Public Servant Lifestyle

Jim Carrey finds God looks a lot like Morgan Freeman - and becomes the man who can work miracles!

Bruce Almighty

Bruce Almighty is a wild new comedy about a man who goes looking for God...and finds himself. The film reunites two-time Golden Globe Award winner Jim Carrey with director/producer Tom Shadyac, the actor’s collaborator on the megahits Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Liar Liar. Starring with Carrey are two-time 2002 Golden Globe Award winner and Emmy winner Jennifer Aniston and Golden Globe Award winner and three-time Academy Award nominee Morgan Freeman.

Main character Bruce – played with the usual measure of goonery by Jim Carey - is a local 'Eyewitness News' TV reporter in Buffalo, New York. Best known for doing humorous, homespun, human interest stories he finds he’s disenchanted with making everyone happy but himself Bruce, it seems, would much rather be replacing the soon-to-retire anchorman, or at the very least, reporting significant news from international hot spots.

Essentially, Bruce is discontented with nearly everything in his life, and rarely misses an opportunity to complain about it. He has a loving girlfriend, Grace (played by Friend’s star Jennifer Aniston), who runs a day care center, is happy with her life, and adores Bruce - in spite of his negativity.

Bruce is handed a good opportunity when he’s asked to do a story on the 23rd anniversary of Niagara Falls’ famed ‘Maid of the Mist’ boat, which will air live during sweeps. But the mist hits the fan when it’s announced on-air-just before Bruce goes live-that the co-anchor position about to be vacated is going to Bruce’s superficial and supercilious rival. In front of millions of viewers, Bruce has a major-league, no-holds-barred, on-camera meltdown, punctuated by an expletive that’s definitely not cleared for network television.

The Almighty?

One disaster follows another on this, the worst day of Bruce Nolan’s life, as a result of which, he’s fired from the station. Then he’s beaten up by a gang of toughs, who proceed to vandalise his car. Furious, Bruce rails and rages against The Lord for his rotten luck...which is followed by a curious series of signs and portents-most of which Bruce ignores-but one of which eventually leads him to a nondescript old building called Omni Presents, Inc. There, Bruce meets an equally nondescript janitor - played by Morgan (The Shawshank Redemption, Seven) Freeman - who ultimately reveals himself to be The Almighty. The Supreme Being. The Creator of All Things. God. In person.

It turns out that The Divine One has heard Bruce’s complaints, and now has an offer for the choleric ex-newscaster...His job. By endowing Bruce with all of His powers, God challenges him to take on the ultimate big job and see if he can do any better! Once Bruce convinces himself that he’s not dreaming, having a nightmare or a psychotic episode, he proceeds to utilise the infinite powers at his disposal - great and small - for his own amusement, advancement and advantage until finally he stands at a crossroads: whether or not he will become the biggest and most powerful jerk in the universe, or find a little bit of humanity in Bruce Almighty.

The supporting cast includes such fine talents as Lisa Ann Walter (TV’s Breaking News and Life’s Work, as well as Disney’s The Parent Trap) as Grace’s salty sister Debbie; Philip Baker Hall (The Sum of All Fears, Rules of Engagement, Magnolia, The Insider) as Jack Keller, the crusty station manager; Catherine Bell (Major Sarah 'Mac' MacKenzie on TV’s JAG) as sexy, seductive news anchor Susan Ortega; Steve Carell (television’s The Daily Show and Watching Ellie) as Bruce’s network arch-rival Evan Baxter; Nora Dunn (Saturday Night Live, Sisters) as Bruce’s long-suffering segment producer, Ally Loman; and Golden Globe Award-winner Sally Kirkland (Anna, Ed TV, JFK) as a lovelorn waitress at a local Buffalo diner.

