User reviews

Oh God!, is a smart and funny film. It is truthful, without being condescending. It talks about religion without being religious. It also showcases George Burns' finest screen appearance aside from The Sunshine Boys.

As, God, Burns is astonishing. Whenever John Denver asks questions that every being would ask if confronted by God, Burns replies with a certain, common sense, matter of fact response. There is no grandiose answer. One of my favorite lines is when John Denver's character asks "Why me?", God says, "Why not you? You know those supermarket things, every one millionth customer. Or whoever crosses the bridge at a certain time. Well you're the one millionth customer."

Speaking of Denver, he also is great, playing Jerry, not as a crazed man, but as an average grocery market assistant manager who is suddenly faced with the fact that God has chosen him to carry a message. He plays his character with a certain warmth, and naturalness.

Carl Reiner directed this film, and with a great eye. Notice how Jerry's everyday life is just that, everyday. The way he is with his wife, and kids, and people around him. I've seen it a dozen times, because that's how people actually act. Reiner brought a sense of realness to this movie, which in effect brought with it believability.

Before Morgan Freeman was God, George Burns was God, and actually there's something very appealing about God being played by a short, elderly man with a soft voice and a gentle sense of humour. Not that this was what God looked like, of course. God explained that this was just the way he chose to appear to Jerry Landers (played by John Denver) - the Tarzana, California supermarket assistant manager through whom God chose to speak a word to the world. God couldn't appear as he really was, it was explained, because Landers (and presumably the rest of us) just couldn't handle that. Point taken. That actually reminded me a bit of John's Gospel, in speaking of Jesus: "no one has ever seen God, but God the one and only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known."

This is a very low-key movie for the most part about God choosing to make an appearance basically to plead - through Jerry - for people to start getting along with each other and to stop hurting each other; an appeal to set aside all the things that divide us and start to focus on being the human family. Not a bad message - but, as the film portrays, a message not received well at all. Instead of embracing the message, those who heard it chose to either attack or ridicule the messenger - surely a warning for those who claim to bring a word from God. Through Burns, God isn't portrayed as a being of great power, breathing fire and brimstone and anxiously waiting to bring judgement upon us. God is frustrated with us, disappointed in us, amused by us, but not especially angry. It's hard to imagine God as portrayed here being angry.

The movie breaks out of its low key feel very briefly for a scene involving the Reverend Willie Williams (played by Paul Sorvino.) One of a panel of religious "experts" called upon to pass judgement on whether or not Jerry's experience of God was real, Sorvino's portrayal of Williams - a corrupt and greedy evangelist - was very well done; a spark of real energy in an otherwise sedate movie. Williams and the others on the panel, of course, are all convinced that God would only speak through them (or at least through their various religions) and not through a lowly supermarket assistant manager. But God chose the humble and unknown Jerry. There's a theological point being made there - an important one actually, and such theological points are made throughout the movie, although never in a hard-sell, in your face sort of way. Teri Garr (who seems to me to have been everywhere in the 70's) was also cast in this as Jerry's devoted but doubtful wife.

Some compare this movie to "Bruce Almighty." It actually has more in common I think with "Evan Almighty" - the idea of God choosing a person to speak through and having him rejected as either insane or a fraud. Jerry wasn't given God's powers, after all - just a message for the world. Low key and sedate, this movie won't get your heart pounding or cause outrageous laughter. It's just gently thought- provoking and mildly amusing. A pleasant viewing experience. (6/10)

I was a little apprehensive renting the DVD of this movie after all of these years since its original release, but most of it holds up remarkably well.

On the DVD commentary tract, the makers of the film, looking back on it after 25 years, seem to be equally as surprised. The director, Carl Reiner, points to an eight-minute scene in which it is just Denver and Burns talking in a bathroom. There is no music, no fast cuts, no special effects, and the scene simply holds our attention on its own. Mr. Reiner indicates that there is no way that the scene would be made that way today.

Some scenes are timeless, such as Jerry's first encounter with the Almighty via intercom in the all-white room. Also classic is the infamous scene in the bathroom in which God first reveals himself in the flesh to a humbled and still somewhat disbelieving John Denver.

