story about a self centered news man who is turned around by an encounter with God (Morgan Freeman). Newsman Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) is given a chance to be God over his home territory of Buffalo, New York. He uses his powers to serve his own desires. He is angry with God about the world - mainly about how the world is not treating him the way he wants it to and the way he thinks he deserves. There are many hilarious scenes where he exerts his supernatural powers to delight himself and impress his girl friend, Grace (Jennifer Aniston).
Only two things God forbids Bruce to do: he is not allowed to violate a person's free will or tell anyone that he is God. Toward the end of the movie, Bruce asks God, "How do I make someone love me without violating their free will?" God says, "Welcome to my world. If you figure it out, let me know." This is a sound philosophical position, libertarian (not compatible) free will, and it is the view I believe is supported by the Bible.
The movie is a light-hearted comedy and in no way presents itself as serious philosophy, but the issue of free will is such an important philosophical topic that I cannot resist making a few philosophical comments that go far deeper than the movie intends. A person must have libertarian free will if God is morally justified in holding us responsible for our actions. There has long been debate about whether or not we are free to choose otherwise or if we are only circumstantially free - able to do only what our nature dictates we do. Some hold that we are (compatiblistically) determined to be what we are, and any freedom we think we have is merely circumstantial. We have no ability to choose otherwise. In this view, fate is the play we all are acting in with a script not of our own choosing. Our "choices" are really dictated by God, genetics, psychology, or some other unknown factor outside our control. This sort of deterministic thinking is flawed and is counter-intuitive to the way we see the world operate. It is also not how God operates. [1]
The cross is absent from this movie. Hollywood producers are not interested in offending their audiences so they steer clear of Christianity's clear denunciation of human sin. The "gospel" of Bruce Almighty distills into little more than a general commitment to love others and do one's best rather than to throw oneself on the mercy of a loving God. The closest we come to the idea of Christ's sacrifice on our behalf in Bruce Almighty is God's insistence on the importance of servanthood, exemplified by God's role as a janitor who talks Bruce into mopping the floor with him.
It was refreshing to see Bruce Almighty portray God as a genuine, intelligent, compassionate, personal God rather than the typical vague pantheism of God as a force in everything that we all can actualize in our own selves the Star Wars kind of God.
In the movie God extolls the virtue of service. He appreciates humor. He takes satisfaction in completing tasks. He blesses people who are willing to help each other. But the movie completely ignores the issue of sin, especially of sin as the rebellion that separates us from God. The God of Bruce Almighty doesn't want people to recognize their sinfulness and beg for forgiveness. He seems content when people generally follow the golden rule, helping others as they would like to be helped. On the contrary, the Bible teaches us that we can only be reconciled to the Father through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It is Christ's completed work on the cross that cleanses us of our sin and makes us sons of God Almighty.
I recommend the movie because it gets people thinking about God with plenty of humor mixed into the serious issues. Love - caring for others rather than for personal gain - is the key theme throughout the movie. Instead of the typical Hollywood approach of blaming God for human failings, the movie does a good job of reminding us that we alone are responsible for our own character and behavior. In Bruce Almighty we see first God's love for Bruce, then Grace's love for Bruce, and ultimately Bruce's transformation from a self centered jerk into someone who can give love to others.
Bruce Almighty is the best movie I have seen Jim Carrey in since Truman. Morgan Freeman and Jennifer Aniston play excellent supporting roles. Go see it. Start thinking about God and when you do, crack open a Bible. You will find it is a love story written by God to you and it is where the one true God speaks to everyone's heart.
Bruce Almighty is a Universal Pictures 2003 movie starring Jim Carrey, Jennifer Aniston, and Morgan Freeman. The story is by Steven Koren and Mark O'Keefe, with screenplay by Koren and O'Keefe with Steve Oedekerk. Directed by Tom Shadyac. Executive Producers Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, and Steve Oederkerk. Producers Tom Shadyac, Jim Carrey, James D. Brubaker, Michael Bostick, Steven Koren, and Mark O’Keefe. MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language, sexual content, and some crude humor.
[1] For a philosophical discussion of the issue of moral agents and freedom, see James W. Felt's Making Sense of Your Freedom: Philosophy for the Perplexed (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1994).p>
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