Animal lovers, Bible fanatics and NBC's "The Office" fans were more than likely disappointed over the weekend with the release of the contemporary apocalyptical flood story "Evan Almighty."

In the tradition of sequels, "Evan Almighty" featured a weaker story than "Bruce Almighty" and was sadly less goofy.

Although "Evan" proved more family-friendly than "Bruce," Steve Carell didn't flail around madly and make funny noises enough to satisfy fans of his television character Michael Scott.

While the plot was laughable (Evan Baxter a U.S. Congressman?!) and strained viewers' voluntary suspension of disbelief, golden messages about vanity, the importance of family and taking care of the environment shone through Carell's benevolent smile.

Carell enthusiasts more than likely scowled at his character's holier-than-thou, weepy personae upon learning God's (Morgan Freeman) purpose in having him build the ark, which apparently stands for "act of random kindness" - ridiculous.

Also, this may rail against one of the points the movie tried to make about not taking outward appearances so seriously, but Freeman is in need of an orthodontic intervention.

 Freeman stands as one of the best working actors for his more serious performances in "Million Dollar Baby," "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Driving Miss Daisy." Unfortunately, the state of his teeth distracts from his dramatic prowess.

 Wouldn't God, let alone an Oscar award-winning Hollywood star with gobs of money, have access to the best dental care in the universe?

Wanda Sykes added another hand-dragging-nails-down-a-blackboard performance to the list of irritating elements in "Evan."

At first her one-line zingers were mildly entertaining, but line after line delivered in her indescribably monotonous tone must have grated the nerves of the film's cast and the audiences, not to mention the on-screen alpacas who couldn't even understand the punch lines.

Rainbows after the storm would include Jonah Hill's (the guy from "The 40 Year Old Virgin" who wanted to buy the glitter boots from the eBay store) performance as congressional page and "human search engine," Eugene.

"Arrested Development" groupies will enjoy his quiet, mumbling humor delivered in cheesy jokes and awkward devotion to Congressman Baxter.

Thankfully, the catch phrase from the movie came in the form of a Carell-created "happy dance" instead of the infectiously annoying "it's gooood" from "Bruce."

Perhaps the best part of the movie came before the opening credits: a preview for a new Carell comedy/drama titled "Dan in Real Life," also starring Dane Cook and Diane Wiest.

This movie is perhaps rent-worthy, but it would be an act of random kindness to endorse paying $8 or more to see it in the theater.

Grade: C

"Evan Almighty" is rated PG for mild rude humor and some peril. It has a running time of 90 minutes.