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Is Bruce Almighty for everyone? Not for kids under 12. They'd get the parts you wouldn't want them to get and miss the rest. And, strictly speaking, it wasn't written for Christians, since anyone with a genuine relationship with God would already know the material. But who says that being reminded can't be fun?

Note: For full-length Bible studies on Bruce Almighty, click here.

Anna Waterhouse is a Malibu, California-based screenwriter of feature films and documentaries for both the large and small screens.

Copyright © 2003 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

If you've seem Jim Carrey in the commercials for Bruce Almighty, you know that he plays a character who makes some self-centered choices when granted the mantle of omnipotence. In fact, due to the highly publicized, crass antics of this meddling man-deity, many Christian viewers have probably prayed for a box office disaster.

But there's more to the movie than a madman with a "god complex."

In fact, Bruce Almighty was directed by Tom Shadyac, a professing Christian who brought us Patch Adams and Dragonfly. The film focuses on how Bruce Nolan, a shallow and selfish man, learns to get past his adolescent desires and become more godly. God (played with dignity and authority by Morgan Freeman) is revealed as a deity who knows full well that giving temporary control to Bruce will be enough to humble and change him. Thus, several Christian film critics are urging viewers not to judge Shadyac's new comedy too hastily.

Michael Elliott (Movie Parables) calls Bruce "a wildly funny film … the funniest film of the year thus far."

Elliott offers reassurance to suspicious moviegoers: "Bruce Almighty is very respectful of God and the relationship between God and man. Many Christians will opt not to see this film because of [objectionable] elements and that is certainly understandable. But it is a pity because the spiritual messages being delivered by the film are ones which Christians will especially recognize and support."

Steven Greydanus (Decent Films) also gives the film a pass, but begrudges it a few missteps. "It takes seriously the idea of surrendering to God's will. It depicts prayer as commendable, while debunking self-centered prayers. It also critiques the sort of passive fatalism that sits around blaming God rather than taking action to change things. Yet the movie goes to the opposite extreme from passive fatalism by suggesting that we need to look to ourselves and not to God. Bruce Almighty argues that we can't be God, but it doesn't seem to understand how we need God."

He adds: "In addition to its theological faults, Bruce Almighty isn't very funny or creative."

Jamey Bennett (Razormouth) is surprised by the theological content of the film. "In a culture inundated by MTV, SpongeBob Squarepants, and Frappuccinos, Bruce Almighty is the closest thing to a systematic theology that most will ever lay eyes upon. Hopefully, the bits of truth in this irreverent comedy will not go unnoticed by moviegoers, and hopefully the Church will not forget to have better answers for the fewquestions that this movie has raised."

Anna Waterhouse reviewed Bruce for Christianity Today. "The film is a primer on God's existence and his active presence in our lives," Waterhouse wrote. "Before it's done, Bruce discovers that God is not only loving—he's as close as our breath, and we are his feet, hands, and heart."

Watching the film with younger viewers in mind, Bob Smithouser (Focus on the Family) observes that the film seems spiritually "ambiguous." "Such ambiguity isn't necessarily a reason to avoid watching Bruce Almighty with teens. On the contrary, it could stimulate great discussion. What will deter many families from seeing this movie are its coarse jokes, foul language, and sexual situations. Why did the filmmakers feel the need to go there? That material undermines what is otherwise a very funny, sweet, and profound comedy that awakens viewers to the fundamental existence of God and our need to serve one another."

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