Oh, God! Book II (1980)

Instant Favorite.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

If you are looking for "miracles," look no further than the fact that Hollywood managed to turn a superb, one-of-a-kind, hit film OH GOD into a 3-picture franchise before it sagged to the ground under its own weight and melted.OH GOD (the original) is one of my favorite all time films.It is a treasure. Not so this sequel.OH GOD was poetry in motion. Not only a perfect script but possibly the best performances ever from George Burns, Teri Garr and John Denver. Never a dull moment, never a bad scene, never a line of bad dialog. It is a film you could see over and over.OH GOD BOOK 2, which embarrasses itself right off the top by showing more writing credits than there are key positions on a football team, never once gets into gear. All that saves the film from infamy is an astonishing performance by a young actress credited only as "Louanne." Not only does this young lady have perfect timing, but she serially steals scenes from every other actor in the film including the master of timing himself, George Burns.The kindest thing I could ever say about OH GOD BOOK 2 is, see the original.

God (George Burns) is back! He asks little Tracy Richards (Louanne) to meet him using Chinese fortune cookies. Her parents Paula (Suzanne Pleshette) and Don (David Birney) are divorced. Only she can hear or see him. She suggests that he should get a slogan. He gives her the job. She and her friend Shingo come up with 'Think God'. They get the other kids to join. Her parents get concerned about her talking to God. School Principal Benson is not happy and suspends her. Her parents bring her to a child psychiatrist and he tells them to institutionalize her. Shingo leads a school demonstration to bring back Tracy.I have a couple of problems with this movie. Whenever an old man lures a young girl away, I always have a Stranger-Danger moment. The fortune cookies bit leaves me a bit cold. Once I get over that, the cute little girl is very compelling. I like most of the movie but then it takes a jab at child psychiatry that is both undeserved and unreasonable. It makes disbelieve to be some kind of evil. The movie itself makes the analogy to childhood imaginary friends. I doubt psychiatrists were locking kids up for imaginary friends even back then. If they could make the case that she was harming herself or other people, that would make a whole lot more sense. This is simply picking a fight with nobody real. There are some good moments in the middle. George Burns is still sharp.

Disappointing sequel has George Burns returning as the big G, but not John Denver(much missed here). Instead, it has young actress Louanne playing a little girl who is supposed to spread the word about God, but meets much resistance from disbelieving adults.Pity this film is so predictable and unconvincing, despite Burn's best efforts, the script is weak, providing few laughs, and little insight. This story was covered far more effectively in the original, and this plays less like "Book II/Part II" than it does a failed pilot to a proposed TV series.There was a third film, which I haven't seen("Oh God! You Devil") Don't plan on seeing it either.First film was definitive, and near perfect; the studio should have left well enough alone...

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.