The Man Who Sued God

A number of people (myself included) believe that a little bit of Billy Connolly goes a long way. Here, the shaggy Scottish comic plays lawyer-turned-fisherman Steve Myers, whose boat is destroyed by a bolt of lightning. Denied compensation by his insurance company thanks to the “act of God” clause, Steve elects to sue the Deity along with the insurers, and prepares a legal case. Judy Davis plays journalist Anna Redmond, who sees a cute story in the fisherman's suit, Colin Friels has a nice turn as Steve's patient brother David, and Wendy Hughes is David's somewhat less tolerant wife. There are some clever lines here (some of them at the expense of organized religion), and filmmaker Mark Joffe's Australian import has a vaguely Capraesque quality that some will find endearing; however, Connolly's overbearing presence occasionally detracts from the movie's ingeniously contrived, satirical set pieces. Optional. (E. Hulse)