Oh, God! (1977)

★ 6.4 1h 38m IMDb

Comedy Fantasy

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.

Where to Watch

Checking 300+ streaming services for this title. Check back soon.

Rent / Buy

No rental or purchase options available yet.

Cast

John Denver as Jerry Landers Died 1997 · Roswell, New Mexico, USA Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, record producer, actor, activist, and humanitarian, whose g...

George Burns as God Died 1996 · New York City, New York George Burns (January 20, 1896 – March 9, 1996), born Nathan Birnbaum, was an American comedian, actor, and writer. His career spanned vaudeville, film, radio, and television, with and without his wi...

Teri Garr as Bobbie Landers Died 2024 · Lakewood, Ohio, USA Teri Ann Garr (December 11, 1944 – October 29, 2024) was an American actress, dancer and singer. She frequently appeared in comedic roles throughout her career, which spanned four decades and includes...

Donald Pleasence as Doctor Harmon Died 1995 · Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England, UK Donald Henry Pleasence OBE (October 5, 1919 – February 2, 1995) was an English actor who gained more than 200 screen credits during a career which spanned over four decades. Often typecast as villaino...

Ralph Bellamy as Sam Raven Died 1991 · Chicago, Illinois, USA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Ralph Rexford Bellamy (June 17, 1904 – November 29, 1991) was an American actor whose career spanned 62 years on stage, screen and television. During his career...

Director Carl Reiner

Cast John Denver, George Burns, Teri Garr, Donald Pleasence, Ralph Bellamy, William Daniels, Barnard Hughes, Paul Sorvino, Barry Sullivan, Dinah Shore

JPV852 7/10 Sep 10, 2021

Simple but sweet little theological comedy. The material and tone seemed to be something out of the 1960s than the mid 70s. George Burns was good and even John Denver was fine in the lead. Not sure I have a huge desire to re-watch, however. **3.25/5**

Wuchak 7/10 May 07, 2024

_**What if the Almighty manifested and gave you an assignment?**_

God appears to a grocery store manager (John Denver) in the guise of an old man (George Burns), offering him the task of spreading the word that He’s there, He cares, and we must work it out on Earth through peace and love as opposed to violence and hate. Teri Garr is on hand as the man’s wife.

“Oh, God!” (1977) is a comedy-fantasy that I found laugh-out-loud funny through the first act. It eventually gets more serious, addressing religious sects and hypocrisy, while remaining amusing. Being a lighthearted movie for the masses, don’t expect commentary on hardcore or complicated theological issues, like sin, divine judgment and humanity’s need for eternal life, not to mention the consequence of damnation. There might be a quick witty comment on some of these items, but nothing more.

If you can accept that, it’s an entertaining fantasy that screams mid-70s in every frame. Besides, the basics ARE true: If the Almighty manifests (one way or another) and gives you a mission, you would be compelled to carry it out and face the negative consequences, like ridicule and loss of your job. Likable Denver is surprisingly good for a musician and the ending is heartwarming.

A sequel came out in 1980 with the same sitcomy vibe, but focuses on a little girl and wasn’t as funny, although it’s worth checking out if you liked this one. The third and last installment, “Oh, God! You Devil,” debuted in 1984 and involved a Barry Manilow wannabe morphing into a stud-ly Rick Springfield rock star after making a deal with the devil. It’s reminiscent of “The Rose” if it were a comedy and, in its own way, is just as good as this one.

The film runs 1 hour, 38 minutes, and was shot in Burbank and surrounding areas (Long Beach, Los Angeles, Van Nuys and North Hollywood).

GRADE: B