Following early appearances as a stand-up comedian and roles in features and TV, Carrey broke out in the US 1990 TV comedy series In Living Color-in which he performed a vast array of characters-and then in the title role of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Since then, Carrey has starred in an unprecedented series of often manic, screwball comedies, among them: The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, Batman Forever, The Cable Guy, Liar Liar, The Truman Show, Man on the Moon, Me, Myself and Irene, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Majestic.

Carrey won the ‘Best Actor’ Golden Globe Award both for his performance as a man whose entire life has been broadcast live on television in Peter Weir’s The Truman Show, and his stunning portrayal of Andy Kaufman in Milos Forman’s Man on the Moon. Carrey also received Golden Globe Best Actor nominations for The Mask, Liar Liar and The Grinch – based on the much-loved Dr. Zeuss tale The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.

Carey’s co-star Jennifer Aniston was catapulted to international stardom playing Rachel Green in the television ensemble comedy Friends, which will soon be reaching the end of a hugely popular nine season run. She has also starred in such feature films as She’s the One, Picture Perfect, ‘Til There Was You, The Object of My Affection, Office Space and Rock Star. Recently, she received rave reviews for her starring role in Miguel Arteta’s independent film The Good Girl.

Morgan Freeman, one of America’s most distinguished actors, has received Academy Award nominations for Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy (which brought him a Golden Globe Award) and The Shawshank Redemption. His numerous motion picture credits have also included Glory, Amistad, Deep Impact, the hit thrillers Kiss the Girls and its follow-up Along Came A Spider, Nurse Betty, High Crimes and The Sum of All Fears. He was recently seen in Lawrence Kasdan’s Dreamcatcher, based on a work by Stephen King, and in the independent drama Levity, also starring Billy Bob Thornton, Kirstin Dunst and Holly Hunter.

Liar Liar

There are some marriages that are made in heaven—creative ones, that is—and no star and director are more suited for each other than Jim Carrey and Tom Shadyac. Their first collaboration, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, firmly established Carrey as a star of the first magnitude, and Shadyac as a freshman director with a promising career. The second time Carrey and Shadyac pooled their talents, the result was Universal’s Liar Liar, one of the biggest hits of 1997.

Thus, when Shadyac was first presented with the high and mighty concept for Bruce Almighty, it went the top of his ‘to do’ list - and Shadyac knew from the first who he wanted to make it with. Only one actor could play a man suddenly endowed with the powers of God, with all of the comedic mayhem and heartful drama that ensues...Jim Carrey. The fundamental themes of Bruce Almighty were familiar territory to the two friends, who had spent many hours debating the Big Questions. "Jim is kind of a brother to me," notes Shadyac. "A little brother in some ways, and a big brother in other ways.

"We have a great friendship, and Bruce Almighty speaks to our concerns. What is this force called God? What is this force doing in our lives? How do we relate to it? Thematically, the film is ultimately a story about where true power comes from."

Shadyac and Carrey were joined on their quest by Shady Acres partners and fellow producers Michael Bostick and James D. Brubaker, who had collaborated with both on Liar Liar, and were equally enthusiastic about the notion of bringing the story to cinematic life. "Tom so personally responded to its themes," says Bostick, "and based on his track record, it represented a project that’s so far in the Tom Shadyac wheelhouse. It’s a star-driven, high-concept comedy that ultimately has a message about the human condition, which I think is a strand which runs through all his work."

Adds Jim Brubaker, "Tom’s movies, whether comedies or dramas, are a little bit personal, a little bit spiritual and always about opening the heart." Bostick also notes that "both Tom and Jim were coming off dramas and keenly interested in getting back into the comedy genre. Jim not only signed on as the star of Bruce Almighty, but also as a producer, and he became intimately involved in the development of the script and then, creatively, every day on set."