Unfortunately, not all of the movie holds up as well. Some things, especially exteriors, seem very dated. And even though it is quaint, it is hard to believe that an intelligent and capable husband and wife team would cherish a Supermarket Assistant Manager Job so much. Ah well, it was another time when people still believed in sticking with one company and working their way up through the ranks.

I wish that the film would explore some of the harder questions of religion a little more seriously, but one wonders if the film would collapse if taken out of its sweet, feel-good movie formula in which it is helplessly trapped forever.

If anything, rent it for the performances of the two leads. George Burns, playing the role at 83, is so good, that it is, (not to be cliched,) awesome. However, what is equally as unbelievable is the performance of John Denver in his first and only acting gig. He hits some of his notes perfectly, and it really shows a significant skill and timing to play straight man to a legend like Burns.

George Burns picks an average Joe, the married assistant manager of a grocery store with two kids (John Denver as Jerry Landers) to put out the message that he is unhappy with the direction things are going, but that everything necessary to put things right is available on the earth and it is up to the people if things are going to change for the better. And Jerry doesn't even believe in God, at first anyways. Now maybe God was smart to pick an unbeliever, since he would have no preconceived notions of God, no childhood Sunday school lessons with which to fight what his eyes are telling him.

But Jerry is confused by this Libertarian God. Think about it- Burns' interpretation of God definitely has an opinion of how things should go, but refuses to lift a finger to change anything. He believes the people should do the fixing and that He should have a "hands off" policy. Even after Jerry gets in trouble with his new role and risks his marriage, his career, even everything he owns in a lawsuit with a televangelist, and he and God are saying their goodbyes, God doesn't promise to do anything to help him repair the smoldering remains of his life. He just tells Jerry that he did a good job getting the message out and walks off.

As for the acting, at the time George Burns did a guest appearance on the TV show Alice and mentioned he was picked for the lead because he "was the only person old enough to play the part". Burns did a great job of slinging the occasional zinger in the film like in his younger years playing straight man to Gracie. John Denver did a convincing job of playing a working stiff that just doesn't have time for this stuff but feels he must comply. What else do you do when God keeps picking you up in a taxi? And poor Terri Garr, she spent 1977 playing a housewife who is married to a modern day Moses in this film, and married to a guy making the replica of a mountain out of mashed potatoes in her den in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".

Looking at it 40 years after the fact, the one thing that this film got right way ahead of its time was the crooked televangelist, artfully played by Paul Sorvino. So artfully I had forgotten that he was playing the part until I rewatched the film recently. God knows that the guy is enriching himself in his ministry, and his sermons never talk about morality, just the importance of giving. This was 14 years before Bob Tilton was exposed as a con artist on ABC's primetime live, 10 years before Jim Bakker was found to be running his "Christian amusement park" as a giant Ponzi scheme, and eleven years before Jimmy Swaggart was caught in an ongoing sex scandal even while condemning another dishonored pastor for his own. And as for Mike Murdock? Don't get me started. Let's just say that Paul Sorvino has the act down pat from the big hair to the rather colorful wardrobe to the Southern accent and fake politeness.

It's a very quirky film, certainly with lots of made up feel good philosophy attributed to God, but it is fun, certainly different, and try making a film like that today with all of the political correctness in the air. I'd recommend it.

Historically, everyone has assumed that God is supposed to be associated with religion, and everyone claims the Almighty for their religions. Well, in "Oh, God!", the Big G is nothing like that. Grocery store clerk Jerry Landers (John Denver) gets a message that God wants to meet with him. Thinking the whole thing to be a joke at first, Jerry realizes that it really is the Creator, albeit only his voice. Later, God appears as an old man (George Burns), and explains that he wants Jerry to spread his word to humanity. He hasn't gone to any clerical figure (e.g., the pope or Billy Graham) because he's not interested in religion. But when Jerry tries to tell the world, they not only believe him to be crazy, but many people start threatening him.

They certainly had a good point about God not being interested in religion. If more people would consider this concept and stop claiming that all of their actions are in God's name, maybe the world might come closer to moving forward in various arenas.

