Bruce Almighty (2003)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A struggling reporter is offered the chance to experience life as God for one week.
The story
Bruce Nolan is a down-on-his-luck television reporter in Buffalo, New York, who dreams of becoming an anchorman. After a public outburst leads to his dismissal, he accuses God of not doing his job correctly. In response, he is offered the chance to try being God himself for one week. He receives a pager message leading him to a warehouse where he meets God in human form. God grants Bruce his powers to test him, under the conditions that he cannot tell others he has them or use them against others' free will. Initially, Bruce uses his powers for personal gain, including regaining his job and impressing his girlfriend.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being fired, Bruce Nolan is granted the powers of God for one week. He initially uses them for personal gain, such as winning the Stanley Cup for the Buffalo Sabres and getting his job back as an anchorman. However, his actions lead to chaos in Buffalo, including riots and a perceived impending apocalypse. He eventually realizes he cannot solve the problems with his powers and begins to help others without them. After a series of events, including a near-death experience where he asks God to take his powers back, he is revived and reconciles with his girlfriend, Grace. He ultimately decides to return to his original role as a field reporter, content with his life in Buffalo. The film ends with a final shot of a homeless man who is revealed to be God.
- First release year
- 2003
- Runtime (minutes)
- 101
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tom Shadyac
- Writers
- Steve Koren · screenplay; Mark O'Keefe · screenplay; Steve Oedekerk · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Jim Carrey · Bruce Nolan; Morgan Freeman · God; Jennifer Aniston · Grace Connelly; Philip Baker Hall · not specified; Steve Carell · Evan Baxter; Catherine Bell · not specified
- Genres
- supernatural comedy; fantasy comedy; religious comedy
- Themes
- responsibility; faith; consequences of power
- Tone and mood
- comedy; slapstick
- Setting
- Buffalo, New York
- Premise and plot tags
- wish fulfillment; supernatural; religious
- Franchise connections
- Evan Almighty
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but was a box-office success, becoming a major hit in its opening weekend and performing well internationally.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 48% · scale: percentage · review count: 191; Metacritic · score: 46 · scale: 100 · review count: 35
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…