_**Burns plays both satan and God in this amusing commentary on ‘success’**_
A piano player in Los Angeles (Ted Wass) wants to make it big and so the devil (George Burns) offers to turn him from a Barry Manilow wannabe into a stud-ly Rick Springfield rock star. Will he stay with his wife (Roxanne Hart) and simple life as a struggling musician or give into temptation and the ‘success’ he craves?
“Oh, God! You Devil” (1984) was the third and final “Oh, God!” film. It’s superior to the sitcomy precursor from 1980 while the first half is just as good as the original 1977 film. Shortly after the midway point, though, it starts to lose its mojo and becomes a little tedious, but things perk up when ‘God’ (Burns) appears for a showdown with the devil. If you ignore the paranormal elements, it’s reminiscent of “The Rose” in ways (1979).
Lovely Roxanne Hart is a highlight in her brief role. Too bad it wasn’t bigger. Meanwhile Wass is surprisingly convincing as the Rick Springfield-like rocker.
The film cost $5,560,001 and made $21,538,850 in the USA alone in late 1984, which means it was a modest box office hit. Roger Ebert & Gene Siskel gave it a positive review, calling it "charming" and "delightful" "with a wicked sense of humor.”
The movie runs 1 hour, 37 minutes and was shot in Los Angeles, with some scenes done in Las Vegas.
GRADE: B
