Tracy e il signore del piano di sopra

My review written in September 1980 after watching the film in NY at WB's screening room: "Oh God! Book II" is not a sequel to the hit 1977 Warner Brothers release (which amassed $31,000,000 in domestic rentals) but rather an alternate approach to the same basic premise: what would happen if God were to appear to an ordinary person with instructions to "spread my message". Absence this time of John Denver, his chemistry with lead George Burns and the original's solid comedy material lead to a bland, unstimulating film.

Script, collectively credited to five writers, has a pleasant moppet (Louanne) meeting God (George Burns) in the lounge of a Chinese restaurant. It seems that Burns (heard pre-credits voicing over his problems with mankind on Earth) to enlist a child "with belief in things you can't see" to remind people that God is still around. Since Louanne's dad (David Birney) is an adman, she sets out to concoct a slogan which will "make God a household name". Burns' quaint program is to first win over the children and then get on with various environmental projects (e.g., fight pollution and cool off volcanoes).

Louanne recruits her cute Japanese playmate Shingo (John Louie) and other classmates to spread her "Think God" slogan via posters and graffiti. This leads to her suspension from school, and when she is seen talking to the invisible (to everyone but her) Burns, the child is brought before psychiatrists to be committed to an institution. Climax has Burns materializing as a literal deus ex machina to protect Louanne at the roundtable of shrinks.

Burns is fine again, a master of the throwaway line and well-suited to tone down the religious philosophy in the script. More screen time, however, is allotted to debuting Louanne, a pleasant and talented youngster who holds one's sympathy.

Suzanne Pleshette and David Birney as her estranged parents who reconcile before the final freeze-shot are effective in limited roles, with Pleshette's beauty and strong presence underutilized. Supporting parts are all well-limned.

Director Cates is hamstrung by the talky, largely unfunny script, which contains little dramatic content and only one scene involving physical action (Burns giving Louanne a motorcycle and sidecar ride). Except for recurring gags about "boobs" the mild script is too squeaky clean for the film's good. By not expanding upon the first film, "Oh God! Book II" is extraneous. Tech credits are routine.

The movie is about a kid who meets God in a restaurant.He tells her to think of something to make more people want to believe in God and all that junk.Well the kid and her friend think of something and come up with the slogan Think God.The write it all over the place.As soon is this goes out everyone thinks she is crazy.So they suspend her from school.And all she wanted to do was help God.So they plan to but her in a camp for "insane" kids.She needs help from God.She runs away from home.And God comes and brings her back home on a motorcycle. So at the meeting.To decide what to do with her.God shows everybody to have a little faith.That was a good movie like I said for kids and adults.

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.

Oh God! Book II is not really a sequel to the first film, as you might think. While George Burns returns as God, the events of the first film are not referenced at all. This is more of a remake of the first film....only three years later.....the plot is nearly identical, right down to the climax, but with a little girl taking over John Denver's old role.

While not a turkey, this film is disappointing, compared to the first one which was excellent. There are no new ideas that weren't used the first time, and for a "light-hearted" film, it is difficult to watch the persecution the child endures for standing up for God. Some of the supporting roles are interestingly cast, but these talented actors are given precious little to do.

I can understand George Burns wanting to return to the role of God, since the first one was so successful for him, but he should have held out for a better script.

George Burns returns as the joshing Almighty after enjoying a big success with 1977's "Oh, God!", an upbeat fantasy made successful by a sudden need in the 1970s to switch from devil-driven thrillers to comedic redemption (although it made money, the original was more in line with the "Topper" comedies of the '30s than a return to feel-good religious cinema). Here, God appears to a young girl (Louanne, who had earlier starred in a stage production of "Annie") and asks her to spread his Divine Word, causing her nothing but trouble from grown-ups in the process. Peculiar, family-oriented film appears to be warm-hearted enough, and Burns gets to chime in with a nice barrage of wry jibes, but the writing is half-slapstick and half-seriousness. The adults of the piece actually consider locking little Louanne up, all of which makes God seem more like a troublemaker than an elderly friend. Louanne is another problem: a perky kid with wizened little eyes, she is untrained for screen-acting and occasionally seems awkward. The medium-budget production has a gloppy, TV-movie appearance, with few graceful touches. The final scene mimics the climax of the first "Oh, God!" in that it brings a wistful sentiment to the mix, which is welcomed. It's the most subtle moment in the movie. ** from ****