Evan Almighty (2007)
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A newly elected congressman must reluctantly build an ark to save his community from a looming flood while dealing with the literal presence of God.
The story
Newly elected to Congress, former television news reporter Evan Baxter moves to a new community where his campaign promises to change the world. After praying for success, Evan begins experiencing a series of bizarre occurrences: his hair and beard grow uncontrollably, various animals begin following him, and a man claiming to be God appears frequently. Evan soon discovers these signs are linked to the Book of Genesis. He is tasked by God to build an ark in preparation for an impending flood. While trying to balance his political career with this divine mission, Evan must navigate the skepticism of his peers and the concerns of his wife, Joan.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being tasked by God to build an ark, Evan's appearance changes, and he is eventually fired from Congress for his actions. His wife, Joan, initially believes he has lost his mind but later joins him in the construction after a conversation with God. On the day of the predicted flood, it is revealed that the water is caused by a dam failure due to the greed of his former boss, Congressman Chuck Long. The community boards the ark, and it travels to Washington, D.C., where it interrupts a vote on a bill. Evan confronts Long for his negligence, leading to Long's downfall. Evan is reinstated to Congress, and the film ends with him and his family on a hike, where God explains that the key to changing the world is a single Act of Random Kindness (ARK).
- First release year
- 2007
- Runtime (minutes)
- 96
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tom Shadyac
- Writers
- Steve Oedekerk · screenplay; Steve Oedekerk · story; Joel Cohen · story; Alec Sokolow · story
- Cast and characters
- Steve Carell · Evan Baxter; Morgan Freeman · God; Lauren Graham; John Goodman; John Michael Higgins; Jimmy Bennett; Wanda Sykes
- Genres
- fantasy; comedy
- Themes
- faith; family; environmental stewardship
- Tone and mood
- comedy; fantasy
- Setting
- Prestige Crest, Huntsville, Virginia and Washington, D.C. in the modern day.
- Premise and plot tags
- religious; political; mythological retelling
- Franchise connections
- Bruce Almighty
- Reception
- The film received negative reviews from critics and was not commercially successful, despite being well-hyped by some groups.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 37 · scale: 100 · review count: 33
- Awards and nominations
- Worst Prequel or Sequel · Golden Raspberry Awards · nomination; Special Event Album of the Year · GMA Dove Awards · 39th · nomination; Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year · GMA Dove Awards · 39th · win
- Production trivia
- It was the most expensive comedy film ever made at the time of its completion.; The script was originally titled 'The Passion of the Ark'.; The film's production was the first to offset its carbon emissions for NBC Universal.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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