Movie · 1977 · Fantasy, Comedy · 1h 38m · PG · English
Curator score: 2.9/10 (19K ratings)
Anybody who could turn Lot's wife into a pillar of salt, incinerate Sodom and Gomorrah and make it rain for forty days and forty nights has got to be a fun guy.
Overview
When God appears to an assistant grocery manager as a good natured old man, the Almighty selects him as his messenger for the modern world.
Ratings
Curator score: 2.9/10
IMDb: 6.6/10
Letterboxd: 3.17/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 72%
Metacritic: 56
TMDB: 6.4/10
Director
Carl Reiner
Production
Warner Bros. Pictures
Cast
John Denver, George Burns, Teri Garr, Donald Pleasence, Ralph Bellamy, William Daniels, Barnard Hughes, Paul Sorvino, Barry Sullivan, Dinah Shore, Jeff Corey, George Furth, David Ogden Stiers, Titos Vandis, Moosie Drier, Rachel Longaker, Jerry Dunphy, Mario Machado, Connie Sawyer, Jane Lambert
Curator Review
Verdict
A mild, amiable fantasy-comedy with a strong central gimmick and a memorable George Burns performance, but it plays more as a soft-spoken curiosity than a big comic swing. Its charm is real, yet the humor and pacing are understated enough that it may feel slight unless you’re in the mood for a gentle, old-school premise movie.
Best for
fans of 1970s high-concept comedies
viewers who like low-key, good-natured fantasy
people interested in religious or philosophical comedies
fans of George Burns or John Denver as an oddball screen pairing
Skip if
you want sharp, fast-paced comedy
you prefer irreverent or outrageous satire
you need strong narrative momentum
you’re not interested in faith-adjacent premises
Overview
Oh, God! is built around a simple, irresistible idea: what if the Almighty showed up as a cranky, charming old man and picked an ordinary guy to spread the word? The movie gets a lot of mileage from that setup, especially from George Burns, who gives the film its easy, sly confidence. It’s less a joke machine than a breezy conversation piece, and that restraint is part of its appeal.
Worth noting
The tone is warm and approachable, with enough wit to keep the premise from turning preachy. John Denver works well as the bewildered everyman, and the film’s modest scale helps it feel like a relic of a more relaxed era of studio comedy. It’s not especially ambitious in its plotting, but it does have a pleasant, almost disarming sincerity.
Bottom line
If you’re expecting a big comic onslaught, this may underwhelm. But if you like movies that treat a wild concept with a straight face and a light touch, it’s an easy watch. More charming than hilarious, more curious than essential, but still a worthwhile slice of late-70s mainstream fantasy-comedy.
Top Letterboxd reviews
sulllll (3★) · 317 likes
truly a popcorn classic
Dom Fitzgerald (3★) · 228 likes
🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🥤🥤
Joey · 129 likes
Hey guys , a lot of people don’t know this was actually shot here in San Bernardino
Degg_Eric (3★) · 97 likes
I have so many questions about what locations they used to film this Popcorn Classic and I wish there was a film buff that would show me.
📀 Cammmalot 📀 (3.5★) · 82 likes
”You know, I’m liable to lose my job.”“Lose a job, save a world. Not a bad deal.”
What if you suddenly had to convince the world that you spoke with God? That’s the quandary John Denver finds himself in during this charming movie…and of course everyone thinks he’s nuts.
I love George Burns, and this is the absolute perfect star vehicle for him. He shows up, makes a few quips, and then like that…he’s gone.
The two of them… more