Bruce is a whiny guy who questions once too often why God gives him so much grief. He is suddenly given almighty power for 24 hours to teach him how difficult it is to run the world and see if he can do a better job. If Bruce fails to do a better job then God will release an apocalyptic cataclysm that would hurtle mankind back to the Dark Ages.
Jim Carrey returns to his zany, manic roots in this Capraesque comedy from director Tom Shadyac (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Liar Liar). Carrey stars as Bruce Nolan, a television reporter in Buffalo, New York who lives a normal life with his sweet girlfriend Grace (Jennifer Aniston). But Bruce isn’t satisfied, and after a particularly bad day where everything goes wrong, he blames God.
After spewing a tirade of curses God’s way, God (Morgan Freeman in a gentlemanly white suit) responds and challenges Bruce to take over and see if he can run things better. Of course, there are some conditions; Bruce can only have the “almighty” powers for 24 hours and only in the Buffalo area. This doesn’t stop Bruce, and he responds to his newfound powers with selfish, childlike zeal.
Like a kid in a candy store, Bruce sets off making one hysterical, yet disastrous, decision after another. He pulls the moon closer to the earth so he can have a more romantic evening with Grace, unaware that his actions cause a tidal wave in Japan and responds to the prayers of the world with a mass-email “yes” that creates millions of lottery winners, riots, and mayhem. Ultimately, Bruce proves he is only human, and cannot possibly fill God’s shoes, although he has a great time trying.
Read the Full Production Notes
Directed by: Tom Shadyac
Starring: Jim Carrey, Jennifer Aniston, Morgan Freeman, Catherine Bell, Lisa Ann Walter, Philip Baker Hall, Steve Carell
Screenplay by: Steve Oedekerk, Jim Carrey, Tom Shadyac
Cinematography by: Dean Semler
Production Design by: Linda DeScenna
Film Editing by: Scott Hill
Art Direction by: James Nedza
Costume Design by: Judy L. Ruskin
Set Decoration by: Ric McElvin
Music by: John Debney
Studio: Universal Pictures
Release Date: May 23, 2003
