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So, it's a movie kids should really relate to.

Oedekerk: Yes, but not just kids. I think a lot of Christians will relate to it too, because we all reach a point where God reaches in, where you start noticing your actions more and the conscience gets a little louder. That's really what Barnyard is about—that moment where you have a decision to make as to which road you're going to take. And, if it comes through as intended, it's sort of like the fun that you think you're going to lose by taking responsibility and caring about other people, is actually replaced with something much grander. It's more of a joy; the fun doesn't really leave, but it gets enhanced and expanded. That's really what the storyline is ultimately about.

You've come a long way since Ace Ventura! But humor, and outright silliness, is still much a part of you and your projects. Apparently being a serious Christian doesn't mean kissing silliness goodbye!

Oedekerk: Well, I hope not, because if so, then something would be broke with me, because I am both. That's a part of me that can never be driven out, this childlike element. You can see it in my more eclectic than normal career. I'll go from a Patch Adams to doing our little Thumbs projects to Bruce Almighty and now Barnyard. All I know is there's all these different parts of my brain that are just sort of shouting out, "Oh, do this! Do this!"

I'll pray about stuff, and the only rhythm that I've grown to follow is, if something feels like I should be doing it, then I do it—and I think there's credit and credibility in both. Personally, it's really cool working on something like Barnyard. It's like Bruce Almighty in that there's a wide range of tones; you can have really silly, funny, and over-the-top, but the project is surviving on something that is actually a very nice point.

I've always enjoyed things that just make you laugh. If there's not a mean energy in it and it's generally got a positive tone and it's just silly, I think it's great. It's great when people just laugh. It's the same thing I did disrupting school as a kid. The point wasn't to disrupt school; it was to get the laughs.

Things of faith come through in movies like Bruce Almighty and I'm assuming it will in Evan Almighty. Are you planning any more projects where faith is addressed?

Oedekerk: I'm always listening to God in terms of where I should go and what I should do. So I have my plans, but I'm always open to changing them. But for the way I work now, I don't tend to bonk anybody over the head with faith. With Bruce Almighty, I was very happy with the way that movie landed. It was something where people are going to have a nice fun time out, but then, Christian or non-Christian, you're still witnessing the core of the growth of a man. That was somebody who went from completely selfish, the exaggerated version of all of us, to selfless in a period of an hour and a half. And people like it. That's probably the level I would think that I'm at.

Jim Carrey was God for a day in 'Bruce'

I don't fancy myself extremely knowledgeable about God and Christianity to the point where I would be capable of instructing or preaching. But like all humans, just having a sense of right and wrong and good and goodness is nice. It's nice for people to get the double whammy, be able to go out and have a very nice time with the family and still walk away with something that makes you feel good.

Bruce Almighty had some great themes of faith, but it wasn't a movie for young kids. I'm guess Evan Almighty won't be either?

Oedekerk: Evan is closer to being a family movie, actually. Tom [director Tom Shadyac, also a Christian] and I first met on Ace Ventura: Pet Detective [Oedekerk was a "project consultant"]. That movie was a mistake in terms of tone, because we didn't know Jim was going to become like this icon for 5-year-olds. But that movie is completely inappropriate for kids; it's like a heavy PG-13. So in the second Ace Ventura [which Oedekerk wrote and directed], even though it's still wacky crazy, you just won't find as many off-color things in it, because we realized that kids are going to watch this, and parents are going to let their kids watch this. We had to be more responsible there.

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