FILM REVIEW(written assignment)

CONTENT POINTS:
1. Topic/subject line (description of major topic, referring to the genre the movie can
be categorised in, main story line, degree of interest the story gives rise to, etc.)
2. Plot/ Synopsis/ Summary of the film
3. Main characters/ Actors performance
Talk about the characters. Did you like them? Did the actors play them well? What
was it about their portrayal that you liked or didnt like?
4. Special techniques used/ Symbolism/ Humour/ Music/Scenery
5. PERSONAL VIEW
Why you enjoyed watching it/ why you didnt enjoy watching it).
Was it thought provoking? Did it have lasting images and ideas that particularly
enthralled you?
Final comments general comments that summarize your view of the film. Whatever
you view is, it is important to stress it in a comprehensible manner.
WORD LIMIT: 350 WORDS
DEADLINE: week: 10-14 May 2010
Asta e siteul cu rewiu
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268437/reviews
Scottish stand up comedian Billy Connolly (recently featured in The Last Samurai) plays
divorced and disillusioned ex-lawyer Steve Myers, who now whiles away his time on a
fishing boat in New South Wales, Australia. One afternoon his boat, which is now
basically his life, is destroyed by a bolt of lightning, which also results in a chard of the
hull being embedded in his foot. On crutches he approaches his insurance company who
refuse to pay as the incident is deemed an 'Act of God'. Connolly's traditional Celtic
brand of outrageous, yet amusing, expletives result in his being carried unceremoniously
out of the building. Undeterred by this he decides to challenge the very meaning of the
term 'Act of God', which by it's very nature determines that someone (in this case God) is
responsible, and if someone (God) is responsible then they (or He) can therefore be
sued or at least their (or His) representatives can. The subsequent court case generates
a media storm as Myers, a not unaccomplished and uncharismatic courtroom tactician,
initially runs rings around his opponents. Thus begins the David and Goliath battle
between the little man and the formidable powers of the Church and the massive legal
and insurance firms in their employ. Myers also gathers 800 or so co-plaintiffs, all

victims of the 'Act of God' clause, to support him in his case. It eventually gets to the
point where it looks like the only way the church are going to win their case is to prove
that God doesn't exist. It's a clever, simple premise and one you wish you'd thought of
yourself.
It's no coincidence that Connolly's character is a fisherman, or even a fisher of men, and
that his beef is with the corrupt insurance companies representing an apparently corrupt
church. If it was suddenly discovered that Christ was Scottish, then it would have been
Connolly calming the storm out on the Sea of Galilee, and Connolly who threw the
moneylenders out of His Father's house, and, hirsute and ranting as he is in this movie,
impressive he would have been too. Billy Connolly as Christ now that would even give
Mel Gibson a run for his money I bet he'd be great at parting the Red Sea oh, no,
that was Moses wasn't it. Never mind, he could play that role too (nobody seems to worry
about accents in movies anyway) and in fact he almost pleads to the court on behalf of his
co-plaintiffs 'Let my people go', or rather 'Give my people their money you bastards', but
with a smile and a twinkle in the eye that only Connolly can get away with well, him
and Sean Connery. Why haven't they been teamed up in a movie? It seems like a match
made in Heaven to me.
There are many storms brewing toward the end of the film; Religious zealots surround
the courthouse hurling abuse at the blasphemer Myers; Myers can't afford to lose the
case; the lawyers can't afford to either, nor can the church, and there's also a mighty wind
storm approaching the town bringing forest fires and floods (and no doubt frogs, plague
and locusts) with it. Needless to say it's a happy ending, the lawyers and the church get
their knuckles rapped, the image of God remains untarnished (of course), Myers gets the
girl and the zealots go home sulking and dragging their large wooden cross with them in
another Christ reference.
It's a refreshing film, as most Australian movies are. There's great attention to character
and background detail. Connolly (Water, Mrs. Brown, Muppet Treasure Island, Boondock
Saints, Timeline), undoubtedly a talented actor and comedian, is obviously cast for
distribution purposes (Myers isn't a particularly Scottish name after all) and seems a little
out of place in the Australian backdrop, but his rants are very funny. Veteran and versatile
Australian actress Judy Davis (Deconstructing Harry, Celebrity, Absolute Power, The
Reagans), as Myers' journalistic co-conspirator and love interest, is subject to some
slapstick humour as a drunken and literally legless Myers wrecks a restaurant, and the
excellent supporting cast are all the more convincing for their unfamiliarity.
Al 2 rewiu
Firstly, I did enjoy 'The man who sued God'. Billy Connolly is excellent, his wit and
charm is on display throughout the film and it is very, very, funny, most of the time.
Unfortunately it is slightly too long and there are a few bits that could have been quite
easily cut without harming the story.

Billy seems to spend an awful lot of time mooning around churches and the 'divine
intervention' bit is embarassingly bad and entirely unnecessary. Quite frankly, whoever
came up with this scene should be shot!
However having said that the film does have many qualities. The scenery is fantastic and
the cast are generally excelent. Judy Davis is very good as the journo who takes an
interest in Connolly's case. She strikes some nice romantic sparks of Connolly who is in
great, swearing, ranting mode throughout. Colin Friels is also pretty good as Connolly's
brother and Wendy Hughes is nice as the prickly but understanding ex-wife.
I can't imagine many Jews would be too pleased with the portrayal of the Rabbi "So, we
just prove there is no God, ...who cares!" seems to be his attitude, but generally the film
is pretty amusing with an interesting premise.
As I say there is at lease one totally shoddy scene and some unnecessary wandering that
could have been fixed by a decent editor but still, if not a classic, still a genuinely funny
film and well worth seeing.
By the way Connolly gives a fantastic (and quite different) acting performance as an excon artist in the Debt Collecter (1999). Get a hold of this Scottish thriller if you are a
Connolly fan as it is absolutely brilliant.