Search - God Is Great and I'm Not on DVD

Marianna S. (Angeloudi) from HOLIDAY, FL
Reviewed on 1/19/2014...

God is Great...but this film is only So so.......
Although I'm a big fan of Audrey Tautou, this film's light plot and choppy camera-work do not do her justice. Billed as a romantic comedy, Tautou plays Michèle, a French model adrift after a bad breakup and an abortion. She studies various religions through books, and settles on Judaism because she is dating a new man, a non-practicing Jew named François. François almost seems like a self-loathing Jew at first, because he angrily chastises Tautou who surprises him by tacking up a mezuzah over the door- he angrily demands that she paint the word "Jew" on the door instead. Evidently he doesn't want the neighbors to know he is Jewish. Later they attend conversion classes together. It took me two attempts to get through this film, as the storylines and numerous sub-plots are distracting and pointless. There are a few humorous scenes in the film, but there is also a despicable scene where François tells Michèle that he can't stand to touch her, or kiss her; it's like she's invisible, like she's a wall. The only reason he said this was because she wasn't Jewish, I surmise. Rightly, she breaks up with him after that horrible scene.I barely give the movie 3 stars.

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Frothy romantic comedy

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 03/30/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Audrey Tautou captured worldwide attention as the gamine heroine of "Amelie." Now in lightweight comedy "God is Great, And I'm Not," Tautou tackles a rather more neurotic kind of romantic story, a frothy take on religion and love.Michèle (Tautou) is a model without much direction in her life in the aftermath of a bad breakup and an abortion. Depressed, she abandons Catholicism and tries Buddhism, but that falls through as well. Then she meets François (Edouard Baer), a veterinarion who is Jewish. Though he's nonpracticing, Michèle becomes determined to convert to Judaism.And like many converts, she develops a sort of religious fervor, even chastising her lover for failing to be devout enough. She's driving him up the wall with her enthusiasm. Things get even more complicated when François's family arrives from Israel, and Michèle discovers something that may complicate their relationship even further..."God is Great And I'm Not" (original French title: "Dieu est grand, je suis toute petite") is a cute comedy, fluffy and not too serious. The religious angle of the film, surprisingly, doesn't weigh it down at all -- it's just a sort of focal point for Michèle's obsessions. Her attitudes toward other religions are just as funny (like falling asleep during meditation -- a definite no-no).The storyline is thin, and as a result the plot tends to chase its own tail to eat up time. Pascale Bailly is also a bit awkward with this story, trying to make the editing seem quirky. Instead it seems choppy and self-conscious. She has a pretty good idea of how to create cute little jokes and conflicts (the cigarette lighting), however, and keep our interest in Michèle and François going.Tautou keeps the movie afloat through the rough spots. Even though Michèle is something of a ditz, the actress keeps her likable and sympathetic, as she searches for meaning in her life and stumbles over her own feet. Edouard Baer mainly gets to show irritation toward Michèle, but Baer does what he can with his stressed character. Religious fervor has rarely been so weird as in "God is Great And I'm Not." Unsteady editing and a thin storyline would have sunk this with a worse lead, but with the talented Tautou leading it becomes a sweet, slightly fitful comedy."

God IS Great....But This is only So-So

V. Marshall | North Fork, CA USA | 09/08/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is a simple yet complex French film about relationships and finding a faith that one can stick to.



The incomparable Audrey Tautou stars in this lightly serious film and portrays a young model who is struggling with her faith, both in herself and with God. Her relationship with a man has ended and she suffers from a broken heart and a lost soul when she meets a handsome veterinarian (played by Edouard Baer) and begins the quest of falling back in love with something. She stars out a semi-Buddhist and upon meeting Baer feels the need to show him his Jewish roots, convincing him they should become a couple of practicing Jews, before they get married, by taking classes with a local Rabbi. It is an interesting look at how easily faith can be lost and found depending on one's self worth and life circumstances.



This little film is fun to watch and has a very appealing content attached to it but I found myself irritated by the camera work, it jittered and moved around like a camcorder in the hands of an amateur. Audrey Tautou has that childlike grace that offers a camera such depth if it holds her in close-up for longer than a second but her beauty was lost in this project. Instead of being a deeply introspective character in search of something better than herself Tautou just races around flittering about in a camera lens unable to spotlight the message in this story. It could have been great with a little more focus!

"

Barely 3 Stars Thanks to Tautou's Charms (and Many Costumes)

Tsuyoshi | Kyoto, Japan | 10/08/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Some call it a romantic comedy. For a romantic comedy, however, 'God Is Great, And I'm Not' sounds very strange, isn't it? Well, the contents of the film are not as strange as the title suggests, but the film itself is, I have to say, far from perfect. Not that it is not amusing. Just it feels like going on and on and on....



Now the story is about Michelle (played by lovely, adorable Audrey Tautou), who is in love with a vet Francois (about 10 years older). And the story is ... er, that's it. She is in love with him, and the script describes the various episodes concerning the love relations between the two characters over one year. It borrows the style of a diary presumably written by Michelle, who records every details about her love, her family, her jobs, and ... her love.



So, don't expect the traditional storytelling style. If you need a sense of closure for your film (like 'Happily Ever After' ending), you might as well skip this one and see 'Amelie' again. The relations between the two neither develops nor dissolves. It goes round and round, and perhaps that's the point.



I admit there are several interesting, and emotionally charged moments in the film. Still, it is very demanding to follow the endless 'story' and apparently superficial behaviours of the characters, that of Michelle in particular, but I think that is the film's intention. Michelle considers conversion simply because her Francois is Jewish (while Francois does not demand it, and is not a devoted believer of any religion himself). Michelle's actions are often superficial, or Michelle IS superficial, reading many books about religion.



OK, but what worries me constantly is, by just tracing Michelle and other characters's superficial behaviours, the film itself, which lacks the sure footing to observe them (fondly or detachedly), becomes superficial too. To make matters worse, director Pascale Bailly uses many irritating camera works trying to impress us, such as jump-cuts or voiceovers. Soemtimes the camera floats in the air, rotating to and fro when a more orthodox way of shooting is necessary. Do you need the 'French New Wave' school when you want to see a love romance? I don't think so.



THE ONLY CHARM of the film comes, not surprisingly, from Audrey Tautou. Her character is fashion model, and to justify the setting, she changes her clothes and hairstyles every time she appears on the screen. Even among the repetitous, ultimately boring series of episodes, she continues to enchant us with her acting, and that is nearly a miracle. But we had already seen the real miracle in 'Amelie,' and we need that kind of irresistible magic, which is based on the firm confidence in the time-honoured, orthodox, girl-meets-boy love story."