Robin Williams Christmas Movie Review: ***^ A Merry Friggin' Christmas (2004)

 This movie is an irreverent look at Christmas and the family get-together.  Boyd Mitchler (Joel McHale) does not like his father (Robin Williams) who did allow him Christmas spirit as a child.  He does not go home for Christmas.  But this year is different.  His brother, Nelson (Clark Duke), has a new baby and asked Boyd to be Godfather.  The baptism is Christmas Eve.  Boyd and his wife (Lauren Graham) head home, four hours, for Christmas.  He really wants his youngest son, Doug to have the spirit of Santa Clause.  His mother's (Candice Bergen) Christmas dream is that the whole family be together.  This includes sister, Shauna Weinke (Wendi McLendon-Covey) and her husband Dave Weinke (Tim Heidecker) and their two older children, who do not believe in Santa and are pretty rowdy.

When they get there they discover they left Doug's present home.  Boyd decides to go home to get it.  If he hurries he can just make it.  His car breaks down and dad comes to rescue him.  Dad is a porta-potty delivery man.  They discover Nelson in one of the potties.  He had fallen asleep.  A police men pulls him over a few times as he speeds.  Last time he doesn't stop but the policeman lets him go, it is Christmas.  They run over a drunk hobo Santa Clause (Oliver Platt).  He appears dead, but just as they are going to chop him up to bury him he wakes up.  They take home home, arriving too late for gift opening, ao the hobo Santa takes thre gift in, a sleigh.  They have no snow, but a different gift pleases Doug.  

Some chuckles, but not the greatest film.  It does display Williams' wit and humor but as a grouchy old man, who is overcoming addiction.  There is some growth as Boyd interacts with his father, and gets past some of his childhood trauma.

Movie Review: ***Evan Almighty (2007)

In the Almighty movies we have modern day interactions with God.  In this case God is played by Morgan Freeman and a Noah like character, Evan Baxter, is played by Steve Carell.  Baxter is a young congressman.  He is taken in as a co sponsor on a bill to loosen environmental regulations and make it easier to develop land.  The bills sponsor is Congressman Long (John Goodman).  God comes to Baxter, and tells him to build an ark.  Baxter lives in a new subdivision close to Washington, D.C.  The purchase extra lots for the boat, and supplies begin to arrive.  Baxter's wife (Lauren Graham) is terribly confused.  She is even more confused when Baxter starts to look like Noah.  However, Baxter is finally able to convince his family, wife and three boys) to join him in the project.  They reconnect as a result of working on the ark together.
In the meantime things are not going well in congress.  Baxter withdraws his support of the bill.  Long is looking for revenge.  He does this by trying to force baxter out of congress.  He also takes aim at the ark.  He gets an order to have it destroyed.  baxter is convinces a storm is to arrive any moment.  Along with this animals have come and entered the ark.  However the storm doesn't come, except for a downpour which doesn't last very long.  However a dam breaks, and a wall of water washes them away.  All Baxter's neighbors, after chastising him in unbelief quickly enter the ark.  The are saved, and the ark is carried to congress buy the current.
This movie lets us know that miracles are not dead.  There is one last meeting between God and Baxter, which puts a final touch on the movie.