"Evan Almighty" isn't that much funnier than its predecessor, the Jim Carrey vehicle "Bruce Almighty," which was a surprisingly huge hit in 2003. In fact, it feels even softer.

This PG-rated comedy — which is supposedly targeted to families and children — also has a serious obsession with animal scatological jokes and other like-minded humor.

Still, it's a well-intentioned, goofy sequel that is likable enough, with pro-environment and family-togetherness messages that go a long way toward making it watchable.

"Evan Almighty" has a vague connection to the earlier film, with two returning characters. One is Evan Baxter (Steve Carell), who has quit his news-anchor job to become a congressman. Things are going well for Evan. He's got a big office, a big new house — and a senior congressman (John Goodman) is promising to help advance his political career.

And then God (Morgan Freeman) turns up with a request. He wants Evan to live up to his campaign promise to "Change the World," and tells him to build an ark, promising that a flood is imminent.

With help from his three sons (Johnny Simmons, Graham Phillips and Jimmy Bennett), Evan does begin the ark construction, which strains his relationship with his all-too-patient wife Joan (Lauren Graham), who's wondering if he's gone mad. His boys, however, are happy just to spend some quality time with their formerly inattentive father.

Screenwriter Steve Oedekerk and director Tom Shadyac, who also teamed for the original film, try to milk laughs from scenes of animals gathering. They also seem to think Evan's changing appearance (his hair and beard grow long and white, and he begins wearing robes) is hilarious.

But there really aren't any laugh-out-loud moments. Even comic pros like Wanda Sykes, John Michael Higgins and Goodman are straining a bit here.

Carell is an ideal, picked-upon lead, though, and his exchanges with Freeman are the film's high points.

"Evan Almighty" is rated PG for crude scatological humor involving animals, comic violence (slapstick pratfalls, animals running amok and storm-related mayhem), scattered mild profanity (religiously based), and brief drug references. Running time: 93 minutes.

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