The Man Who Sued God (2001)

Billy Connolly plays Steve Myers, a lawyer who became a fisherman from frustration. When his one piece of property, his boat, is struck by lightning and destroyed he is denied insurance ... See full summary »

Director:

Mark Joffe

Writers:

John Clarke (original screenplay), Patrick McCarville (story),

Stars:

Billy Connolly, Judy Davis, Colin Friels

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Connolly	...	Steve Myers
Judy Davis	...	Anna Redmond
Colin Friels	...	David Myers
Wendy Hughes	...	Jules Myers
Bille Brown	...	Gerry Ryan
John Howard	...	Edward Piggott
Emily Browning	...	Rebecca Myers
Blair Venn	...	Les
Vincent Ball	...	Cardinal
Tim Robertson	...	Judge Bonaface
Linal Haft	...	Rabbi
Peter Whitford	...	Moderator
Frank Whitten	...	Primate
Steve Jacobs	...	Hal
Richard Carter	...	Dirk Streicher

Storyline

Billy Connolly plays Steve Myers, a lawyer who became a fisherman from frustration. When his one piece of property, his boat, is struck by lightning and destroyed he is denied insurance money because it was 'an act of God'. He re-registers as a lawyer and sues the insurance company and the church under the guise of God, defending himself. The accident leads him to a friendship and eventual relationship with a journalist, Anna Redmond (Davis).

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Plot Keywords:

insurance | lawyer | act of god | lightning | boat | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 2001 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Az ember, aki beperelte Istent

Filming Locations:

Bermagui, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£195,418 (UK) (22 August 2003)

Gross:

£973,825 (UK) (12 September 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC), New South Wales Film & Television Office, Showtime Australia

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Dave throws the newspaper on top of Steve as he's lying in bed, the second shot of Steve shows no newspaper lying on his upper body, but the third and fourth shots show the newspaper again.

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Quotes

Doctor: Forceps. Pliers. Bone nibblers.
Steve Meyers: Bone nibblers? What the hell are bone nibblers?
Doctor: You're a very lucky man.
Steve Meyers: Oh yes, it's been a brilliant day all round. Why don't you have a look at my prostate while you've got the bone nibblers handy.

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Connections

Remade as OMG: Oh My God! (2012)

User Reviews

It's a drama with comedic moments and a romantic element, in a warm and compact package, which is a good thing.

When events happen that are not within predictable range, and there seems nothing for it but accept it as an act of god, many people accept it as inevitable. That's well and good for little things, but not when the event is ruinous, destructive or major. And especially when it's an event that causes a loss' where that loss was covered by insurance.

That sort of loss befell our man, played with insight, verve and delicacy by Billy Connolly, in 'The Man Who Sued God'. What's important about this movie is that it's not about Billy Connolly, it's not him mugging for the camera and pulling stunts. It's a drama about a man in a tough situation, with romantic and comedic elements included. It's well written, played with truth and energy by the entire cast, and shot vividly, both for the exterior scenes of 'beautiful OZ', and the interiors, where so much of the action takes place.

He's just had his fishing boat blown out of the water by a direct hit from lightening, and it's all covered by insurance. Until the small print comes into play, and the company refuses to pay, saying that the lightning strike was an act of God. There is no other recourse than the Courts, and our man sues God for the loss of his boat and livelihood.

He sues all denominations of religion, as the servants and agents of God on Earth, and they all hire lawyers. It begins to look a bit like 'The Verdict' for a while, but the interplay between the different religions turns the action from that path, prior to deja vu setting in. There's courtroom drama that rings true, and interpersonal that carries the story forward without resorting to artificial devices. It's a drama with comedic moments and a romantic element, in a warm and compact package, which is a good thing.

All in all, a feel-good movie without the smarminess -you can feel good about liking this one.