Movies of the 80s: 'Oh God Book II'

Oh God Book II

Directed by Gil Cates

Written by Josh Greenfield, Hal Goldman, Fred S. Fox, and Seaman Jacobs

Starring George Burns, Suzanne Pleshette, David Birney, and Louanne Sirota

Release Date October 3rd, 1980

*Oh, God! Book II* is a 1980 American comedy film and the second installment in the *Oh, God!* film series. It is a sequel to the 1977 film *Oh, God!* and was directed by Gilbert Cates. The movie stars George Burns, who reprises his role as God, and Suzanne Pleshette.

### Plot:

In *Oh, God! Book II*, God (George Burns) once again chooses an ordinary human to help spread His message. This time, He appears to a young girl named Tracy Richards (played by Louanne), who is a bright and imaginative 11-year-old. Tracy's parents are divorced, and she struggles with feelings of isolation. God comes to her with a simple but profound message: He wants her to start a campaign with the slogan "Think God," encouraging people to be more mindful of their connection to Him.

The movie revolves around Tracy’s efforts to convince people that she really is in communication with God. Naturally, this leads to her being labeled as troubled by adults, including her teachers and her psychiatrist. Her mother, Paula (played by Suzanne Pleshette), also struggles to believe Tracy’s stories. However, Tracy remains steadfast in her mission.

A little-known fact about *Oh, God! Book II* is that the film was originally intended to reunite George Burns with John Denver, who starred in the first *Oh, God!* film. However, John Denver, who played the character of Jerry Landers in the original, declined to return for the sequel. The studio decided to move in a different direction by introducing new characters and focusing on a child protagonist, Tracy Richards, instead.

This change significantly altered the tone and dynamic of the film compared to the first one, as Denver’s character had been central to the plot of *Oh, God!*. Denver's decision to pursue other projects helped pave the way for the story to focus on Tracy and her interaction with God, leading to a fresh, though somewhat less impactful, sequel.

Box Office

Oh God Book II earned $14 million dollars at the box office.

### Reception:

Unlike the original film, *Oh, God! Book II* didn't perform as well critically or commercially. While it had moments of humor and retained the charm of George Burns' performance, critics generally felt that it lacked the originality and wit of the first movie. Nevertheless, Burns was still praised for his warm and humorous portrayal of God.

Critic Tom Brown wrote of Oh Good Book II “Despite its faults Oh God Book II is a funny, happy little movie that you can’t help but enjoy.”

Critic Fred Herman was not a fan of Oh God Book II stating “Blame the Disney folks for this 94 minute yawn. You lose!”

Critic John E. Hurley was also not a fan, writing “The retread follows the same formula but offers nothing but saccharine characters and teddy bear theology.”

### Legacy:

The *Oh, God!* series would go on to have one more sequel in 1984, *Oh, God! You Devil*, which featured Burns once again but in a dual role as both God and the Devil.

Though *Oh, God! Book II* was not as successful as its predecessor, it remains a charming, family-friendly comedy that explored spiritual themes in an accessible way.

Oh God Book II was released on October 3rd, 2024.

The film holds a 43 percent critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 5.3 out of 10 rating from users on IMDB.

If you’d like to watch Oh God Book II it’s available to stream for free on the Tubi app.

For more on movies of the 80s, check out our YouTube channel, Movies of the 80s. There we post short form videos about the most beloved and the most obscure movies of the greatest decade in movie history, the 1980s. Like, subscribe, share our videos with your friends. Follow this link to the Movies of the YouTube channel.