Bruce Almighty

Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) is a luckless TV reporter with a dead-end job who believes that fate is conspiring against him — clearly disregarding the fact that he's dating Grace (Jennifer Aniston). But while most guys might praise God if they were dating Jennifer Aniston, Nolan curses him, prompting God (played by Morgan Freeman; I mean, seriously, who else could play God?) to step in and defend himself. God endows Nolan with his powers, challenging him to take a crack at ruling the universe. The menu introduction to Bruce Almighty is a welcome reprieve from loops of endlessly yapping dogs or chatting heads. Using a scene from the movie, Jim Carrey points to the stars, turning them into menu options. It's a little thing. But it's a nice thing. This DVD is just all in all a welcome reprieve from obtuse quizzes that go on forever, sickly sweet "We're not worthy" tributes, and copious mini-docs that take longer than the film to finish. Bonuses in this DVD include outtakes that are actually funny, "The Process of Jim" featurette, which, although slightly tedious, is illustrative of Carrey's versatile and natural comedic talents, and 15 fittingly deleted scenes that are nonetheless amusing. Some don't-miss outtakes: Carrey's passionate turn as a piano maestro and his impromptu waltz with Freeman. With 15 deleted scenes, watching what didn't make the cut is like seeing a whole new movie. If left in, Nolan would have come across as a much bigger jerk towards his girlfriend, and wouldn't have been as likeable, but there's some good stuff for those that can't get enough of Carrey. The Bruce Almighty DVD was designed to do what all DVDs are supposed to do: add to your enjoyment of the film. And it does that, without wasting too much time. Plus: commentary by Shadyac, "The trailer. (Universal)