Review of Dear God (1996) by Jennifer A — 24 Mar 2006

[size=2]I'm beginning the rather lengthy task of entering into the database every film I have seen, at least those I have a decent memory of. Some may have the briefest of reviews while many will just have a number. Those films that I consider personal favorites and/or those that have some historical signficance I will add later when I have time for more lengthy reviews.

[b]Bob Roberts[/b], directed by Tim Robbins, is a biting political satire about a wealthy, conservative Republican named Bob Roberts (Robbins) running for a senatorial seat. He also happens to be a folk singer, the anti Bob Dylan. Roberts shamelessly wages a dirty, win-at-all-cost campaign to defeat the liberal incumbent (played by Gore Vidal), creating a media uproar in the process. Meanwhile a radical underground reporter (Giancarlo Esposito) is out to stop him. The film often has a documentary feel, but it's certainly no documentary. Robbins is very good as Roberts, and the songs are cleverly done. The film features supporting roles and cameos from Alan Rickman, Ray Wise, Brian-Doyle Murray, Susan Sarandon, John Cusack, James Spader, David Strathairn, Helen Hunt, Jack Black, Jeremy Piven, and Pamela Reed. Definitely worth checking out if you have not seen it.

[b]The Bodyguard[/b], directed by Mick Jackson, is a ridiculously overblown romantic thriller starring Whitney Houston as the Pop Star and Kevin Costner as her knight in....mmm he plays a bodyguard. This was a huge box office smash and produced an equally huge hit with Whitney Houston's remake of "I Will Always Love You". Dolly Parton's version was better!

An even more dreadful Kevin Costner film was [b]The Postman[/b] in which he stars and directs.

[b]Playing God[/b], directed by Andy Wilson, is the story of a surgeon (David Duchovny) who had lost his license due to drug addiction, but is given a job by the mob after saving a man's life in a bar shooting. Also stars Timothy Hutton and Angela Jolie. Poor character development and thin plot makes this an unmemorable film.

[b]Dear God [/b]why did Garry Marshall make this awful film?

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