A Homespun Hollywood philosophy lesson about how the world would be a better place if we all stopped thinking about ourselves so darn much... yep, that outta do it. Suddenly, wars end, the hungry are fed, the homeless housed. And Jim Carrey's comedy caravan is back on course.

Or something like that.

This harmless, amiable comedy would love to have been made 50 years ago by Frank Capra - it even features a dash of vintage Jimmy Stewart - whose recipes for a better world were almost all based on good, old-fashioned small town American wisdom where the folks just get along.

Bruce Nolan (Carrey) is an ambitious small town TV newsman. He lives a nice life in a nice neighbourhood with a nice girlfriend (Jennifer Aniston) and a nice dog (albeit one with toilet training troubles). But he's blind to his blessings because he covets a job as an anchorman and his world comes crashing in on him one fine day when he arrives late for work, blows his chance on a live report, gets fired, beaten up and crashes his car.

He blames God so long and so loud that eventually, the Big Cheese (played by Morgan Freeman) calls him in and hands him the reins. If Bruce is so hard done by God, then let him try being in charge for a while.

Suitably empowered, Bruce lands himself the job he wants, gets a bigger car, enlarges his girlfriend's boobs and teaches the dog to use the lav.

But he can't stand in the way of free will and when his unbelievably twee girlfriend walks out on him he suddenly finds all the power in the world (and beyond) cannot win her back.

Well, wouldn't ya know it?

Lessons learned, wrongs righted and simple, honest, human humility restored, we await the inevitably cosy conclusion that'll send us on our way with hearts lifted.

OK, so it's easy to be cynical, and Bruce Almighty has more than its share of laughs with Carrey on tip-top knockabout form - just the way we like him. It's not a film about taking risks, it's a film that doesn't pretend to be anything more than it is - a hokey, jokey, only slightly smug, lesson in looking at ourselves.