Three and a Half Snouts Up for Evan Almighty

(:)(:)(:)(: for Evan Almighty directed by Tom Shadyac, starring Steve Carell playing in theaters now. I loved this movie, yet I give it only 3 1/2 snouts out of a possible five. Why? Because I can tell that not everyone is the target demographic: people who used to live in Buffalo and DC and focus on politics who now focus on God--in other words, me.

Other critics have panned it as being too expensive to make, not funny enough and too didactic. I found it charming, disarming, thought-provoking, hilarious and fun and I don't know or care how much it cost to make. It cost me $6.50 to see at a matinee.

I think it helps if you go to the film thinking you're seeing a spiritual film, rather than a comedy. For a spiritual film it is side-splittingly funny. For a comedy, it's disturbingly spiritual. This is also a perfect family film--kids will enjoy the animals, Steve Carell's weird beard and the wild boat ride. My kids will like the environmental message.

And everyone's got to like Morgan Freeman as God--as far as I'm concerned, Morgan Freeman is God.