Newly-elected to Congress, Evan leaves the city of Buffalo and herds his family to suburban northern Virginia. Once there, his life turns upside-down when God appears and commands him to build an ark. However, his befuddled family just cannot decide whether Evan is having an extraordinary mid-life crisis or is truly onto something of Biblical proportions.

First, let me say that "Evan Almighty" is a slightly better movie than its trashy 2003 predecessor, "Bruce Almighty". While the latter was just a vehicle for Jim Carrey to make an ass of himself with his juvenile humour, "Evan" has a proper plot and a rather inspiring message about faith and trust in God.

Okay, Christian fundamentalists may argue that God has already made a covenant with Man that He will not flood the world again, but nobody seems to have told screenwriter Steve Oedekerk or director Tom Shadyac. Or even if they knew about it (from Genesis, in the Bible), they must have found enough potential in it for a comedy - even a preposterous one with a plot about the Almighty asking a guy to build an Ark!

The sequel opens with Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) leaving his job as TV news anchorman after being elected Congressman on a pledge to change the world. He moves from Buffalo with his wife (Lauren Graham) and kids to a mansion in New York. On his first day at the job, he kneels and prays for divine guidance on how to change the world.

God acts in strange ways. Evan soon discovers this when he receives huge deliveries of ancient tools and timber - and finds animals and birds follow him wherever he goes. An encounter with a Man-in-White (Morgan Freeman) comes with a request for Evan to build an Ark - yes, like the one Noah built - and he even gets a copy of 'Ark Building For Dummies'. Of course, Evan thinks that this is all a joke and Shadyac includes a few sequences on how Evan resists this obligation to concentrate on supporting a corrupt and controversial bill of Congressman Long (John Goodman).

Shadyac acts in stranger ways. This is essentially a one-joke movie and Shadyac has to resort to applying a few subplots to get the laughs. He sees a need for Evan to appear and dress like the biblical Noah - conjuring scenes of Evan trying to shave off his facial hair and hiding his robes under his jacket and trousers. Other sight gags include a sign that reads "The 40-Year-Old Virgin Mary" (a reference to Carell's "40-Year-Old Virgin"), and an 'Al Mighty' name tag for Freeman's fast food waiter. You are also required to catch the joke in Molly Shannon's real estate agent, Eve Adams.

As the movie nears its climax, Shadyac ups the ante, featuring circus antics as the critters help to build the Ark. Now, where do these tigers, lions and pandas come from? From zoos all over the US? More incredible sights are in the offing when the film-makers fool around with CGI for shots of the boat splashing onto the US Capitol!

Americans affected by the September 11 tragedy may not find that scene funny or awe-inspiring.

For comedies, I prefer Carell to Carrey. It is easier to empathise with Carell and although his talents are not properly exploited here, he suits the role as God's foil and even as a hapless victim. Freeman again gives his role a light-hearted touch and it is good to have him back.

Catch Freeman and the cast hamming it up in the end credits and you will realise that this is just an hour or so of cheap satirical fun. There's nothing to get offended by.

God may be as approachable as a freckled black man in "Evan Almighty" but Steve Carell doesn't need much of His help in nailing his part as Evan Baxter, the unsuspecting newscaster-turned-politician who receives God's decree to build an Ark. However, unlike the elastic Jim Carrey in "Bruce Almighty", Carell has to carry this movie through on his own because it is ultimately a disappointing project.

After the controversy has settled down over the screening of this movie in Malaysia, one really does wonder how something so light and silly managed to create such a fuss. It is, by and large, a completely unnecessary movie - much like its predecessor, "Bruce Almighty" (which did have a few good things going for it). So unnecessary was this one, that Christian dissent (like the Catholic wrath after Alanis Morissette played God in Kevin Smith's religious satire, "Dogma") weren't even in the headlines. "Evan" was, in fact, heavily-marketed to religious groups in America by the same company who handled "Bruce Almighty", "Passion Of The Christ" and "The Da Vinci Code". What it meant is that people who are supposed to be offended, aren't, because it simply isn't important enough to be bothered about!

It's truly surprising how two lines about Evan's dilemma, plus one short profound conversation between God and Evan's wife, is enough to gloss over 95 minutes of animal slapstick and nose hair grooming. Animated features (like "Ratatouille" and "Cars") are taking the lion's share of family comedies, and market demand should pressure "Evan" into offering something more substantial, besides keeping its zany, fun edge. Failing horribly, the affair becomes a soundtrack-fuelled time-killer with little else to remember other than grand illusions of scampering animals.

That's why it's a good thing that the wooden planks used to make the Ark are thicker than the plot. Not only is it reportedly made to Biblical measurements, it looks impressive. The production is noted to be the most expensive ever for a comedy - but the humour is repetitive and cheap. Wanda Syke's part as Rita, the annoying secretary with the one-liners, stands out. Hers is only one of the many peripheral, forgettable characters that shape the film.

Perhaps local sentiments demand little but "Evan Almighty" does make references to American subculture to make it worse. Talking about 'shooting up Rogaine' (the hair-growth drug) and looking like the rock band Loggins and Messina may not find international audiences well but we forgive them because they happen so fast - in fact, just in time for the next banana skin joke to distract us. Quirky details, like a sign that reads, "The 40-Year-Old Virgin Mary" (a nod to Steve Carell's "The 40-Year-Old Virgin"), and Morgan Freeman's name tag 'Al Mighty', might have worked if this were a Tarantino film with inter-connecting 'inside jokes' but character projects - news ones especially - cannot generate such appeal.

Noah, Noah... No ahh, No ahh - this is too light. After the audience has fooled themselves into laughing through the movie, it's time to think about how easy it was to please us. Go watch Carell's "Little Miss Sunshine" instead.