BEFORE: Just like that, August is half over, and it feels like it just started. After giving the devil his due, it's God's turn, since he put in cameo appearances in the last few films anyway. A more logical follow-up would be "Oh, God! You Devil", but that's the only film in this series that I have already seen.
Linking from "The Devil and Max Devlin", Elliott Gould was also in "Ocean's Thirteen" with Carl Reiner, who directed this film and put in a cameo appearance.
THE PLOT: God appears to an assistant grocery manager as a good natured old man, and selects him as his messenger for the modern world.
AFTER: You know, it's a good thing that we live in a time when people aren't put to death for blasphemy. Then again, maybe there are some countries that still do that... But I'm thinking of the Dark Ages, when people couldn't disagree with the church, or put forth new ideas about the nature of the universe - these days you can just make a film with radical new concepts, like maybe we need to start thinking about taking care of our resources, or perhaps people who say they speak for God while asking for your money are full of crap.
There's the start of some radical ideas here, like maybe Jesus was the son of God in the same sense that all men are sons of God (I've always preferred that interpretation, anyway) but unfortunately the movie spends so much time on the set-up, and trying to prove that God exists, that there's not much room for the actual message. When it finally is revealed, it's really basic stuff - love each other, try not to hurt each other, appreciate animals. It sounds like a bunch of hippie 70's new-age stuff, honestly. But that doesn't mean it isn't good basic advice.
After dealing with the fame that comes with being a prophet (and that's what I think Jesus was, at heart, a prophet. Hey, it was a valid career choice back then...) and appearing on TV to spread the word, the movie gets bogged down in a court case, similar to that seen in "Miracle on 34th St." Well, you can't really prove in court that God doesn't exist...
There's just enough time to take an evangelist down a few pegs, which I support, and to appreciate the way that a regular nice guy connects with God, at least in a symbolic fashion. But I wish the film had the chance to make something close to a point.
Starring George Burns (last seen in "The Sunshine Boys"), John Denver, Teri Garr (last seen in "Dumb & Dumber"), Paul Sorvino (last seen in "Nixon"), with cameos from Ralph Bellamy (last seen in "The Wolf Man"), Donald Pleasence (last seen in "Escape From New York"), William Daniels (last seen in "Black Sunday"), Dinah Shore, and David Ogden Stiers (last seen in "The Accidental Tourist").
RATING: 4 out of 10 talk-show guests
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