Oh, God! Book II (1980)

Of the creative people who brought us Oh God only George Burns returns for the sequel. Larry Gelbart's adopted script which got an Oscar nominations was a very profound statement on the human condition. This one is a nice PG rated kids film with the Deity himself now using a little girl played by Louanne to spread His word with the good advertising training her father David Birney has given her.Starting with her schoolmates she gets them to graffiti the world with 'Think God' and the simple idea spreads. The best ideas are often the most simple ones. Burns puts Louanne in some heavy company with people like Socrates, Gandhi, Lincoln and Martin Luther King. Her sanity is questioned and like John Denver in the original who went before a select group of theologians Louanne's very future at stake.This is a pleasant remake of a real classic. Burns is as droll as ever. Suzanne Pleshette is fine as Louanne's mother. But it's just a pale imitation of the first.

Hey, it is the kid critic and now I am reviewing Oh God! Book II. This movie is OK, but, while watching it I kept on forgetting that it is a Oh God! Picture. This one is actually more of a kids movie then Book I. in my opinion. I think that in a way the film could have been called Tracy and God. It is not as fresh as Oh God! but it is OK. It is funny but not as funny as Book I. But it does not deserve all of the bad reviews. I think that the people who went to go see this in 1980 were expecting the 39th anniversary of Citizen Kane or the 8th anniversary of The Godfather or the 6th anniversary of The Godfather Part II. In the trailer, God said that Oh God! Book II has just as many laughs as the first one. It does have some laughs but not as much as the first one. Well check this out. Do not expect The Godfather Part 2(which I have never seen) right before you watch this. Well, good luck. My overall rating is 6 out of 10 angels.

All throughout history since time immemorial, there has been a conflict between religion and science (or I guess I should say between church and state). People who read the Bible believe in God and accept him and his teachings as a matter of simple Christian Faith. However, the scientists say "We need proof that we can put under our microscopes". I think it took a lot of courage for Hollywood to make the "Oh God" series and I thank them for it. George Burns and John Denver were wonderful in the original. It was one of the first movies that I saw as a kid and I couldn't think of a better one. George took the role of God very seriously, he even consulted with Jimmy Stewart and Orson Welles before he played it can you believe that? He asked them how you would play God (Orson Welles told him "I would play him sitting down"). This is a wonderful sequel. You might ask why God would come down to earth again, well when he did before he made the studio so much money thats why? A young actress with only one screen name Louanne takes John Denver's place in the film and she does a wonderful job. She was such a good little actress that I always wondered what happened to her. I'll bet she and George had a ball making this film, it shows in the finished product and there is wonderful "chemistry" between them. It kind of chilled me when they thought the little girl was crazy for talking to God and wanted to put her in an insane asylum. It chilled me and it also made me very angry at a society that is hostile towards religion and God's word. It is almost as if we live in a world that glorifies evil and condemns good. This is a film that is very rare indeed because it is one with a message that makes you think long after the final credits and it is due to George Burn's wonderful performance. This man was an American treasure. What really amazes me is that he didn't act in the traditional sense until he was almost 80 years old and made The Sunshine Boys. As far as I am concerned, all acting students should watch his work in that film and in the Oh God series. They will see a master at work. This is a rare sequel indeed, it is as fine as the original. It will leave you with a sore belly from laughing, but also with a slight lump in your throat.

Oh,God! Book II is more of a bad remake of the original than a sequel to it.It is not all that funny,its plot plays too muchlike a rejected situation comedy pilot,and the use of the slogan "Think God" is a different variation on the idea that worked so much better in the original.John Denver had not returned for this movie and that made a BIG difference.George Burns,aswonderful as he was playing God,does not have the same chemistry with the little girl that he did with John Denver.I would give this movie a rating of 3 out of 10,but only forGeorge Burns;the rest of the cast is nothing special.If you loved the first one,don't bother to see this one.