I had never heard of the film and hadn't seen it advertised, I merely stumbled across it on the homepage of Play247.com a couple of weeks ago. The reason I pre-ordered a copy for £13.99 was because the film stars Billy Connolly, one of my favourite comedians of all time.
The plot to The man Who Sued God is basic and the title to the film gives a lot away! Billy Connelly plays a former lawyer, Steve Myers. Rather than stay in the rat race and deal with the stresses and strains of city life he moves to a quiet backwater be closer to his daughter who lives with his ex-wife and new husband.
Myers has convinced his ex-wife's new husband to use his caravan park as security on a loan for $100,000 to purchase a fishing boat so that he can kick back and take things easier.
During a storm witnessed by Connolly the boat is struck by lightening and sinks without a trace, leaving Myers with a loan to pay and no boat to earn any sort of living. A claim is submitted to his insurance company but quickly knocked back due to the sinking of his boat being "An act of God".
Without adding any spoilers to the actual film Myers returns to the city after deciding
to take legal action against all the major religions and insurance company on the premise that for it to be an "Act of God", then surely they must have to prove that God actually exists. The remainder of the film revolves around the ensuing court battle, the growing love interest between Myers and Anna Redmond (played by Judy Davis), and the influence the media, big business and religion have on the public in general. Personally I thought this was a complete dig at insurance companies in general with an attempt at making it humorous.
The film is set on location in Australia. The opening to the film shows how tranquil and peaceful life is in the back of beyond in Australia and the sets, costume and special effects whilst not dazzling do stand out well considering this is an independent production. This film does however stand out as being non-Hollywood.
The performances from all involved were OK. None of them set the world on fire however Oscar nominations won't be knocking on the doors of these actors shortly. The only performance that stood out for me was that of Billy Connolly. I've only ever seen his stand-up material but he surprisingly has starred in a number of movies roles. If I had to summarise his performance in this film I would say he was outstanding in comparison to everyone else and was like a shining beacon of hope in what wasn't the best of films. Connolly captures the mood and with his harsh Scottish accent he delivers lines and curses amazingly well. His performance alone rescues the film from the predictable mess it could have been. He adds warmth, sensitivity and some extremely comedic moments as only Billy Connolly can.
My main gripe with the screenplay and actors used is the fact that Billy Connolly and his love interest Judy Davis have absolutely no onscreen chemistry between them and it shows. They looked like they wanted to be in the room with each other as much as I wanted my last flu jab (I'm scared of needles).
The film had no soundtrack to speak of and didn't have any moments where a soundtrack was even remotely needed to build an air of tension or to lead the viewer onto an oncoming scene however the film has been beautifully shot, the picture being superb, long sweeping views of the oncoming storm and capturing everything perfectly.
I bought this film thinking it was going to be as funny as some of Billy Connolly's stand-up material. The Daily Star said "Billy is hilarious". They lied, that is unless Alan Frank who writes for the Daily Star is in fact Pamela Stephenson! Billy was not hilarious but he did have moments were he made me giggle to myself.
This film will not have you laughing out loud but it will make you chuckle if you're a fan of Billy Connolly. Rated 15 as the film contains brief periods throughout of strong language and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone under this age purely because it is strong language.
The Man Who Sued God is a cute film that flows from start to finish but some will find it too far fetched and predictable.
I've rate this DVD two stars and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. If you want to watch this film, either rent it first or buy the video for only £9.99 as the DVD version does not contain any extras whatsoever. There is the usual chapter selection but nothing else.
It's been added to my collection, but I feel robbed!
ONLY RECOMMENDED TO HARDCORE BILLY CONNOLLY FANS
One thing you will find yourself doing throughout this film is pointing at the screen saying "didn't he/she used to be in Neighbours/Home & Away/Shortland Street/Flying Doctors/Sons & Daughters (Delete as applicable)"
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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The Man Who Sued Goddefies simple definition, managing to be several types of movie all at ... more
the same time. As a theological-romantic-comedy-drama, it's in a somewhat unique category all of its own. Perhaps only Billy Connolly could carry off a central r...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The Man Who Sued God is a boisterous romantic comedy about a man who decides to sue God ... more
after his fishing boat is destroyed by lightening and his insurance company refuses to pay out, declaring it an act of God.A hilarious, heart-warming tale of one ma...
The Man Who Sued Goddefies simple definition, managing to be several types of movie all at ... more
the same time. As a theological-romantic-comedy-drama, it's in a somewhat unique category all of its own. Perhaps only Billy Connolly could carry off a central r...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
![The Man Who Sued God [DVD] [2003]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78495972.jpg "The Man Who Sued God [DVD] [2003]")
Dec 16th, 2003
(Apr 18th, 2005)
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