An Interview with God

Ken Aguado has written a clever script about spirituality, that emphasizes questions rather than answers, and includes some unexpected plot twists. The acting is uniformly good. David Strathairn provides a convincing performance as God. The music is haunting and sets the tone beautifully. One drawback about seeing this film in the theater was the jarring cut to an irreverent interviewer at the end, before the credits. I would have preferred some time (with a little music) to contemplate the movie themes, followed perhaps by some suggested discussion questions that groups could use as a starting point for sharing their reactions. Sorry, but the tacked on interview was really awful.

This movie had the potential to be really good. Good acting, good storyline but fell off dramatically as you see it continually go no where. There's never really a reason given for the "interview". The back story is extremely limited. It was more of God intervening than an interview. Though I typically give religious movies the benefit of doubt, I just can't help but doubt who wrote this.

This isn't really a movie. It's a religious/philosophical treatise disguised as a movie. The plot is that a religious journalist has an interview with a person claiming to be god. The standard pattern of these things is that the interviewer, who is the stand-in for the audience, at first thinks he's talking to a crazy person but gradually comes to believe he is actually talking to god. The movie hopes the audience will come along for the ride and give the ideas presented the weight thereof.

The fundamental problem with anything like this is that it is so effing arrogant. I mean, could you be more self-indulgent and arrogant than to say you can define the personage and motives of the creator of the universe? Beyond that there is the secondary problem in that the movie is taking a stand of sorts on which religions are correct. If the movies espoused beliefs happen to align with your own you may not see a problem with that, but I don't care for that approach because it reduces god to a kind of supernatural parent confessing to the audience that he has a favorite child. It might feel great to hear "god" say you are his (her/its) favorite, but I have a problem with any idea that sounds like the central thesis of a religious war.

Anyway, I don't want to go into any more detail because this is a really touchy subject for so many people, but I'll just say instead that I don't think this is a very good film; it's preachy, judgmental, and not interactive. You have to sit there and listen to them regurgitate their belief system all over you, something better suited for a sermon at your house of worship then as entertainment.

This is a very philosophical movie and i believe anyone with philosophical and theological interests would like it. But the good parts are when the interview takes place, between them the movie becomes a little boring and personally I did not like the protagonist's acting. But the actor who plays God is amazing and his scenes well acted and well written.

There's an intriguing philosophy at work behind this seemingly meandering story, dealing with issues of blind faith, the morality of the divine and the challenges of 'staying on the path' in the modern world. However, what lets the film down is the morose and plodding nature of its execution that left it struggling to hold my attention between its titular interview scenes; while its conflict is confused and seemingly overcome by a mere change in mood rather than any attempt to address issues constructively.