.jeri.

I think critics were a lot more rough on this movie than it deserves. Although Evan Almighty isn't hilarious and isn't the best movie of the summer, it's got heart and is great for families.

I actually didn't expect this movie to be very good at all, but went to see it anyway because I like Steve Carrel and liked Bruce Almighty. The story is about a man who becomes a modern-day Noah when his prayers to God about changing the world are answered: God shows up and instructs him to build an ark - same size as the original. Obviously, Evan is doubtful that God is really God and annoyed by how he is physically changed to actually look like Noah. He resists at first, but soon realizes he's just a man and God is all-powerful, and he's soon building an ark with his three sons while animals arrive from the nearby nature reserve to wait for their place on the ark.

I didn't laugh out loud very often, but I smiled a lot. In other words, it's a fine little movie. The jokes would probably appeal more to a younger audience, but there are also enough references to keep the adults satisfied. Office fans will also enjoy a bit part by our very own Andrew Bernard.

My guess is that the critics revolted against the pro-God vibe of this movie. It has no curse words, people pray, there are actually a couple of deeper moral lessons than I expected, and God comes through in the end. If you watch the previews and think, "Wait a minute, I thought God promised he'd never flood the earth again!" (which is exactly what I thought when I saw them), don't worry, everything is satisfactorily explained.

I would recommend this one for family viewing. If you want to see it in the theater, I'd recommend going to the dollar theater. The special effects of the flood scenes are pretty cool, and it's something you can see without worrying about any bad content. That's pretty rare.