The sub-lowbrow nature of Billy Connolly’s stage material undoubtedly impedes his hopes of serious credibility as an actor, in spite of the warm welcome generally afforded to his performance in 1999’s wrinkly romance Mrs. Brown. Similarly, despite the gentleness and amiability of the wholly unremarkable but faintly charming Man Who Sued God, it’s still impossible to watch without half-expecting Connolly to lapse into coarse Glaswegian meditations on the texture of his faeces (he provided the seminal inspiration for Mike Myers’ Fat Bastard character in the Austin Powers series).
For whatever reason, the clownish comic continues to be extraordinarily popular Down Under, which would go some way to account for his presence in this lightweight, light-hearted Antipodean offering. Clearly intended as a Capra-styled feelgood flick, The Man Who Sued God nonetheless lacks the punch and potency of recent Aussie precursors such as The Castle, and though difficult to despise, it’s impossible to imagine anyone working up real enthusiasm about it.
For those who haven’t seen Connolly’s acting, he’s a zillion times more restrained than you might suspect, and strives admirably enough against the odds imposed by a the film’s inherent dullness. It’s essentially a one-joke affair encapsulated in the movie’s title, wherein lawyer-turned-fisherman Steve (Connolly) witnesses his boat destroyed by lightning. The insurance company refuse to cough up and ascribe the incident to an ‘Act of God’, which prompts our hairy hero to sue God’s earthly representatives (the church) who then have to argue the non-existence of God in order to avoid crippling compensation costs.
As decent a premise as it may sound, all The Man Who Sued God really yields is a procession of frankly dull courtroom scenes, while a sub-plot whereby Connolly embarks on an affair with Judy Davis (Celebrity) also might have been best avoided. It would be cruel to pour excessive venom on such a low-key and inoffensive venture, but anyone not in a coma can surely come up with more exciting ways of spending a hundred minutes.