I saw this during it's initial theatrical release but I don't what would have caused me to go to see it. I guess I always liked those fantasy films that were popular from the 1940's and this seemed to fall in that genre. I did enjoy it and I've seen it a couple times on television since. This is probably the best of the Carl Reiner directed films of his that I've seen. I never saw The comic or Where's Poppa but his four comedies that stared Steve Martin were forgettable. Martin alone saved them from being total loses. I've seen glimpses of Reiner's other films on television before I switched channels but Oh God has a great cast and some great writing from Larry Gelbart. Gelbart of course is legendary as a writer and developer coming from Sid Ceasars Show of Shows in the 50's, writing A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Tootsie and the television series M*A*S*H. This screenplay is adapted from the novel by Avery Corman who also wrote Kramer vs. Kramer, earned Gelbart an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay and a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy Adaptation. John Denver stars as a supermarket manager who is visited by God to spread the word that things can work for mankind on earth. God is played by George Burns who appears to Denver in the form of a casually dressed old man, kind of like George Burns on vacation. Burns while not being quite old enough to actually be God comes close enough. In the large supporting cast are a great ensemble of actors in Teri Garr, Ralph Bellamy, Paul Sorvino, Barnard Hughes, Barry Sullivan, Donald Pleasence, Dinah Shore, David Ogden Stiers and William Daniels. An interesting group of actors where the careers of some were on their way up while others were on their way down. Denver himself, though remaining a recording artist never had another role this big on film and would in fact over the next 20 years only make two more theatrical films and four made-for-TV movies. Victor J. Kemper is the film's cinematographer. He was hot property in the 70's with his work on the film's The Hospital, They Might Be Giants, The Candidate, The Eyes of Laura Mars, Magic, Dog Day Afternoon and Oh God. He would never again match on film the success he enjoyed in that decade. This is a good movie and worth a look and I would give it a 7.5 out of 10.

In the hands of an ungifted writer, Oh, God! Could have been tawdry and a screed against Christians. I saw Oh, God! Back in the 80s on the small screen, and I found (along with other church colleagues) that the movie was gentle and respectful, with a touch of humor along the way.

Sure, the movie won't appeal to all Christians (and even athiests) but still.

This is a warm, inclusive film. Maybe there's a bit of nostalgia in my comments, but I appreciate this movie's approach to faith.

God comes in a form that our modern society seems to enjoy dismissing-- the elderly. It's a delight to George Burns, who really does have all that mileage on him, and John Denver, whom no one will mistake for Laurence Olivier, create this relationship between the mundane and the spiritual that is relatable, relaxed and relevant.

In our culture, we already know about the forbidding and the punishing, and the hostility between faiths.

But here's a God who says, paraphrasing here, "Jesus was my son. Moses was my son. Mohammed was my son. Buddah was my son. And so are you. And so is the guy who's charging you 18.50 for a piece of room service roast beef."

Inclusive, with gentle humor. Burns' performance suggests a being who has seen a lot of the world, and doesn't expect anything of importance to happen quickly.

It's a loving and practical relationship between the everyday and the sacred.

And the old hands, Barnard Hughes and Paul Sorvino, and the whole gang of great character actors, make this a treat to watch. And gee, having Teri Garr play exasperated. That's like asking Pavarotti if maybe he'd like to sing something.

Maybe a bit sweet for your taste, I don't know. For me, I can actually watch it whenever it comes on and enjoy every moment of it. (Like Paul Sorvino as a money grubbing preacher, protesting, "And I PERSONALLY have been invited, to give the benediction.....at the SUPER BOWL!!!!"

The biggest problem with the story is that it tries to convince you that God exists. It would have been so much better (funnier and more interesting), if Jerry had not seen God but had been delusional, crazy. The plot is even contradictory, because God says he has nothing to do with religions, yet he keeps mentioning stories in the Bible, which is a (terrible, immoral) religious book. This movie is a very good idea that unfortunately was poorly developed and executed. Watch it because of the first half and because of George Burns, who is divine in this.

I was reminded of this wonderful gem of a movie the other night when I watched Bruce Almighty again with some friends. That's been a favorite of mine in these last few years. Anyway it reminded me a little of Oh God for obvious reasons, the references to God, and the thought provoking quality mixed with wit and intelligent comedy.

