Jim Carrey's Bruce Almighty certainly needs a bit of divine intervention.

Though it has many funny moments in the middle, the movie directed by Tom Shadyac (Ace Ventura) doesn't soar because it takes its spirituality too seriously -- and is often overwhelmed by the special effects. But given the success of a number of mediocre comedies at the box-office, including Daddy Day Care and Bringing Down the House, the Carrey movie may see heavenly numbers.

The story of an eternal complainer who gets an opportunity to play God for 24 hours, the movie is easier to watch than some of Carrey's bombs including The Majestic, but a mostly witless script has resulted in a mediocre comedy.

Carrey plays Bruce, a television reporter, who while pushing 40, finds himself totally dissatisfied with life. Even the fact that he has a fine girlfriend (Jennifer Aniston) doesn't satisfy him a bit. He is constantly threatened by what he thinks is competition: colleague Evan (Steven Carell), never mind Evan's grating voice and less than inspiring presence.

Bruce who earnestly wants to be another Walter Cronkite sees his hopes shattered when he learns Evan is going to get the coveted anchor's post. Going for an on-air meltdown, and using profanity, Bruce gets into real trouble: he is fired on the spot. He launches a bitter complaint against God.

He is then summoned to a warehouse where a janitor (Morgan Freeman), who hears Bruce's complaints, is not amused. For this African American worker with an attitude is God himself. Hoping to teach Bruce a few lessons, God challenges him to run the world. Once that fateful decision is made, it looks like the movie can be saved. And it is, at least for 30 minutes, when Bruce goes wild with his newly-acquired powers as he goes around fixing his immediate world. Nothing around him is spared. Evan, of course, gets the worst, but Bruce's dog has to be toilet-trained too and Bruce's girlfriend has to have her anatomy fixed. And of course, Bruce has to score a few scoops.

But the trouble for the audience starts in the last 20 minutes when the film begins to take itself too seriously. The spiritual talk becomes too heavy and ill-fitting in the scheme of things.

While Carrey often hams it up, Morgan Freeman, one of the grand actors Hollywood has produced, is fun to watch. He employs subtle mischief in playing a part that is not particularly well-written. The movie could have gained considerably had there been more scenes with Freeman and Carrey together.

Shadyac has directed Carrey -- who when inspired can be a great physical comic -- with greater energy and imagination in Ace Ventura and Liar Liar, but here he seems to have thought the expensive special effects would make the movie sizzle.

CREDITS

Cast: Jim Carrey, Jennifer Aniston, Morgan Freeman, Lisa Ann Walter 
Direction: Tom Shadyac
Writers: Steve Koren, Mark O'Keefe
Screenplay: Steve Koren, Mark O'Keefe, Steve Oedekerk
Music: John Debney
Cinematography: Dean Semler