Apparently "Bruce Almighty" director Tom Shadyac and writer Steve Oedekerk got together over a few beers and had the following conversation: "You know what we should do? Start with our mediocre 2003 hit movie, dumb it down, make it less funny, and target the core audience of '7th Heaven.'"

Whew, that must have been a lot of beers; in fact, that ridiculous bar tab must be the reason for the $175 million price tag of "Evan Almighty."

I used to believe that in a day when truly entertaining family comedies are rarer than steaks that still moo, that critics should cut the genre a little slack. But with dreck like Vin Diesel's "The Pacifier" and Ice Cube's "Are We Done Yet?" becoming the rule more than the exception, it should be our duty to help hard-working families save $57.50 on these limp and lifeless movies.

The originally "Bruce Almighty," starring Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston, filled the coffers with more than $85 million during its opening weekend and soared past the $240-million mark at the final tally. It was one of Carrey's safe movies, marked by pedestrian humor, overflowing physical stunts and nothing spectacular. It was the kind of movie you could go and see with your parents without worrying that a breast might fly out or that someone would fall asleep.

Enter "Evan Almighty." The sequel stars "Office" boss Steve Carell, who reprises his supporting role from the original as a somewhat dense TV newsman. After winning a bid to be a U.S. Congressman representing Buffalo - a little town I like to call the Flint by the Falls - Evan Baxter, his wife (Lauren Graham) and three sons move into a posh Northern Virginia house. And he's ready to change the world.

I'm honestly giving you more plot build-up than the movie does. Before you can say "you've been a sellout since 'Shawshank,'" Morgan Freeman arrives in a pressed white suit, reprising his role from the original as God. And this time, instead of giving special powers to our leading man, he sends him on a quest to build an ark and prepare for a mighty flood. But you know all this because you've seen the trailer, which leaves less to the imagination than dental floss thongs. (You've probably heard that much of "Evan Almighty" was filmed right here in Richmond and C-ville -- in one particular scene in the trailer you can see downtown Main Street clear as day. Yay us!)

We get only a few supporting plot fragments along the way, with John Goodman playing a one-dimensional House of Reps powerhouse trying to pass some anti-green legislation so wretched that Al Gore was ready to make another movie until he found out this was only make-believe. By the end of the 90-minute "Evan Almighty" you get the distinct feeling that the filmmakers just really wanted to make a movie with an ark, a flood and a beard - plot, giggles and character development be damned.

Thankfully, Carell is always strong. (Allegedly, Ben Stiller is suing the 40-year-old virgin to get his shtick back as America's Everyman). The two-by-two stream of animals is cute. And Wanda Sykes, who's funny for the first time since “Curb your Enthusiasm,” is responsible for 100 percent of the movie’s five legitimate laughs.

Will “Evan Almighty” make up its $175 million budget? Maybe with some divine intervention. I don’t mean that as a joke. I wouldn’t be surprised to see school buses unloading smiling families and frenzied Young Lifers who are hitting up theaters for the first time since Mel Gibson told them to.