Oh God was one of my favorite comedies growing up. It definitely is the kind of comedy that doesn't get made anymore unfortunately. I have yet to read the other reviews of this and hope to find some tens besides me, because while this was by and large a comedy, it was a delightful one and one that still lingers in my thoughts which is obviously why I decided to do a review. Comedies, when they are perfectly made, deserve 10's.

This is a 10 and one of the most thought provoking and beautiful comedies ever made. I am sure there are many growing up now, whole hosts of people, who have yet to discover this and I hope they do, particularly those who are fans of Bruce Almighty and are not aware of this wonderful movie from the 70's.

And not being a sequel person, I was a bit surprised that the sequel to this was just as good. My vote is 10 of 10 for excellent.

As no real fan of John Denver, I wasn't that eager to watch this. I saw it as a kid in the theater, and am not religious anymore, so why bother? Well, on blu-ray now, I noticed that Carl Reiner directs! I'm in!

What a fun, solid and entertaining film. The message is clear and also VERY non-denominational. Any religion can enjoy this!

Denver can act well enough and is fine. His odd hair is... well, odd. There's a silly joke about it in the first scene, so at least he can laugh at himself. And, thankfully, no tacked-on Denver songs over credits! Burns is subdued and does just fine. Really, a handful of actors could have played any of these rolls just fine. Oh, and a big plus is Terry Garr! She's great, funny and, sadly, a secondary character.

A few good stand-out gags, but the overall vibe is light and fun. I was pretty happy watching it with no real complaints. Despite the message being simple, clear, non-denominational, positive and harmless, I can't imagine this film getting a word for word remake now! So grab this and enjoy it as a time capsule!

"Oh, God!" is similar in many ways to "Bruce Almighty," but for some reason the former has gotten little attention over the years while the latter was a hit. While "Bruce Almighty" has some funny moments, I think this one is far superior.

First of all, George Burns is amazing. Morgan Freeman's God in "Bruce Almighty" had a slightly ominous, don't-cross-me nature, but Burns' is a God you can completely trust. He is caring and optimistic, and wants the world to get better. He doesn't throw Jerry into a situation he can't handle; he is there for him the whole time. Plus he is just a really fun guy to be around. Who wouldn't want to believe in a God like that?

John Denver also does a great job. It is hard to believe he had no acting experience before this, because he is top-notch. He is a kind, honest guy, not a selfish jerk like Jim Carrey's Bruce Almighty. He is nervous about delivering God's message to the world, but perfectly willing to do it.

Unlike that other God movie, this one delivers a good message without getting annoyingly preachy, it is consistently funny from start to finish, it has a likable main character, and it features a God who is a friend, not an opponent. I think everyone could enjoy watching this, whether they are religious or not.

Oh, and on a completely irrelevant note, I think Carl Reiner's cameo (doing an impression of the portrait of Dorian Grey) is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. That scene alone is reason enough to watch this movie.

8/10 stars.

This is a great example of how the secular world would like to picture God, even with concessions to Believers such as, "Yes, God is still alive." Unfortunately, in the name of humor - and it IS funny - they make the fatal mistake most Biblically- ignorant people make: they put God on the same level as human beings. So, here we see God portrayed humorously by George Burns but really not a whole lot more than any good human being, anything but holy and perfect God. For just one example, in the film, "God" admits he makes mistakes. If that were true, he wouldn't be God. Puh-leeze.

There are tons of secular feel-good stuff in here and that satisfied the masses, which embraced this film enough to have a horrible sequel or two. Even the title of the movie is blasphemous, using the Lord's name as an exclamation and nothing else.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed watching this. IIt's a nice movie with some good laughs and some memorable scenes....but not the Truth, folks. Mr. Denver and Mr. Burns could both tell you that now. By the way, kudos for Denver's performance. For a guy who was strictly a singer, his acting was excellent in here....and it was always fun to watch and hear Burns.

