"Behind every great man...is a woman rolling her eyes."

I went into this film with high expectations which were mostly met, thanks to a controlled, comedic performance by Jim Carrey and a wonderfully tender and funny companion performance by Jennifer Aniston. As directed by Tom Shadyac, Carrey is allowed to play and celebrate his "over the top" humor but also show his sensitive side. It's a nice balance, and not a balance Carrey has always been successful in achieving. Morgan Freeman was a brilliant choice to play God, and he brings a gentle yet humorous presence to his performance. In a role as a competing news anchor, Steven Carell is particularly funny...especially in a scene where Carry exacts a sort of revenge. It's the kind of humor we see often with Carell on Jon Stewart's Comedy Central show...it's well suited to the big screen and here's hoping he finds more work.

Most of the other characters are a bit light in development, and at times it feels we're watching more a series of sketches than a plot driven film. The ending was a bit too "pat" for me, but certainly expected.

I didn't laugh as much as I'd expected in this film...some of the humor seemed a bit more "cute" than funny. Still, it's a nice return to comedy for Carrey. It doesn't quite achieve its potential, but it's a lot funnier than most of the films out there.

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic