In God We Tru$t

source: In God We Trust

While I didn't quite know how to take the film the first time I saw it, after viewing it three different times, and letting a lot of time pass, my ripening sense of humor absolutely adored the hilarious jabs at religion - primarily Christianity - in all its contemporary marketing in the U.S. The bumbling monk from the monastery who just isn't in touch with the real world but must learn how to deal with it; the itinerant preacher in a modified flivver with a steeple and amplified speaker driving around "enticing" money from the crowds he can gather on the street; and the glowing puffery of the TV evangelist - who has more evil behind him than the good he portrays to his public. GREAT HUMOR. Well acted by Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle and Andy Kaufman. Contains a very interesting twist.

This thing cracks me up. I saw it on TV when I was a child. My parents recorded it and it became a staple of my viewing choices while growing up. I only wish they would have included the original opening title theme, "Good for God". I was very disappointed when I finally got a new video copy several years ago. I was poised for my traditional sing-along only to be presented with a new opening title. If anybody has the ability to see the original, I would recommend it. Either way, the movie is good for quite a few laughs.

This Feldman production is not the greatest comedy ever made, but Feldman co-wrote, directed, and starred in this Feldman-at-the-Helm vehicle. It truly showcases his talents as no other movie before it had. While it does attempt to do too much, the attempt is not a waste. Feldman merely aimed his sights at Blazing Saddles and made the attempt. It pokes fun at Christians and all organized religion, the pop-culture of the time, contemporary ideologies, the action-driven cop shows of the age, and itself. This is one of those wonderful movies which knows it's a movie and never takes itself too seriously. Feldman is Father Ambrose is the outcast of the monastery. When the archdiocese decides they must have more money from the outside world, or shut its doors, Father Ambrose is chosen to leave the familiar world of hard benches and stone floors, and venture out in search of their salvation. Ironic in that "salvation" is supposed to be their specialty. There are some wonderful cameos by Richard Pryor as God, Andy Kauffman, and Peter Boyle. Along the way, Ambrose discovers what he's been missing out on all those years cloistered in a hermetic order, and processes new information which enables him to rethink his choice from an informed perspective. He finds laughter; he finds that while men are corrupt, MAN is decent at heart; and he finds himself. All in all a very endearing, if dated, work. It rates a 6.6/10 from... the Fiend :.

-May contain spoilers. Many people only know Marty Feldman as Igor in 1974's "Young Frankenstein". And, I'll admit, unless one does some research, that's all one can really ever know. It's a shame that his other stuff, such as this film, has gone more unnoticed. Anyway... "In God We Tru$t", from what I've heard and read really did horribly at the box office, and the critics just seemed to rip it to shreds! It's as if they couldn't find anything good about it. Well, I can. I really enjoyed this film. Maybe it wasn't well received because to me, in this movie, Feldman doesn't play his usual silly, comic relief based roles. I mean yes, he's funny in this film, but he has a much more straight role than in his other films, and yeah...he actually acts and emotes. Also, maybe romantic comedies weren't as big then, who knows? Or maybe the press just didn't think Marty Feldman had the right to play a serious, or semi-romantic role. Regardless, I feel that in this film, Feldman gets to showcase his real acting ability, and he's really great in this movie. And there's great support from the likes of Peter Boyle, Andy Kaufman, Richard Pryor, etc... Looks-wise, Feldman was not the "conventional leading man", but in this film, I feel he makes it work. His "By the way, I think I love you...do you mind?" is delivered in an absolutely convincing and adorable way... So yes, maybe this film is more a cute, sweet, sort of movie...but why did all of Marty Feldman's films have to be silly, manic, or zany? I think if anything the fact that he did different things shows his versatility. The concept of this film, a monk who really doesn't belong in the monastery, having to go out into the imperfect and corrupt world, falling in love with a prostitute, etc...I mean, it's great. All I can really see that is wrong with it, is simply the fact that unlike most Feldman movies that make one go, "HA HA!" this may make one go..."Awww". Some deep lines too, such as "It may not be the best of all possible worlds but it's the only one we've got" and "Doubts are about the only certainties I have right now." Maybe I'm not with the popular opinion, but I enjoyed it and give it 8/10.

