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God Said, Ha!

Play trailer Poster for God Said, Ha! PG-13 1998 1h 25m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
86% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
In this film adaptation of her well received one-woman stage show, actress Julia Sweeney chronicles the comically disastrous year of her life in which both she and her brother Michael were diagnosed with rare forms of cancer and were forced to move back in with their parents. Sweeney's ability to find hope and humor in the darkest parts of her life earned her a Grammy nomination in 1996 for the Broadway version of the show. The film features a cameo with producer Quentin Tarantino.
God Said, Ha!

What to Know

Critics Consensus

God Said, Ha! plumbs poignant depths, but Julia Sweeney's sharp, graceful wit makes this one-woman monologue a wise, big-hearted burst of uplifting -- and perhaps therapeutic -- entertainment.

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Critics Reviews

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Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 01/01/2000
3.5/4
At the end of the film, we feel we've been through a lot with Julia and Mike Sweeney and their family. We're sad, but we're smiling. I was thinking: Life's like that. Go to Full Review
Michael Dequina TheMovieReport.com 11/26/2009
3/4
Poignant--but never depressing, thanks to Sweeney's sharp--and, it appears, therapeutic--wit. Go to Full Review
Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid 05/26/2006
Sweeny's monologue is truthful and funny in a loose conversational way that draws you in. Go to Full Review
Eric Lurio Greenwich Village Gazette 09/05/2005
4/5
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 08/17/2005
4/5
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Audience Reviews

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12/13/2014 Outstanding. Deserves every award its won and more. See more 05/04/2014 I was never familiar with Julia Sweeney in any way. I've never watched any of her Saturday Night Live stuff, any of her other films, and none of her stand-up routines. I picked this film up on VHS out of curiosity and I'm glad that I did because I sure got a hell of a surprise out of it. The film is basically a stand up routine by Julia Sweeney on a single set where she talks about events of her life starting with a divorce from her husband a few years earlier. Hoping she would begin living a great single life as she dreamed, her world was suddenly turned upside down when her brother, Michael was diagnosed with cancer. After she moved him into her home, her parents soon moved in with her to help care for Michael and things begin to get really crazy for Julia ranging from small things like her parents bothering over small things, having to change the way she speaks to her parents, random events that happen to her, to major things regarding Michael and her own health problems that develop. With all these things that happen, she still finds darkly humorous elements to all these problems to cope with all the despair and heartbreak that occurs, but also talking about the good times and the funny times. It's basically all about finding humor in life, even during its darkest and most challenging days. It's about life, death, love, heartbreak, humor, and so much more in a way that never feels sappy or pretentious, but honest, sweet, and darkly funny. While a number of people don't like God Said, "Ha!" because it's basically a recording of Juila Sweeney giving a stand up routine on a single set, rather than having a moving plot, shall we say, I found myself absorbed and engaged just listening to her talk about all her stories, whether they were small, everyday things, or the challenging parts, I was never once bored simply listening. It made me laugh, it made me choke up, and I loved every story she told because she did so with such energy and life. She also managed to find an effective balance of humor and heartbreak, which is something many comedies struggle to do, but she also delivered and honest and sincere film that felt very real with her life stories. God Said, "Ha!" is one of the best film-watching surprises I've ever had, as well as being one of the best comedies I've ever seen. It's deceptively simple with its obviously low budget and single set for which she tells her stories, but her stories are what make it a more complex, engaging, and absorbing film that is brutally honest about life, while also finding the humor in the complexities of life. I loved every minute of it and it delivers in ways I can only wish most other dramedies could. See more 08/30/2013 number 1 stand up comedy See more 03/13/2012 Quentin Tarantino executive produced this film version of Julia Sweeney's one woman show. Julia Sweeney recounts taking care of her brother during his battle with lymph cancer, having her parents move in, and her own battle with cervical cancer. The performance runs the gambit between absolute hilarity and the deeply touching. I highly recommend this movie. Best Quotes: "...I decided to do something a little unhealthy and dangerous. And for me, that meant I was gonna smoke myself a cigarette and buy the new book by the Pope." "I love my shunt!" See more 02/06/2012 I've never had to deal with anything like this, but I cried anyway. See more 03/29/2011 I hate to say this about someone's deeply felt experiences---but this was horribly boring and Julia Sweeney's voice was beyond annoying to me as were her mannerisms. This is one of the few films that I actually had to shut off before it was over....in fact, before being half-way through. Awful, awful, awful. (Sigh) Live and learn. See more Read all reviews
God Said, Ha!

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Movie Info

Synopsis In this film adaptation of her well received one-woman stage show, actress Julia Sweeney chronicles the comically disastrous year of her life in which both she and her brother Michael were diagnosed with rare forms of cancer and were forced to move back in with their parents. Sweeney's ability to find hope and humor in the darkest parts of her life earned her a Grammy nomination in 1996 for the Broadway version of the show. The film features a cameo with producer Quentin Tarantino.
Director
Julia Sweeney
Producer
Rana Joy Glickman
Screenwriter
Julia Sweeney
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Oh, Brother Productions Inc.
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 14, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 11, 2016
Runtime
1h 25m
Sound Mix
Surround