The Forecast Isn't Good

Evan Almighty

D’you ever have that thing where you love a movie even though all the evidence suggests you shouldn’t? In spite of the fact that all the critics pan it and no one really goes to see it – you just can’t help yourself. Well, that’s me with Evan Almighty. I know I know. Bruce Almighty it ain’t. And you can’t even win with Bruce because if you don’t like Mr Carey…
But I just can’t help it. I know it’s not a great movie, and it’s not as funny as it might have been, or as profound… But I just really like it. I can’t help it. It makes me laugh and think and maybe I’m alone here – but I reckon it beautifully illustrates how embarrassing it must have been to be an Old Testament prophet. I mean let’s face it – Evan has everything a dude could want and has to swap that for a bad beard, uncool clothes, bird excrement and er… a bonkers hobby. At least he didn’t have to cook his food on human crap, or walk around naked, or bury his underpants. You see we have this strange notion about the OT dudes, that they were cool heroes who towered above normal folk. We forget that their life was rather embarrassing and we probably would have scratched them off our party list. We talk about people being prophets today – well be warned if you’re praying for that gift – be prepared for a full scale move into crackersville. Cause it ain’t so much about talk talk talk – but look stupid, look stupid, look stupid. You see prophesy, it seems to me, is about doing something which will stop people in their tracks. Noah tried to do it with a big boat and it did stop people – but not for long enough – only for a nudge and a wink and witty riposte. Jonah reluctantly did something bonkers and wow! the people did stop. And God changed his mind when he saw that people were taking him seriously. Which begs the question – would God have actually sent the flood if everyone had got on the boat? And where would that have left the hapless Evan/Noah?