Plot
“Oh, God!” is a movie attempting to touch sensitive issues like God and religion in a lighthearted way.
It has a healthy dose of humor, and God (played by George Burns) is not without a good sense of humor himself.
It all starts when Jerry Landers (played by John Denver) is chosen by God to spread His message to world.
From that point onwards, Jerry’s daily routine, assistant manager career, and even his family life are all disrupted and challenged by the mission that God has decided to assign to him.
Nobody seems to believe him, and he is laughed at by other people, until he is taken to court for slander, where God finally saves him, so that he is set free to become His modern missionary to humanity.
Can Jerry Landers be turned into a modern-day Moses overnight?
Since he is God’s chosen one, there is no other option for him but to follow God’s will.
At this point, there seems to be a contradiction to what God says to Jerry about free will throughout the movie.
It is somehow naive.
At least, it sounds naive today, but I’m not sure how naive it sounded back in 1977, when the film was released.
Jerry Landers never experienced a deeper need to search for God and look for answers to existential questions.
He never questioned the normality of his life.
He didn’t have to do so, because he has a stable job, a good family, a nice home, and life keeps smiling at him.
He is not rich but neither is he poor.
People usually appeal to God when they face hardship, and those regularly praying to Him are regarded religious persons in one way or another.
They praise the glory of God’s name and thank Him for His blessings to them.
Jerry Landers fits none of these categories.
Life has treated his fairly well compared to other people, and he has very little, if anything, to complain about.
Yet God chooses him among other, presumably more suitable, people.
By doing so, I believe He wants to send His message to a group of people with whom He has lost contact.
It is a group of people who should take a break to reflect on their comfortable lives, and go beyond satisfying their material needs to also fulfill their spiritual longings.
That is perhaps why God has decided to put one of those people, that is a supermarket assistant manager, at the front seat of spreading and revealing His message to the world.
There are more things in life than looking after customers, overseeing staff, and following orders from superiors, which are regular tasks that need to be carried out as part of running a supermarket store day in day out.
The question is how to make someone aware and accept God’s existence and will, if that person is completely indifferent to God’s presence.
Another more critical question could perhaps be: Why do so, if that person doesn’t feel that need in the first place?
The answer to the last question is possibly that such a person would have a great deal to benefit from just meeting God and acknowledging His presence, so God wants to give him the chance to have a taste of something he might have been missing out.
Once he tastes it, he will hopefully become His disciple and spread His message to others.
Rating: 6/100