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 idea)

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 | media | 

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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

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?

Trivia

Bollywood movie 'Oh My God' starring Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal is inspired from The Man Who Sued God.

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Goofs

The radio announcer continuously bad-mouths Steve Myers' case on-air. However, in Australia it is illegal for radio announcers to comment about current court cases on air. To do so is to commit the crime of "sub judice." The radio announcer most likely would have known this. On the other hand, Steve's case being against an all-powerful being, he and/or the court would be hard-pressed to claim that anything said in the media could disadvantage him any worse, so journalists might not fear being found in contempt.

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Quotes

Primate: It's a sign.
Cardinal: A miracle.
Moderator: A winged messenger.
Gerry Ryan: It's a f***ing cockatoo!

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Connections

Remade as The Man Who Sued God

User Reviews

Renegade lawyer takes on an insurance company by suing God. Very funny and a tad surreal.

The Man Who Sued God

Some might find The Man Who Sued God audacious, perhaps sacrilegious, certainly rebellious. Most will find it very funny.

Steve (Billy Connolly) sees his boat blown up by lightening and the insurance company won't pay up, citing the Act Of God defense against the claim.

Steve, a runaway lawyer, decides to sue God, and his/her representatives, the Churches for the money. It would seem that the Churches could well have to argue against the existence of God to defend the case.

Now no doubt there are good legal reasons why the above couldn't happen although it's usual that whenever theology gets bantered about the arguments never seem to make much real sense.

But in the hands of director Mark Joffe (Cosi, Spotswood), writers John Clark, a.k.a. Fred Dagg (The Gilles Report,) and Don Watson (The Gilles Report, Passion), as well as a terrific cast headed by the wild and wooly Billy Connolly we are given plenty of fun moments.

A lot of the humour is visual – a dog flung above a jetty, Judy Davis as Anna falling into the sea, Anna and Steve's first meeting in a restaurant. Then there's Connolly who has an nicely mad, every man, quality exuding from him that manages to grab humour out of even a hideously pierced foot.

Then there's the photography, the look of the film. There's an early storm scene which is a little disquieting as all really good storms should be and from then on we see cloud scenes that are entrancing.

Judy Davis lends her trademark intensity to her work in a film where nearly everyone seems to gel, even if Wendy Hughes as Jules seems forced in her performance. The ideas are lively if confused and there's a lovely surrealistic touch or two that gives this movie a depth far beyond comedy.

And if you crave a good belly laugh or two The Man Who Sued God delivers.

4 Lively Flys