Oh God!

MOVIE REVIEW OF Oh God! (1977) PG

Cast
Director:	carl reiner	Runtime: 1hrs 38min ( 98min)
jerry landers	.....	john denver
god	.....	george burns
bobbie landers	.....	tery garr
doctor harmon	.....	donald pleasence
sam raven	.....	ralph belamy
george summers	.....	william daniels
judge baker	.....	bernard hughes
reverend willie williams	.....	paul servino
bishop reardon	.....	barry sullivan
diinah shore	.....	dinah shore
rabbi silverstone	.....	jeff corey
briggs	.....	george furth
mr. mccarthy, district produce manager	.....	david ogdon stiers
greek bishop markos	.....	titos vanois
adam landers	.....	moosie drier
becky landers	.....	rachel longaker
jerry dunphy	.....	jerry dunphy
TV reporter	.....	mario machado
mrs. green	.....	connie sawyer
mrs. levin	.....	jane lambert
check-out girl	.....	kres mersky
TV engineer	.....	byron paul
room service waiter	.....	hector morales
court clerk	.....	wonderful smith
court stenographer	.....	murphy dunne
religious fanatic	.....	boyd bodwell
girl	.....	zane buzby
norman	.....	dennis kort
mechanic	.....	bob mcClurg
checkout-girl #2	.....	celeste cartier
dinah's guest	.....	carl reiner
police officer	.....	john ashton
courtroom spectator	.....	arthur tovey

PLOT SUMMARY

Jerry Landers (John Denver) is your average middle-class guy; wife; two kids-one boy and one girl; manager of the local supermarket; and, oh, yeah...an atheist. This, of course, makes him the perfect candidate for the job God (George Burns) has for him...to spread the Almighty's message to the world.

So, after finally being convinced that this in not a hoax, Jerry takes on all the standard hits of your typical nobody-can-see-him-except-the-hero movie.

Jerry finally realizes that regular people aren't going to get the message out in the way God wants, so he goes a bit higher. He meets with representatives from all the major faiths, including a bloodsucking evangelist who takes in millions of dollars in donations for the church.

The issue finally comes down to a courtroom battle for the determination of Jerry's sanity.

Is there any hope for mankind, or should God just scrap the whole mankind project thing and start over?

TECH INSPECTION

George Burns was one of the funniest straight men who ever lived. Star of vaudeville, radio, television, and movies, he said he never could have done it without Gracie (Allen), but this movie challenges that statement..

This is a great movie for religious and non-religious alike. After all, the main characters are God, and an atheist. It is a movie about being a decent human being on your own. But we have to share in the effort. Sometimes it's about the little things.

This movie pokes fun at the scam-based sect of the religious community, while preserving the idea that mankind still has control, but we shouldn't leave it all up to God. Nor should we blame others for our shortcomings.

There is still hope. As my grandmother used to say to her children, "I brought you into this world, I can just as easily take you out of it!"

This is a really funny movie, without resorting to overuse of slapstick comedy or vulgar (easy) jokes as is often the remedy today for a lame script (which most of them are). Definitely a movie on which to reflect, while being entertained in the best of ways.

QUOTES
Finally, a short list of quotes I think are worth repeating. You may recognize some, but these are my own picks, not ones that are particularly famous:

• Landers : Uh, sir...
  Security Guard : Yes, sir?
  Landers : H...h...h...h...how do I get to the uh, twenty-seventh floor?
  Security Guard : In this building?
  Landers : Yeah.
  Security Guard : I'm afraid you'd need a can opener. We only have seventeen floors.
• God : Ostriches were a mistake. Silly looking things. Avocados...made the pit too big. Like I say, you try.
• Landers : I don't belong to any church.
  God : Neither do I.
• Bobbie : And he thinks he's God?
  Landers : Well he thinks he's God. And I'm in no position to argue with him.
• Bobbie : So, is that all he told you...that you're going to be the saviour, and that...to tell everybody that we have down here can work, huh?
  Landers : Yes. He also told me that he was very disappointed in avocados.
  Bobbie : He is?
  Landers : He said he made the pit too big.
• God : They've figured out so many ways to talk to each other that finally nobody can.
• God : You deliver those papers to Reverend Williams. The one who looks like a football player.
  Landers : I didn't like him.
  God : He's having one of his big dos at the Shrine Auditorium. Every time I turn around, he's spreading the word...my word. Only my words he ran out of years ago. I'll tell you the truth, the reason I put everybody here naked...I wasn't trying to be cute. I just didn't want to create clothes. With clothes is right away pockets. With pockets you gotta put something in them, right? You take these answers and give them to Reverend Big Mouth and you say that God says he's a phony. And also tell him if he wants to get rich, fine...tell him to sell shoes. But personally tell him, I'd like him to shut up.
• God : You do a show like that, you don't let them put you on in the last few minutes. That's for fellows who write diet books. /li>
  
• Landers : While you're watching over me, would you mind watching the road, too?
  God : I'd rather watch a nice sunset.


• Court Clerk : Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
  God : So help me, me.


• Landers : Aren't you coming back?
  God : No.
  Landers : Ever?
  God : When Ever comes...we'll see.

Here is my personal rating of this movie. This rating is out of ten meows.
¹⁰ /₁₀

---

Thanks for Visiting!!!

Please comment below