The "Oh, God!" Trilogy
Film reviews by Andrew Hicks
Copyright 1996 Andrew Hicks / Fatboy Productions
OH, GOD! (1977) *** (out of four)
Oh, God, is OH, GOD funny. Sorry, I just wanted to say that. It's not keel-over-and-compulsively-slap-your-knee funny, but it is a good 70's comedy, with George Burns playing God. Geez, I know the guy's old, but he doesn't really pass for seven trillion. God visits John Denver, who plays a supermarket manager (who keeps the Grape Nuts well stocked). And who knows, Denver may work in a supermarket today--as a bag boy, of course.
God tells Denver to spread his word (through his magical talent of folk music... Yeah, right!) and Denver is in no position to decline. Naturally, the world at large thinks he's crazy (for recording that stupid "Annie's Song" crap), but at least the movie's soundtrack is pretty good. You should hear John Denver sing "Thank George Burns I'm a Country Boy."
This movie was followed by two sequels, and I hear there are plans in the works for another one, with Burns as God, Jerry Lewis as Jesus and Bob Hope as the Holy Spirit. OH, GOD! also has it's share of rip-off imitators, including OH, SHIT! OH, HELL! and, of course, OH-KLAHOMA!.
Oh, God! Book II (1980) *1/2
Oh, God, not another OH, GOD! movie."Book II gets a half-star for leaving John Denver out of the proceedings, but that's about the only good news this time around. George "God" Burns still seems kind of God-like, only slightly older. Here, he comes back to earth and reveals himself to an eleven year-old girl (you know what I mean!), telling her to come up with a good advertising slogan for Him.
Apparently, "turn or burn" isn't good enough, so the girl abandons her studies to think up a good God slogan. She finally comes up with one--"Think God"--and Burns encourages her to plaster the slogan on every wall, sidewalk and bald head in town, an act which soon gets her thrown out of school. Soon, her parents are convinced she's crazy, and a panel of psychologists is faced with the decision of whether or not to put the girl in a padded cell next to the OH, GOD! BOOK II script-writers, in an ending paralleling the first OH, GOD! In fact, this whole sequel is a needlessly mundane retread of the first one. God never changes, I guess.
You'd have more fun memorizing the Book of Numbers than watching this dismal movie.
OH, GOD! YOU DEVIL (1984) **1/2
Oh, God, that devil George Burns is at it again in this third movie in the OH, GOD! series, featuring George Burns as God of the Codgers once again. The twist is that this time Burns also plays the hairy host of hell, so now the producers are telling us God and the Devil both look like a cigar-smoking old man (forget that "angel of light" business). There goes my hope of a pleasant afterlife.
The devil, in the guise of a recording agent (what are they trying to tell us here?), offers a struggling musician (Huey Lewis) a sure chance at super-stardom for seven years (Why they didn't make it six years, I'll never know.) in exchange for--you guessed it--his immortal soul, which reminds me, I have to call back that publisher who offered me $2 million for this book in exchange for a minor payment to be made at a later date. What was his name? Oh yeah. B.L. Zebub.
The musician immediately assumes the identity of the biggest rock star in the world (that "hee-hee" guy), while someone else takes his previous life ("I'd sell my soul to be a struggling musician"). The musician soon learns carefree sex every night isn't all it's cracked up to be (especially if it's with George Burns) and tries to get his old life back. That's where God comes in, to play a climactic game of poker with the devil over everyone in the world's souls. Needless to say, the theology in OH, GOD! YOU DEVIL, as in the other OH, GOD! movies, is somewhat lacking, but this movie is a definite improvement over the dreadful BOOK II, which God Himself couldn't have saved. But that's what happens when you take George Burns' name in vain.
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