In all my life, I've only walked out of one film. This was it. It was so horribly stupid, I just couldn't take watching it. I can't believe that this garbage actually got made. What kind of a moron would fund this retarded piece of junk? There is nothing funny, and believe me, I'm the kind of guy that can find comedy in a lot of films that sucked. But this just was idiotic and insanely stupid. I can't recommend any portion of it. I can't recommend any of the acting. Not one thing was good about it. I wish I had the minutes of my life I spent watching this tripe. Marty Feldman and Andy Kaufman have always been funny to me but in this film they simply wasted their time.

As so often, the IMDb voter average is nothing to go by, in terms of seeking quality. However, in the case of this very funny, even somewhat clever, comedy the 4.6 average is a joke. The reason for it is obvious: many people who have never seen the movie but heard about it and what it's about decided to hate it without giving it a chance. IGWT is quite an offensive movie to believers, and anyone who is strongly Christian (or of any other religious persuasion) should not only avoid this movie, but pray to his God that He burn all copies of it. Although, the movie mocks the commercialization of religion far more than Christianity itself. As an atheist, I loved this movie and recommend it to all agnostics, other atheists, Christianity-haters, but also Christians who can take a joke. Provided, of course, that you don't mind raunchy, irreverent humour. Feldman is quite weird playing an ultra-naive do-gooder monk who has never been outside his monastery. The premise alone makes one curious to see the film. The supporting cast is very good, too (Boyle, Kaufman, etc.). Obviously not as good as the almost flawless mother of all religion-bashing films, "Life Of Brian", but with plenty of good and wicked gags at the expense of religion. There is criticism that IGWT was just a cashing-in reaction to Monty Python's Jesus movie, but who cares if it was? There are plenty of movies that support religion, so another (good) comedy that goes in the opposite direction really can't hurt.

That's the mantra for the hilariously and hideously phony preacher played by Andy Kaufman, an evangelist far worse than Paul Sorvino from "Oh, God!". Looking like the Broadway version of Melvin P. Thorpe from "The Best Little WH in Texas", Kaufman has monk Marty Feldman kidnapped in order to help spread his word and bring in more moolah. Feldman has come from his Monastery to Los Angeles to try to find money to save his order, and ends up being used by a phony varination of Christianity. He realizes that even with a cheaper version of Kaufman as his friend (Peter Boyle), there are all sorts of phony creatures out there, and thanks to the help of a Hollywood prostitute (Louise Lasser), discovers how to deal with it. I was surprised and delighted to find out that this flop comedy was much better than I expected it to be, having given bomb ratings to Feldman's next two films, "Yellowbeard" and 'Slapstick of Another Kind", and thought that this one would be as hideous. While there are a few moments that are eyebrow-raising and one or two that are offensive, I actually laughed quite a bit and found the film to be surprisingly sweet. You get to see an exaggerated variation of what Hollywood Boulevard was like in the early 1980's, and a very funny Christmas extravaganza that will have you laughing hysterically at its tacky audaciousness. Richard Pryor has a cameo as Kaufman's big boss, barely recognizable, even in voice. This is one of the few parodies of Mel Brooks style comedies featuring actors from his ensemble and directed by one of them. In this case, it's Feldman who had some pathos to his performance so he's not just a zany pop-eyed fool. Perhaps he should have been the one doing these all along, not Gene Wilder. This is obviously not an attack on Christianity in general, but more about how it has been abused by phony showmen. Boyle scales every moment he's on screen, especially with his bus, disguised as a moving church.

I certainly would be curious to know exactly what it was that the 'positive' reviewers of this bad film were smoking. I did not see this movie when it first came out in 1980 (thankfully) but i did see it tonight for the first (and last) time on cable. I kept on wondering if the actors KNEW it was crap during the filming because not one ounce of it was worthwhile or funny. Not ANY of the actors appearances or performances were memorable or redeeming. I've always liked Feldman. His best role was that of Igor in 'Young Frankenstein' A movie that came out in 1974 that i could see many many times over and STILL laugh out loud. Cant say that for this 'In God We Tru$t' waste of time.

A pretty good film,slow moving. Andy Kaufman steals the show as: Armageddon T Thunderbird a Televangelist.Andy Kaufman rehearsed for this role in London's "Hyde Park" and in New York City.