Of the creative people who brought us Oh God only George Burns returns for the sequel. Larry Gelbart's adopted script which got an Oscar nominations was a very profound statement on the human condition. This one is a nice PG rated kids film with the Deity himself now using a little girl played by Louanne to spread His word with the good advertising training her father David Birney has given her.

Starting with her schoolmates she gets them to graffiti the world with 'Think God' and the simple idea spreads. The best ideas are often the most simple ones.

Burns puts Louanne in some heavy company with people like Socrates, Gandhi, Lincoln and Martin Luther King. Her sanity is questioned and like John Denver in the original who went before a select group of theologians Louanne's very future at stake.

This is a pleasant remake of a real classic. Burns is as droll as ever. Suzanne Pleshette is fine as Louanne's mother. But it's just a pale imitation of the first.

George Burns returns as the joshing Almighty after enjoying a big success with 1977's "Oh, God!", an upbeat fantasy made successful by a sudden need in the 1970s to switch from devil-driven thrillers to comedic redemption (although it made money, the original was more in line with the "Topper" comedies of the '30s than a return to feel-good religious cinema). Here, God appears to a young girl (Louanne, who had earlier starred in a stage production of "Annie") and asks her to spread his Divine Word, causing her nothing but trouble from grown-ups in the process. Peculiar, family-oriented film appears to be warm-hearted enough, and Burns gets to chime in with a nice barrage of wry jibes, but the writing is half-slapstick and half-seriousness. The adults of the piece actually consider locking little Louanne up, all of which makes God seem more like a troublemaker than an elderly friend. Louanne is another problem: a perky kid with wizened little eyes, she is untrained for screen-acting and occasionally seems awkward. The medium-budget production has a gloppy, TV-movie appearance, with few graceful touches. The final scene mimics the climax of the first "Oh, God!" in that it brings a wistful sentiment to the mix, which is welcomed. It's the most subtle moment in the movie. ** from ****

God (George Burns) is back! He asks little Tracy Richards (Louanne) to meet him using Chinese fortune cookies. Her parents Paula (Suzanne Pleshette) and Don (David Birney) are divorced. Only she can hear or see him. She suggests that he should get a slogan. He gives her the job. She and her friend Shingo come up with 'Think God'. They get the other kids to join. Her parents get concerned about her talking to God. School Principal Benson is not happy and suspends her. Her parents bring her to a child psychiatrist and he tells them to institutionalize her. Shingo leads a school demonstration to bring back Tracy.

I have a couple of problems with this movie. Whenever an old man lures a young girl away, I always have a Stranger-Danger moment. The fortune cookies bit leaves me a bit cold. Once I get over that, the cute little girl is very compelling. I like most of the movie but then it takes a jab at child psychiatry that is both undeserved and unreasonable. It makes disbelieve to be some kind of evil. The movie itself makes the analogy to childhood imaginary friends. I doubt psychiatrists were locking kids up for imaginary friends even back then. If they could make the case that she was harming herself or other people, that would make a whole lot more sense. This is simply picking a fight with nobody real. There are some good moments in the middle. George Burns is still sharp.