Movie Reflection

1. Family
 Evan talks a good line about family, but does
he practice what he preaches?
 What does Evan promise his family –
especially his sons – when they arrive at their
new home?
 How did you feel when Dylan, Jordan, and
Ryan joined their dad to build the ark?
2. Marriage
Joan, Evan’s wife, tries very hard to understand what her
husband is going through, between the beard, the extra lots
of land, and building the ark.
 List some of the ways she tries 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?)

3. Community
 How does the film present the idea of “community” in nature and among people?
 What does the “common good” really mean?

4. Virtue and Vice

 What vices characterize 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?

6. Spirituality
 What does God say about love in the film?
 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: 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?
 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.
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?
 Someone once defined evil as “the absence of empathy”. Do you agree with this?

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

 The film’s 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?
 Evan wanted to change the world and make a difference. How do you want to change the
world to make it a better place? What are some Random Acts of Kindness you’ve done?
Make a list.

9. Evan Almighty and the Scriptures

 What is the one Scripture citation you remember from the film?
 How can the Holy Spirit help us to change the world and help others?