When I walked into the theater to see “Bruce Almighty,” I expected to see just another comedy that didn’t really qualify as a quality film. I was surprised to see something quite different. “Bruce Almighty” proved to be not only a fully-developed story, but a well-acted and a frequently humorous movie.

Bruce Nolan, played by Jim Carrey, is a human interest news reporter who is extremely frustrated with his career and his life. He aspires to report on more serious news, believing he will only be a success if he lands the anchor job he and a coworker, played by Steve Carell of “The Daily Show,” are competing for.

After being fired from his job, Bruce becomes even more pessimistic, blaming God for all of his problems. God, played by Morgan Freeman, responds by endowing Bruce with all of his powers, challenging him to do a better job. Hilarious antics ensue as Bruce attempts to use his newfound powers.

He first uses his powers to better his own situation. He teaches his untrainable dog to use the toilet, secretly enlarges his girlfriend’s breasts, and revives his career by finding Jimmy Hoffa’s body. Although quite ridiculous, these scenes are very amusing.

Carrey balances the comedic and dramatic aspects of his role in one of his best performances to date. His unique brand of comedy perks up the less interesting, dramatic parts of the film, creating a very well rounded performance. Without Carrey in this role, “Bruce Almighty” would be lacking the spark that makes this movie great.

The cast has an undeniable chemistry, which creates sheer comic energy from beginning to end. Jennifer Aniston and Carrey make a wonderful comedic couple. Aniston’s character, suitably named Grace, softens and sweetens Carrey’s sometimes harsh style of humor. Aniston seems very well-fitted for this type of supporting role, similar to that of “Office Space,” in which she also co-starred as the girlfriend.

Carrey and Freeman create an ideal comic duo. Freeman, who was perfectly cast for this role, plays off of Carrey’s crazy comedic antics with an unworldly charm. When Carrey recreates Moses’ parting of the Red Sea in a bowl of soup, Freeman appears and coyly says, “Having fun?” These morsels of unexpected humor from Freeman enhance Carrey’s own comedic presence throughout the entire film.

The two actors share an on-screen presence that slightly resembles the remarkable pairing of Carrey and Jeff Daniels in “Dumb and Dumber.”

There are various aspects of this movie I found to be reminiscent of Carrey’s previous performances. “Bruce Almighty” contains some Ace Ventura-esque outrageousness, yet still remains grounded. Like “Liar, Liar,” which was also directed by Tom Shadyac, this movie conveys the human element of emotion. “Bruce Almighty,” however, avoids the cheesy aspects of this type of film thanks in large part to a strong supporting cast.

Unlike some of Carrey’s other movies, such as “Ace Ventura” and “Dumb and Dumber,” the storyline of this movie enables Carrey to display various facets of his acting ability. He shows his softer side and uses it to full effect, as he similarly did in “Liar, Liar” and especially in “Man on the Moon.”

Similar to many of Carrey’s comedic ventures, the only downside of this film was its obvious predictability. Without the predictable conclusion, however, this movie would not have been as pleasing to me as a viewer. I enjoyed the uplifting feeling this movie gave me, not only through its hilarity, but also through the inspiring storyline.

“Bruce Almighty” is an uproariously funny film that enlightens you to appreciate what you have. The principal cast does an astounding job working with this original idea to create a summer movie that just makes you feel good.