1st watched 6/5/2010 -- 7 out of 10(Dir-Carl Reiner): Simple, thought-provoking comedy with George Burns playing the wise-cracking grandfather-like God character. The movie was written by television comedy writer Larry Gelbart and directed by TV icon Carl Reiner. John Denver, in his first acting role, plays the character who talks to God and has to convince everyone that he exists. There aren't really any huge laughs in this movie, but it has some funny parts and the movie and it's message are just genuinely appealing. The idea that a normal guy can be chosen by God to spread his simple message to the world is something we want to believe in. Denver's character is an assistant manager at a supermarket when he gets a letter to meet God for an interview on the 27th floor of a building that only has 17 floors. At first he only hears God's voice, but then he appears in the form of George Burns -- supposedly a form the character can understand -- and then tries to convince his wife and kids(unsuccessfully) and then others. God is eventually given a test which he answers and delivers to an evangelical preacher but also expresses that he's a phony. The preacher then sues him and sets up a courtroom scene where God reveals himself to others(in his own George Burns-like way, of course). This is a very well done simple movie done by a couple of TV icons who then were able to do bigger things in the film world because of the success of this movie. A low-key gem that's not perfect but well done and good for the whole family. Don't miss it.

40. OH! GOD! (comedy, 1977) Jerry (John Denver) is an assistant-manager for a produce store. He's a happy family man until God (George Burns) requests an audience. He has picked Jerry to carry his message of good will to an increasingly pessimistic world. But Jerry finds that people are difficult to convince, he even has trouble trying to make his family understand that God appears to him as a kindly old man.

Critique: A surprise box-office hit when first released, it spawned other sequels that proved interesting ('OH! GOD! BOOK 2', 'OH! GOD! YOU DEVIL'). 81 year old George Burns shines as the perennial God, a role that he played with sweet abandonment. He is given great lines to work with. This God seems to have an answer for everything: on creating the world he quips; "to tell you the truth I thought about it for 6 days and did the whole thing in 1".

What's most interesting is that the film takes an unbiased, non-religious look at our Creator. This God doesn't believe in religions or its leaders, and sees "human suffering" as being our fault (not His doing) since we 'choose' to be. No wonder the very simple themes and in-jokes appealed to so many.

QUOTE: Jerry: "Sometimes, now and then, couldn't we just talk?"

God: "Tell you what, you talk I'll listen."

There's a great line from Inherit The Wind where in examining Fredric March on the stand Spencer Tracy deflates March who is on that prosecution team as a celebrity religious authority. If God speaks to Matthew Harrison Brady "suppose a Cates or a Darwin might have the audacity to think that God might speak to them". Oh God examines the proposition that God might speak to a lesser human being in this case Assistant Supermarket manager John Denver.

You can't get more average and ordinary than Denver a decent soul raising a decent family in this crazy world with not any formal religious affiliation. Which is maybe the reason God who appears to Denver in many places and guises as George Burns. Burns with that disarming manner makes one droll Divine Deity.

Larry Gelbart who wrote the script which brought an Oscar nomination to Oh God filled it with some sly and very profound observations on the human condition. Free will folks is the key, he gave us the world and humankind made it what it is today.

The film is well cast. I truly enjoyed Paul Sorvino's pompous pompadoured reverend. Burns doesn't like him and he tells Denver to tell him so. Which brings us to a courtroom scene, the goal of every player. I'll bet this film isn't run at Liberty Baptist University ever.

But it ought to be required viewing for all of us. We make the problems only we can clean them up.

It's because of the two main characters that Oh, God! Is so likeable. George Burns and John Denver seem like such nice, genuine people that you can't help but smile when their characters are on the screen. This movie could have easily swayed into the cynical or the sappy, yet it somehow manages to be uplifting and sincere. I don't think they could or would make a movie like this today.

I was disappointed in this film, though I may be in the minority (the film was a commercial and critical success).

First the script rarely sparkles. The lines are not that funny. And, after all, God must have had a great sense of humor creating the human species.

The best line in the film in my opinion is when John Denver says he doesn't belong to any church. Burns replies, "Neither do I."

There are a few other good lines, but nothing memorable. In a subject like this, it's inspired lines that drive the comedy.

It was really John Denver who was the standout here. He should at least have received a nomination for the film. I was really impressed by the nuanced performance he gave.

