Main Cast: Greg Kinnear, Laurie Metcalf, Tim Conway, Maria Pitillo, Hector Elizondo, Roscoe Lee Browne
Release Year: 1996
Country: US
Run Time: 112 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
In this comedy, a man trying to turn away from a life of crime starts performing a little larceny in the interest of helping others. Tom Turner (Greg Kinnear) is a small-time con man who makes the mistake of trying to cheat a pair of undercover cops one night. Fortunately for Tom, his case is heard by a lenient judge who orders him to get a straight job and stay out of trouble; if he can stay employed for a year, his conviction will be wiped from the record. Tom is hired at the Post Office and assigned to the Dead Letter Office, where he and his co-workers Rebecca (Laurie Metcalf), Herman (Tim Conway), and Vladek (Hector Elizondo) try to figure out what to do with the sacks of mail addressed to Santa Claus, Elvis Presley, and God. Against orders, Tom opens one of the letters to God and is moved by the sad story of the woman who sent it. He decides to reply and accidentally mails her his pay check; but when he sees how happy the answer made the recipient, Tom and his co-workers start opening more letters and trying to answer a few prayers that would be within their reach -- which leads Tom back to the courthouse again. Director Garry Marshall has a small role as Preston Sweeney. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Gregory Bolton - Art Director, Angel Pine - Associate Producer, Karen Stirgwolt - Associate Producer, Carrie Frazier - Casting, Ellen H. Schwartz - Co-producer, Kearie Peak - Co-producer, Ellen H. Schwartz - First Assistant Director, Garry Marshall - Director, Scott Marshall - Second Unit Director, Debra Neil-Fisher - Editor, Mario Iscovich - Executive Producer, James Patrick Dunne - Songwriter, Jeremy Lubbock - Songwriter, Charles Minsky - Camera Operator, Albert Brenner - Production Designer, Steve Tisch - Producer, Garry Lewis - Set Designer, James E. Webb, Jr. - Sound/Sound Designer, Ed Kaplan - Screenwriter, Warren Leight - Screenwriter
Dear God received generally negative reviews from critics. Both Siskel & Ebert gave the film two thumbs down upon its release. [1]James Berardinelli gave the film one star and explained, "At least after seeing this movie, I understand where the title came from – starting about thirty minutes into this interminable, unfunny feature, I began looking at my watch every few minutes and thinking, 'Dear God, is this ever going to end?' A sickeningly bad pastiche of much better pictures – It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, and (believe it or not) Spartacus all leap to mind – Dear God is the worst excuse for a holiday film since Nora Ephron's hideous Mixed Nuts." [2] As of August 2009, film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes had issued a 13% rating based on reviews from 32 critics.[3]
