TAMPA, Fla. - A lot of mortals who happen to share God's telephone number - or at least the one He uses in the new movie "Bruce Almighty" - have spent days now taking calls from curious dialers, snickering cranks and desperate souls.

In the hit movie, a TV newsman played by Jim Carrey is endowed by God with divine powers, allowing him to perform such feats as parting a bowl of tomato soup like the Red Sea. God's phone number is repeatedly displayed on the newsman's pager whenever the Lord tries to summon him.

Usually, movies and TV shows use the telephone exchange 555, which is not used for homes and businesses. But "Bruce Almighty" used a seven-digit number valid in many parts of the country.

Many moviegoers have remembered the number and put it to work in their own area codes.

A woman in Pinellas Park, Fla., has threatened to sue the movie studio because of the 20 calls per hour clogging her cell phone. A Denver radio network was getting dozens a day Wednesday, five days after the movie hit theaters, and is planning to build a contest around the phenomenon.

In Sanford, N.C., the listing belongs to a church whose minister is actually named Bruce. And he is not amused.

"It's a movie that mocks God and makes a mockery of religion," said the Rev. Bruce MacInnes, pastor of Turner's Chapel Church. "I'm not too thrilled with it at all. But the Lord God is one that could use something that's meant for evil and turn it around for good. So this may very well be the reason that that number showed up."

Universal Pictures, which produced the film, said in a statement Wednesday that the phone number was chosen because it does not exist in the Buffalo, N.Y., area, where the movie is set. The studio offered no further comment.

A database search turned up more than 30 listings nationwide for the number in the movie.

In Cornelia, Ga., the number belongs to the Rev. Patrick Collington, an evangelist who runs Souls for Christ Ministries. His wife, Tracy, said they have gotten about 100 calls since Friday - mostly people asking for God and hanging up - but they are not bothered.

"It was funny, and knowing God's phone number was our number was really something to be excited about," she said.

Donna Augustin of Parrish, Fla., said her family has gotten about 200 God calls since Friday. Her three children think it is hilarious. A new message on their answering machine informs callers that they have reached "God's messenger" and should "call Jim Carrey" instead.

Some callers of the Augustin home leave messages ranging from sweet to obscene. Most try to come up with something funny. One guy wanted to know when God would answer his prayers and make him a porn star.

In Denver, the Colorado Radio Network's nine lines started lighting up Monday with God callers, a good number of whom actually seemed to think they found a direct line to the Lord, according to Ron Nickel, the network's senior vice president.

"God, I really need to talk to you," one woman said in a message. "I need to repent because I've cheated on my husband five times, but I guess all of us people who are prostitutes eventually cheat on our husbands."

Nickel said the network of five stations plans to turn the whole thing into a contest. Listeners will be asked what they would say to God if they could call Him. The host of the stations' only religious show will pick the winner.

"This just dropped right out of the sky into our lap," Nickel said. "We would have to be stupid to get angry."

I heard the review I mentioned on Neil Cavuto when he was talking to the Head of the Catholic Defense League (?). Here's a review pretty identical to what I described.

Review: 'Bruce Almighty' rather hole-y

Film goes from funny to heavy-handed

By Christy Lemire
Associated Press

God (Morgan Freeman) gives TV reporter Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) his omnipotent powers for a week in "Bruce Almighty."

Story Tools

• The changing face of God -- in movies

(AP) -- From the television commercials, "Bruce Almighty" looks like Jim Carrey's big return to the kind of broad physical comedy he made his name with.

And it is -- until about two-thirds of the way through, when it turns into a very special episode of "Touched by an Angel."

The tone turns from wacky to preachy with the speed of a lightning bolt from the heavens, which makes the film's marketing seem downright disingenuous. I half expected Kirk Cameron to show up and save the world from the apocalypse, again.

You have to have seen the commercials -- they're on so frequently, they practically have their own cable channel -- and they divulge the movie's every sight gag.

Carrey, as Buffalo TV reporter Bruce Nolan, receives the powers of God (Morgan Freeman) after suffering a crisis of faith, and uses them to part his tomato soup as if it were the Red Sea and give his girlfriend (Jennifer Aniston) bigger breasts. He makes fire hydrants explode and blows wind up a hot woman's dress for sheer amusement. And -- ho, ho, get this! -- he makes his naughty dog pee in the toilet, standing up on his hind legs.

Not that funny the first time -- not that funny the 666th time. But the slapstick fits Carrey like a glove -- or rather, like "The Mask," which "Bruce Almighty" alludes to when Bruce tosses out a casual "All righty, then."

Falling apart

Among Bruce's early testing of his powers: dividing a bowl of tomato soup.

Following Carrey's disappointing dramatic turn in "The Majestic" -- his most recent attempt to be Taken Seriously As An Actor, in the tradition of "The Truman Show" and "Man on the Moon" -- he's back doing what he does best, doing what his audiences love.

But then Tom Shadyac, who directed Carrey in "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and "Liar Liar," abruptly shifts the film's tone. Bruce also must deal with the burdens of playing God, which entails hearing people's prayers. That's fine, because it makes sense, but one quibble: The voices come to him selectively, when in theory, they should bombard him all the time.

One of the people he hears praying is his girlfriend -- named Grace, naturally -- who lies awake in bed at night sobbing, "Dear God, give Bruce strength." Later, Bruce falls to his knees in the pouring rain and cries out to God, "I surrender to your will!" It's all too heavy and heavy-handed to serve as a message with any real meaning.

Among the most grievous sins: The film wastes Aniston in the role of the supportive girlfriend, when she proved last year with "The Good Girl" that she's capable of doing so much more.

Freeman brings his typical stately presence -- and to be fair, seeing him as God in "Bruce Almighty" is far preferable to the loose-cannon colonel he played earlier this year in the nightmarish "Dreamcatcher."

But even he couldn't keep this lapsed Catholic from praying that the film would end.

"Bruce Almighty," a Universal Pictures release, is rated PG-13 for language, sexual content and some crude humor.

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