Again in the minority, I thought George Burns was ridiculously miscast n the film and to little purpose. Somehow I think Jack Benny (originally cast before his death) could have pulled off a comedy like this. But George Burns just doesn't work for me. Frankly TV shows casting the Devil have done far better and shown more imagination.

As for acting, Burns wasn't acting. He was talking. But if you're George Burns and lasted as long as he did, he was nominated, and then won, Best Supporting Actor. (For some reason, Wikipedia doesn't mention his Oscar in its entry for the film, though, as of today, it does refer to his other award, but not an Oscar.)

It's a cleverly cast actor who could have carried a film like this. Burns in my view wasn't it. Someone of the stature, and yet comic nuance, of Orson Welles, could have done a superb job. But then Carl Reiner was raised on TV comedy, which is really what this is.

The writing never rose above the pedestrian level and I don't think either Reiner or the script writer, Larry Gelbart could settle on a genre for the film. It meanders along, sometimes comedy, sometimes drama. Midway through and yawning one realizes what a genius Frank Capra was being able to blend comedy and dram impeccably in a way that this film couldn't.

The film also needed a good editor. The scene in the elevator at the beginning was unnecessary at that length. But especially flawed was the apparent parody of Billy Graham or at least another televangelist. I thought the sequence with Sorvino pointless and maybe even cruel and hypocritical. On the one hand the movie pretends to be a comedy but on the other hand it sneaks in a comment against televangelism with ridicule. I certainly am NOT defending televangelism. But don't sneak it in a comedy that is presumably not taking sides. That is to me what is cruel about it.

One of weaknesses of the film is its lackluster score. I haver never heard a weaker score, unless it's John Carpenter's score to Assault on Precinct 13. A good lively and tuneful score, with themes for God and Denver would have greatly enhanced the movie. A composer such as Elmer Bernstein could have composed a witty theme, suitably pompous, for God.

The first meeting with God could also have been improved in my option. Surely an art director could have shown more imagination than an all-white interior!

In sum, the movie basically plods along at a pedestrian pace and never really sparkles, as some of Jim Carrey's supernatural films do. In terms of plotting, a Capra could have motivated news interest in the story. But there's no plausible motivation for why the news media would pick up a story like this. A Capra would have motivated a reporter to exploit Denver's character to add ratings But presumably the media in the film had nothing better to do than to feature an ordinary guy who claimed he talked to God without any proof whatsoever.

Oh,God! is one movie I could see 1000 times and still be laughing. John Denver and George Burns were marvelous together and had a wonderful supporting cast around them.God coming to earth to give the message that He gave us the world and what is in it and that it is up to us to make it work is a wonderful message in this movie.This movie shows that the world lost A LOT when George Burns and John Denver died.This movie is funny without taking cheap shots at religion. I give it a rating of 10 out of 10. Considering that the 25th anniversary of this movie's original release will be in 2002,it would be wonderful if this movie was re-released theatrically then.

Oh, God! Is a classic staple of the 1970s, so if you like a bit of cynical humor with a cute tinge to it, check it out for your next weekend matinee. Though he's not a professional actor, John Denver's performance was very sweet. I don't know why he was cast, as the part could have been played by any number of actors, but he didn't really do anything wrong (besides be a little green in front of the camera). John plays an average American man who one day gets a mysterious invitation in the mail. He meets the mystery man at the appointed time and place, but only gets George Burns's voice over a speakerphone. George claims to be God, and he needs John's help!

Surely, this has to be a joke, right? God wouldn't contact an ordinary man to help spread the word, and he surely wouldn't take the human form of George Burns, right? The movie explains all that, with a healthy balance of cynicism and tongue-in-cheek humor. "Avocados; made the pit too big," God laments as one of his main mistakes in creating the world.

In the supporting cast, Teri Garr plays John's supportive wife. Paul Sorvino, Barry Sullivan, and Jeff Corey play a congregation of different faith leaders all debating the problem. Donald Pleasance, Ralph Bellamy, William Daniels, Barnard Hughes, David Ogden Stiers, and even Dinah Shore get in on the action. This is a very cute movie that spawned two less-cute sequels. But it's a classic, so if you haven't seen it and are prepared not to take it too seriously, give it a shot.

The plot had a lot of promise, but misses the mark in all matters concerning the Creator God character.