Evan Almighty (2007)

God contacts Congressman Evan Baxter and tells him to build an ark in preparation for a great flood.

Director:

Tom Shadyac

Writers:

Steve Oedekerk (screenplay), Steve Oedekerk (story)

Stars:

Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Graham

2 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve Carell	...	Evan Baxter
Morgan Freeman	...	God
Lauren Graham	...	Joan Baxter
Johnny Simmons	...	Dylan Baxter
Graham Phillips	...	Jordan Baxter
Jimmy Bennett	...	Ryan Baxter
John Goodman	...	Congressman Long
Wanda Sykes	...	Rita
John Michael Higgins	...	Marty
Jonah Hill	...	Eugene
Molly Shannon	...	Eve Adams
Harve Presnell	...	Congressman Burrows
P.J. Byrne	...	Evan's Staffer
Ralph Louis Harris	...	Evan's Staffer (as Ralph Harris)
Arden Myrin	...	Evan's Staffer

Storyline

Buffalo newsman Evan Baxter is elected to Congress with the slogan, "Change the world." He lucks into a huge house in a new Virginia suburb. His Capitol office is also fantastic, but there's a catch: he's tapped by the powerful Congressman Long to co-sponsor a bill to allow development in national parks. In steps God, who appears to a disbelieving Evan and gently commands him to build an ark. Tools and wood arrive in Evan's yard, animal pairs follow, his beard and hair grow wildly, nomad's clothes and a staff appear. Long grows impatient, Evan starts building, his family leaves him, reporters gather, and drought grips D.C. Still, Evan believes. But will he change the world?

---

Plot Keywords:

ark | congressman | change | flood | depiction of god | 

---

Taglines:

Why are all of these animals following Evan Baxter? God only knows.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild rude humor and some peril

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene where Evan wakes up, the alarm clock reads 6:14 and the letters Gen can be seen in the clocks corner, this is in reference to Genesis 6:14 " So make yourself an ark of cypresswood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out."

---

Goofs

During the scene where Evan raises his staff right when the animals begin to run toward him you can hear a voice say "let's go, let's go".

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Susan Ortega: And that's the news. But before we sign off, we'd like to thank our very own Evan Baxter, who has just been elected Buffalo's representative to Congress. And now we have a surprise for Evan.
Evan Baxter: No, you don't.
Susan Ortega: We do.
Evan Baxter: Oh, no. I really didn't expect this.
Susan Ortega: Here's a look back at his run for office.

---

Crazy Credits

The Department of Homeland Security's cooperation and assistance does not reflect an endorsement of the contents of the film or the treatment of the characters therein.

---

Connections

Featured in Film '72: Episode dated 12 March 2007 (2007)

---

Soundtracks

Sharp Dressed Man
Written by Billy Gibbons (as Billy F. Gibbons), Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard
Performed by ZZ Top
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

Don't expect "Bruce Almighty" all over again.

Evan Almighty generated a lot of hype before its release. A lot of people loved Bruce Almighty, and were expecting something just a zany and hilarious in Evan Almighty. Most of them were disappointed: this movie was received negatively by most critics and audiences alike. Well, I liked it! First of all, this movie has been misunderstood, because it was mismarketed. It was marketed as a hilarious sequel to Bruce Almighty (and the trailer made it look that way, too). But, to be perfectly honest, this is more of a family film than a comedy. But it is a really good family film.

This film had a lot of potential for comedy. It delivered at times, but not consistently. It also had two very crude toilet humour jokes involving male genitalia (just the word, though, nothing beyond that). I will freely admit, this isn't nearly as hilarious a comedy as the original. But it's good in its own right.

Morgan Freeman's scenes as God were excellently written and performed! One scene in particular, in a restaurant, was really touching and moving. Freeman is really a terrific actor, I'm glad they cast him as God. The performances in this movie were, overall, great. (Although it's a lot of fun watching the young kid unable to resist looking into the camera when pointing out two doves to his dad.) So, all in all, Evan Almighty is not "almighty" but it's still "alrighty".

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Spain] Paramount [France]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 June 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bruce: The Second Coming

Filming Locations:

Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$175,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$31,192,615, 24 June 2007

Gross USA:

$100,462,298

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$174,440,724

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment, Relativity Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1