Today I went to see Evan Almghty - good, clean fun with some thoughtful moments. Definitely more funny if you know your OT a bit and a portrayal of God that was positive without being twee. Some evil puns along the way, lots of animal antics for 10 year olds to enjoy, and a message for those who need a moral to any tale. It's ratings aren't the highest, but I enjoyed it.
What were the bits that struck me?
Evan carrying on building his ark, even though everyone thought he'd lost the plot and his family left him. I sometimes wonder if we have a rosy view of the life of the prophets, forgetting that they were probably ridiculed, forgetting that people thought they were mad (they did do some very odd things!). I also found myself recalling Jesus' words about coming not to bring peace but division.
Joan's (Joan of Ark, geddit?!) conversation with God (Al Mighty according to his name badge) about how prayer is answered was profound. Cutting through feel good or prosperity theology to answers that get worked at... reminded me of the prayer attributed to an 'unknown confederate solider' - I asked God for x and I experienced y.
The idea that the ark was God's intervention into the consequences of human sin rather than the flood as God's wrath meted out to sinful humanity. Subtle but significant. Also the fact that, in this story, the people who had scoffed did board the ark and survive the flood.
I am also always intrigued by how God is portrayed physically in recent films. This God as an older black man in contemporary clothing worked well in this story. The most radical protrayal I've seen, and one I really liked, though I did not much care for the film, was in Dogma, where at the end of the film God appears as a young woman turning cartwheels in a garden. I like the idea of God enjoying creation and cartwheeling for pleasure.
Evan Almighty is first and foremost great fun to watch, with a very funny 11th commandment at the end - but it could also be a great resource for exploring topics with church groups or even in outreach as a discussion starter.
If God started sending some of us letters in gold writing, I'm sure life would be clearer - though probably even more challenging!
Worth seeing, in my unsophisticated opinion.