1980: "Oh, God! Book II"

                                 Oh, God! Book II is the 1980 sequel to the Carl Reiner comedy starring George Burns as the eponymous creator of life. The original, if you're not familiar, follows a supermarket manager (played by John Denver) who is told by God to spread His Word much to the chagrin of his family and co-workers, and the scrutiny of the media. The sequel is the same film, only instead of John Denver, it's a little helmet-haired moppet (played by Louanne Sirota).

                                 Oh, God! was a charming, thoughtful little comedy on the nature of faith. Oh, God! Book II is the exact same film, and there's no connection to the first film besides the cigar-chomping Catskills comic, so I guess you don't really have to watch the first one (except you probably should).
                                 This film tries to tackle the same themes, but through the lens of a child and the pressures that come with that responsibility. Though it's retreading familiar ground, I kind of admire the new approach since it's a different experience for a child, albeit a bit more traumatic. However, it's more sugar-coated than it would actually be. Her schoolmates are a little too accepting of her cause (she would be mercilessly bullied in real life), while all the adults are cynical and cautious (they want to put her in an institution which is a rather gauche solution to a temporary growing pain; I guess parenting standards were different in 1980).
                                 The movie pales in comparison to the first one in the sense that it lacks some of the bite and softens the situation to the point where it feels like a ABC After-School Special. George Burns, though still having the dry charm, seems tired and doddering here. The children are all charmingly terrible actors and the parents are unconvincing.

                                It's a light, fluffy affair that might charm simply for its kid-glove handling of heavy subjects and groan-inducing humor. Check out the first Oh, God! instead; it's a pleasant little comedy.