God Said Ha! is a joy to watch because it is sharp, funny, and charming. The film's down-to-earth, realistic subject matter strikes an incredibly refreshing chord: A woman in her prime explores comedy under all the suffering that consumes her as she is confronted with a transition that is so terrible, disturbing, and unjust. Julia Sweeney is a 30-year-old divorced woman who is preparing to leave New York City. She saves up some money, purchases the ideal bachelor pad outside of Los Angeles, and plans for the start of the rest of her life. Anything gets in her way just as she feels nothing will get in her way.
Julia's brother is diagnosed with cancer and needs round-the-clock care. He not only moves in with her but so does all of her friends. She sees herself acting like an adolescent and reverting to her childhood habits.
The movie is based on Sweeney's script, which had a good run on the west coast. Except for a fleeting appearance by Quentin Tarantino at the end, she is the only human on stage. Aside from a few scattered bits of furniture, there is no actual suite.
It would be a mistake to believe that only because Sweeney is a Saturday Night Live alum and has been in two terrible SNL films (It's Pat and Stuart Saves His Family) that this film would be of the same caliber. She seems to have completely shed all of Lorne Michael's inferior aspects and discovered her style. Not only are all of the jokes funny, but none of the cheesy and sometimes humiliating elements of the previous titles are present.
God Said Ha! is a fantastic film. This film is well worth a look, whether it's for the cracks about vanishing ovaries or the moving stories of a terminally ill man.
