OH, GOD! (1977)

Los Angeles grocery store worker, John Denver, is contacted by (one of the Christian mythology versions of) God (played by George Burns) in order to help spread the word that God exists. So, what can Denver do that the millions of people who already do that daily cannot? He contacts the Los Angeles Times.  Amazing.  Somehow, that works and he soon becomes a local celebrity for talking to God. Things snowball and before you can say “If a good woman's good husband dies and she eventually remarries an equally good man…who will she spend eternity with in Heaven?” Denver is being interrogated by a grumpy group of religious leaders who don’t appreciate him weaseling in on their everlasting tax-free sacred cash cow.

Released way back in ye olde 1977, OH, GOD! was advertised as a comedy, but I failed to see the humor in moments that are supposed to be amusing. For example: Denver’s character is a non-believer, so in order to prove that he’s God, God does annoying crap like make it rain inside Denver’s car (great, now my whip is ruined.) or magically appear inside Denver’s bathroom while he’s showering (what the fuck is wrong with you, dude?). The entire film is full of moments equally as hilarious.

Besides the completely flat comedy moments, I was also disappointed in the overall story. It was dumbed down, dull and depressing.  Think about it.  Our Creator appears to Man…and all he does is pester / terrorize (he threatened Denver with lightning inside the car) / force the human into helping him?  What the fuck kind of maniac does that?  If a human did that to another human, it'd be a felony!  The God character is also capable of miracles (obviously), but he doesn’t do anything productive throughout the entire movie. No miracles (outside of some disappearance crap and that stupid rain trick), no helping people, no curing diseases.  Nothing!  Fuck him. If God showed up while I was driving and asked for help spreading the word about him, I’d drive his selfish ass over to a children’s hospital or a homeless shelter and tell him to fix that shit first!  Lazy fucker.  Also, how is it helpful knowing that God "exists" if she / he doesn't do anything?

I don't know.  Maybe I'm not the right audience for this film and just overthinking the whole thing.  I admire Carl Reiner and George Burns, but I'm saying "Goodnight, Gracie" to this motherfucker.  Dated special effects, average acting, horrible script, interesting old Los Angeles locations, old cars, slow pace, impressive supporting cast that is completely wasted, disappointing ending.  That said, OH, GOD! made more money at the box office in 1977 than ANNIE HALL did, so what the fuck do I know?

I am curious what hardcore Christians think about this movie?  I'm talking hardcore fuckers who "don't chew gum because gum is a hypocrite.  It lies to your stomach that food is coming" hardcore!  Because the entire thing seems blasphemous and doesn't present God in a positive manner.

Part 2 - Oh, God! Book II (1980)
Part 3 - Oh, God! You Devil (1984)

SUMMER RENTAL (1985)

I don’t care for comedies like this. The ones where the main character is a sad sack and/or a totally unlikable asshole and the entire movie is simply him/her bumbling around acting like a jackass and/or getting fucked over.  It's depressing.

John Candy plays a unlikable slob who sucks at his job so much that they force him to take a paid summer vacation.  Once in the fictional Citrus Cove, Florida, Candy does everything wrong right from the beginning.  Including, on the very first day, moving into the wrong house (how does that even happen?!) and then getting into very public argument in a restaurant with one of the most powerful guys in town (Richard Crenna)...who also just happens to be the landlord of the house he's supposed to be in.  The insane consequences don't stop there!  Ohhh, no...Candy also sucks so bad at sailing that he accidentally punctures a hole in the side of Crenna's boat.  After that, he takes sailing lessons from a local restaurant owner (Rip Torn) and then races Crenna in the annual Citrus Cove Regatta.  Crenna has won the last 7 years.

SUMMER RENTAL isn't a bad film, it's just really boring and frustrating to watch.  I felt zero connection with the main character and thought over and over that if I ran into him in real life, I'd most likely be irritated by him.  Example: when he walks out to the beach to meet his family, he tramples and spills cold water all over dozens of innocent people that were just relaxing.  Also, the jokes were totally lame.  At one point, Candy sees his daughter moping around, so he asks his wife "What's with Frances Farmer?"  Yeah, that's a real knee slapper!

Failed attempts at humor, boring photography, one lame topless scene, slow pace (mainly because nothing really happened for the entire film), abrupt ending, some cool old vintage movie posters in the movie theater lobby scene.  I really can't think of any reason to watch SUMMER RENTAL.  Skip it.