Search - The Man Who Sued God on DVD

Katcha S. (Katcha) from FORT JONES, CA
Reviewed on 10/30/2008...

We really liked Billy Connolly in Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown and he does not disappoint here either. The story could have been just silly except that there is this one little 'sticker' of a point - and a bloody good one it is!! We should all be so well represented when we fight our own little lost causes ;-)

(a wee bit like The Castle, another great Aussie flick :)

Heresy (but not Blasphemy) at its Divine Best!

Michael P. Hoffmaster | Baltimore, MD | 02/06/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A long time ago, I happened to catch an HBO Comedy Special called "Pale Blue Scottish Person". It was on at around 3 in the morning, and I was having one of my bouts with insomnia. Never had my insomnia paid off such dividends. The comic in question was one Billy Connolly, whom I had never heard of, but immediately fell in love with.

In the years that followed, I kept seeing Billy pop up here and there, and he finally landed on US Television (The poor sod), as Howard Hesseman's replacement on "Head Of The Class". Again, this slightly skewed Scotsman destroyed me.

Last week, I was scanning through my "Video On Demand" and caught sight of "The Man Who Sued God." The title alone was enough to intrigue, so I punched it up.

...And a new love affair with an older, more grizzled, yet equally loveable Connolly began.

The plot, in a nutshell (no spoilers): A fisherman's boat is struck by lightning, the insurance company calls it an "act of God", so the fisherman takes God to court, in the person of the church, which is, after all, God's representative on earth.

With the exception of one rather lame plot point (that being that the fisherman was once a lawyer, so he gets to plead his own case, with all the cinematic hilarity (and, a bit of pathos) that ensues, "The Man Who Sued God" will please mostly everyone who has ever asked the "Eternal Questions".

Without giving anything away, the greatest moment in the film is when "The Church" realizes that, to have no responsibility in the case of the fisherman's boat, they must prove that God does NOT exist! BRILLIANT!

For friends of Connolly, enemies of the Church, or just those who love a truly divine comedy....buy this film TODAY!"

An Entertaining Film (with a formatting defect)

Steven I. Ramm | Phila, PA USA | 03/27/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you've ever had a casualty claim denied by an insurance company you will certainly relate to Steve, the Irish lawyer who gave up his practice for lobster fishing in a small town in Australia. And if you are an attorney you'll probably cringe when you see the practicing attorneys in the "big City" try to defend the Almighty when Steve decides to sue God since his claim for lightning that destroys his boat is considered "an Act of God". But the rest of us will really enjoy this light hearted "fish out of water" (no pun intended little film that reminds me of the joy of first seeing "Local Hero".



The film was produced by Australian TV and Showtime Australia. So, yes, it was made for TV but it was a CABLE network so we get to hear the F-word and the S-word a lot. No nudity at all and not even a sex joke. No this isn't an Academy Award caliber film but it's a heck of a lot better than most of what's on television and stars Billy Connolly (sometimes too over the top) and Judy Davis (who starts out looking unattractive and strange but grows on you) work well together.



The one think that drops the DVD at least one star is that the US releasing company did not reformat the image for US TVs. Though it's wide-screen letterboxed, the original film was VERY wide-screen. As the opening titles appear, you'll wonder why the actors, the Producers, and the Director only have first names! It's because at least 10% is cut off from each side of the screen. This also affects the main body of the film because there are signs, which are part of the plot, that can't be read. Remember "pan and scan"? Well, this would have been a good place to use it.



So, for some light entertainment, with an interesting premise - "if there is no God to sure, where does that leave organized religion?" - I recommend this film.



Steve Ramm "Anything Phonographic"

"

"...a brilliant day all round"

Delaney | WI | 10/03/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Steve Meyers has got some really awful luck. He is a retired attorney in Australia and he has decided to cash in all his money to live a happy peaceful life upon his boat. Unfortunately his boat is destroyed in a strong thunder storm. He figures, no problem I'll talk to my insurance fella and get this cleared up. If you ever had your insurance claim denied you will relate when he is told that it was an act of God. So he decides to sue God to recoup his losses. To sue God, you sue his trusty earthly servants, the only way that they can win the case is to prove that God doesn't exist? There is a very uncomfortable problem.



The movie does not make fun of the church or God. His real beef is with insurnace companies using God as a loophole. It's clever, and witty. Judy Davis is great as Anna, and Billy Connolly is always a good time. Is this the best ever legal movie, no. It doesn't claim to be either, it's fun, watch with a light heart."