"Evan Almighty"

[nebula]

With Evan Almighty, Hollywood Strikes Out Again in Effort to Appeal to Faith-Based Audience

Thursday, June 28, 2007

By Mark Joseph

In its aftermath, once again the chatter from Hollywood is how, despite another earnest and sincere attempt to make a movie for "those people," the elusive faith-based audience that came out to see the Passion of The Christ has once again failed to turn out en masse for a movie thought to be tailor-made for them. The problem with such an analysis is that it's not unlike making a movie featuring blackface and wondering why the African-American audience isn't interested.

<snip>

The notion that millions of conservative Christians (a large majority of whom are also politically conservative) were going to flock to a movie that depicted obviously conservative political leaders as corrupt politicians going against the will of both a modern day Noah and God himself by trying to ruin the environment by opening up government-owned land for development, is nothing short of madness. It's one of the worst cinematic miscalculations this side of Ishtar.

But there's more. Between one of the characters noting with confidence that God is "in everything" (an idea that many religions hold to, but not the Christian one) and the notion that the Judeo-Christian God is primarily concerned not with sin, salvation and redemption but with encouraging "acts of random kindness," it was clear that if reaching a faith-based audience was the goal, this one was off by a mile.

Then there was the show-stopper: when, as the credits rolled, "Noah" held up a replica of the Ten Commandments, then turned it around to reveal an 11th Commandment, "Thou Shalt Do The Dance." For at least some Americans that may have been the last straw that cemented the film's descent from screwball religious comedy to sacrilege.

But that's assuming they made it inside the theater. It's likely that others simply stayed away when ads appeared before the film's release depicting "Noah" in a Marilyn Monroe pose, complete with a windblown "skirt" he was trying desperately to keep down.

<snip>

The systemic problem remains that major Hollywood studios continue to refuse to learn a central lesson of The Passion: Films must be shown early, perhaps as early as six to nine months before their release, to key leaders in the faith community both for their input and their support.

Megachurch pastors and other key leaders, for instance, can influence the moviegoing habits of millions of people, but they will not, as a general rule, recommend a film they themselves have not seen in its totality. Between that and the time needed for them to communicate to their followers, months -- not days -- are needed between such private showings and wide theatrical releases.

<snip>

Despite the bomb that was Evan Almighty, millions of devout Americans are still waiting to be invited into a theater to see a film that is entertaining, affirms their values and doesn't trivialize their deeply held religious beliefs. If Hollywood continues to create films like Evan Almighty, millions of traditionalists may grow to rue the day when Hollywood, with dollar signs in its eyes, began courting them with wilted flowers and stale chocolate.

Full article here

[RustyAngeL]

I saw the previews and knew I would not go and see it anymore then I went to see Bruce Almighty with Jim Carry. I'm sorry but to me it is just plain blasphemey. Maybe I'm over reacting but it just seems so disrespectful.

[sheya joie]

Wait a minute - you mean Hollywood thought Christians would like this movie???

[None]

I'm willing to bet the major audience were poser-christians who know nothing of true faith or the importance of reverence towards God. This movie was yet another attempt by satan to make fools out of Believers by making bombs of the few movies attempting a Christian theme. Like the only "cool" movies are the ones that don't involve God.

How completely backwards they have it.

[Giaour]

My biggest problem with this movie is that he tells evan to build an ark so he can flood the world. God promised he would nEVER do that again. Rainbow covenant

[Deathstar 80]

My biggest problem with this movie is that he tells evan to build an ark so he can flood the world. God promised he would nEVER do that again. Rainbow covenant

I thought the same thing about this movie. When "God" told Evan to build the ark to save people from the flood, I was a little angry. Later in the movie, though, I learned it was just a flood in the small valley they lived in, not the entire world.

As a christian, I did like this movie. The problem I had with this movie was that it had a few bad words in it. Although, the lesson of the story is a good lesson to learn (that everyone has a purpose in their lives, and that through god, they can accomplish anything). If they just took out the bad words, I would consider this a decent christian movie.

On TBN, they interviewed the director of "Evan Almighty", who is a christian, and who did talk about Jesus and God. (This confuses me, though, because I was sure he would get rid of the bad words if he was a christian) I myself found nothing in this movie that was offensive against Christians.

[nebula]

I saw the previews and knew I would not go and see it anymore then I went to see Bruce Almighty with Jim Carry. I'm sorry but to me it is just plain blasphemey. Maybe I'm over reacting but it just seems so disrespectful.

I actually feel the same way.

[Marnie]

I wouldn't call it blasphemy...just plain boring and highly condescending. I thought it was a waste.

Now Die Hard 4...that had me cheering!

[Axxman]

C'mon even Passion of the Christ got it wrong in some areas. If you go to a movie theater for anything other than mindless entertainment...your wasting your money. Passion of the Christ was the last movie I saw in a theater...I enjoyed it. I just won free tickets to see Evan Almighty and I am hoping for nothing more or less than a relaxing evening with my wife...eating red vines and popcorn, of course.

[katrinka]

I knew nothing about the blaspemy in the movie, but I just knew from seeing a picture of a poster for the movie, and the fact that is was a comedy, tipped me off that it wasn't my cup of tea.