Why God Couldn't Save 'Evan Almighty'

The Hollywood Reporter's Ray Richmond seems to be channeling his inner Onion writer with his piece "Paltry Box Office Performance of 'Evan Almighty' Rekindles Doubts Surrounding Existence of God" in his Past Deadline column. Jokes aside, he makes some pretty good points about why the most expensive comedy ever came up short during its opening weekend (although he left one out--the movie's price tag itself. Who spends between $175-$200 plus million to make a comedy? Even Fox pulled the plug on Used Guys when it got too expensive, and that movie had director Jay Roach, Ben Stiller and Jim Carrey attached). From his column:

* Steve Carell's star continues to rise; he stars in "The Office" and he had a $100 million smash last year in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin." But Carell isn't yet close to the superstar that Jim Carrey, who starred in "Bruce Almighty," was.

* Word is the film was greatly watered-down to appeal to family audiences. The original was harder-edged and aimed at adults. I'm not convinced that a Noah's Ark-style tale is a big sell to older kids and teens in particular.

* Some films don't merit sequels, and "Bruce" may well be one of them. Maybe this is a rejection of what everyone already has dubbed "Sequel Summer." At some point, the sense of deja-vu and "been there, done that" is going to prove counterproductive, it would seem. Familiarity can breed contempt as easily as business.

* Edgy comedies ("Knocked Up") do better than family ones, and on the big screen only the ones perceived as truly uproarious draw the big business. Lukewarm dramas can skate by easier than can lukewarm comedies.

Variety examines some of the same subject matter today, minus the catchy headline.