Reflection and

Conversation
1. Family
- Evan talks a good line about family,
but does he walk the talk?
- Fathers Day was last Sunday; do
you think Evan tries to be a good
Dad?
- What does Evan promise his family
especially his sons when they
arrive at their new home?
- Why does Evan think it is okay to put
work before his family?
- What changes when Evans sons and his wife begin to help him?
- How did you feel when Dylan, Jordan, and Ryan joined their dad to build
the ark?
2. Marriage
Joan, Evans wife, tries very hard to understand what her husband is going through,
between the beard, the extra lots of land, and building the ark.
-

How many ways does she try to find out what is going on with him before
she decides to take the children and leave?
What does the waiter at the restaurant say to Joan that helps her see her
husband and the ark differently? (Who is the waiter?)
What does the image of Gods creatures walking two-by-two say to
parents about the vocation to marriage?

3. Community
- How does the film present the idea of community in nature and among
people?
- What does the common good really mean?
- What does the film say about the American Dream?
4. Virtue and Vice
- What vices characterise Congressman Long and the political wolves that
run in his pack?
- What human and Gospel virtues does God, through Evan, teach the
politicians and their neighbors?
5. Theology
Our relationship with God is characterized by spirituality and informed by theology,
that is, by how we experience and understand God.

When Evan asks God about his

reasons for the first flood, how
does God explain it?
What does God say about people
who want to understand him as an
angry God?
Do you think God is angry? Why or
why not?
Who is God for you?
How do you understand God to be?

6. Spirituality
- What does God say about love in the film?
- How many kinds of love do you notice in the movie?
- Do you believe that everything God does for us is because God loves us?
Why or why not?
- When God takes Evan to the ridge so he can see what the valley used to
look like, this is what is known as an ah ha! moment. Evan has an
epiphany, or an awakening. What does he finally understand about God,
creation, and human existence?
- Have you ever had a ah ha! experience when you became aware of a
truth or reality that changed you?
- Director Tom Shadyac told journalists: That God voice is very personal to
me; I am very exacting with it. God is about healing the anger that
humans like to have about God and life. We like to blame God. Do you
think this is true? Why or why not?
- Humor is all about healing, director Tom Shadyac told Christian
journalists at the June 9 th junket for his upcoming comedy Evan Almighty.
How do humor, healing, and spirituality go together for you?
7. The Problem of Evil
Although the film does not speak of evil or
sin explicitly, the plot of the story is about
Congressman Long who works some shady
deals so he can sell public lands to be
developed for a profit. Then, who was
responsible for the damn breaking?
-

Was it only Congressman Long?

Someone once defined evil as
the absence of empathy. Do

you agree with this?

If Congressman Long had been thinking about others more than himself,
what kinds of good things could he have been doing for people and the
environment? Make a list and send it to someone in public service.

8. Acts of Random Kindness, that is, A.R.K.

- The films theme of love is expressed in Acts of Random Kindness (a take
on Random Acts of Kindness.) God told Noah to build an ark; today God

invites us to show love in the world. How did Evan show kindness in the
film?
How will you practice Acts of Random Kindness in your family, at school,
work, church, on the playground or at the mall?
What does Acts of Random Kindness even mean?
Evan wanted to change the world and make a difference. How do you
want to change the world to make it a better place? Make a list and write
A.R.K at the top.

9. Evan Almighty and the Scriptures

- What is the one Scripture citation you remember from the film? Look in
your Bible, the Gospels especially, for stories about Gods love such as the
parable of the prodigal son, or when God the Father sent Jesus into the
world to save us from our sins, or when Jesus forgave the thief on the
cross, or healed someone. Find the parts in the Gospels when Jesus speaks
of sending the Holy Spirit into the world.
- How can the Holy Spirit help us to change the world and help others?

10.

Ecology
- The filmmakers decided to make Evan Almighty a green or eco-friendly
production from the beginning. The actors used two-sided scripts, and the
crew used bicycles during filming to cut down on care usage. Do some
research on the website www.getpmboardnow.org that was launched in
partnership with The Conservation Fund. Choose and talk about an activity
you can do with your family to care for the earth. Visit
http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/projects/socialteaching/excerpt.htm and
research Catholic social teaching especially care for the environment and
solidarity.
- Ryan likes the animals a lot and knows a lot about nature. How does
kindness to animals enhance our human dignity

11.

The Film All groups to answer

- What did you like most about the film?
- If you had been the director, what would you have done differently and
why? Did you find yourself in the film? What did the film mean for you?