A sequel to "Bruce Almighty" (2003), "Evan Almighty" is about a new congressman whose campaign slogan was "Change the World," and who gets on his knees and prays to God for help. But, of course, when God (Morgan Freeman) shows up, Evan has a hard time accepting the job he's given.

The job he's given is to build an ark for a coming flood. Of course, if you remember that the Lord told Noah he wouldn't flood the Earth a second time (Genesis 9:11), you may guess the movie's outcome early.

And at the picture's core is the cliche message of many modern "family movies": Dad spends too much time at work and needs to spend more with Mom and the kids.

But "Evan Almighty" is also filled with cheap jokes, in particular a bird-poop sight gag that is repeated throughout the movie with ever-increasing intensity.

And despite Carell's likable persona, it might have been a mistake to put a comic at the center of this film. An actor less inclined to do shtick might have been better.

Remember that in "Oh, God!" the comic — George Burns — plays God, and he does so in a low-key manner. And the actor who plays his human messenger is singer John Denver, who approaches the character as an everyman, without the need to mug and do a goofy dance, Carell's stock in trade. (Like many modern comic actors, Carell needs to be reined reigned in here if the film is to be rooted in some kind of reality. If you're doing wacky farce, let 'er rip. But for a story with three-dimensional characters, bring it down.)

As it is, "Evan Almighty" is torn between wanting to be a wacky comedy with vulgar comedy (at least as vulgar as a PG-rating will allow) and a character-driven fable rooted in the real world. Neither goal is satisfactorily achieved.

On the other hand, one of the most interesting aspects of "Oh, God!" — a suggestion that people should pray — is also a part of "Evan Almighty," albeit in a more tacit way.

At least in that regard, "Evan" retains the spirit of "Oh, God!"

As a footnote, just to demonstrate how conflicted Hollywood is with the idea of embracing people of faith, and how hard it is to walk that line between funny and offensive, how about this promo item I received for "Live Free or Die Hard": a flyer that shows the "Die Hard" catch-phrase ... or part of it ... in all caps, "YIPPEE KI YAY," followed by "John 6:27."

"John" refers to Willis' "Die Hard" character John McClane, and the numbers are the film's opening date, June 27.

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E-mail: hicks@desnews.com