And then there was the matter of who would join Jim Carrey in front of the camera, particularly for the crucial roles of Grace, Bruce’s devoted but strong-minded girlfriend, and the one who’s single-handedly responsible for Bruce’s powers...the Big Man himself...God. "I hate to use the cliché," says Shadyac, "but Jennifer Aniston is one of the hottest people in show business. You can count on one hand the number of people, male or female, who can give you beauty, strength, intelligence, vulnerability and a sense of humor in one package. Jen’s character, Grace, is not passive. She’s strong, and that’s why we wanted Jennifer."

Adds producer Michael Bostick, "Jennifer has been in America’s living rooms for nine years as Rachel on Friends, and I think that people will be thrilled to see her on the big screen with Jim. Jennifer’s comic timing is impeccable, and she also brings an emotional weight to her characters."

Finding God

Aniston herself had no doubts about wanting to play Grace when Tom Shadyac first approached her with the idea. "Tom pitched a fantastic story which I found very moving. I just thought it was great. It’s hard to infuse spirituality into a bold commercial movie, and that’s what Tom and the writers have done without hitting you over the head with it." Shadyac and Carrey were also challenged with another Big Question. Who should...who could...play God? "When this script came to me," recalls the director, "only one guy popped into my head. It was always Morgan Freeman.

"There are a million ways to play God," Shadyac continues. "You can talk from a burning bush, or a mountain, or a sunset. Our way was to find a consummate human who is full of dignity, power, a sense of humor and an edge. Morgan embodied humanity and divinity in a way that we felt was perfect for the movie, so we didn’t have a second choice."

Thankfully, Morgan Freeman felt the same way, and the Bruce Almighty company found God. To circle around this talented triumvirate of Carrey, Aniston and Freeman, Shadyac then cast a number of highly talented performers from every strata of film, television and theatre, including Lisa Ann Walter from The Parent Trap, JAG’s beauteous Catherine Bell, the distinguished character actor Philip Baker Hall, the deft comedian Steve Carell from The Daily Show, Nora Dunn of Saturday Night Live fame and Golden Globe Award winner Sally Kirkland, an all-media fixture. Ironically, for the role of the lonely diner waitress, the Bruce Almighty screenplay called for "a Sally Kirkland type," a casting problem solved by Shadyac simply summoning forth the real article, with Kirkland only too happy to comply.

"Jim and I have always felt that it’s really important to ground your comedy in credibility," notes Shadyac. "Even though you may have a fanciful premise, when you have people like we do in the cast, you win your credibility factor."

The combination of Carrey’s comedic genius and Morgan Freeman’s vast experience and gravity created an off-screen relationship which echoed the film itself. "Morgan has this lifetime of human experience, with a smile over it all, and that’s what he brought to the set," notes Shadyac. "Jim would sometimes ask Morgan about getting to a certain moment in the scene, and Morgan would tell him about his process and experience. And interestingly, Morgan would come to Jim for the comedic insight. It was really amazing to watch these two experts at their crafts come together and bounce off each other."

"Getting to be in the presence of Morgan Freeman was pretty much one of those dreams come true," confesses Jennifer Aniston. "And he was godlike, seeing that striking face in a white suit. He was phenomenal." So impressive was Freeman in his godly persona that at the end of one shooting day, Tom Shadyac humorously announced that "Morgan will be hearing confessions for a half-hour following wrap."

At the centre of the movie was Jim Carrey, a relentlessly creative perfectionist who strives by any means possible to arrive at the epiphanal on-camera moment, whether comedic or dramatic. "Joel Schumacher, who directed Jim in Batman Forever, called him the hardest worker in show business," relates Shadyac. "Everybody who works with Jim knows that. He has an extraordinary ethic, and a constant striving to make things better. I love to see Jim let go and watch things hit him, like a gift. And when it comes, it’s a joy to watch."

Aniston, no slouch at comedy herself (with nine seasons of Friends and a Golden Globe and Emmy Award to prove it), found that working with Carrey was "an amazing challenge for me. It’s pretty miraculous to watch him find his genius, and see how he gets there."

Bruce Almighty is out now on DVD.

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