Film

Oh, God! You Devil

A 1984 fantasy-comedy where George Burns plays both God and the Devil, squabbling over a rock star's soul. It's broad, silly, and deeply committed to its premise—Burns charms his way through both roles with vaudeville energy. For anyone who wants theology filtered through a Las Vegas lounge singer's sensibility.

TMDb rating2.9

If you liked this

It's a Wonderful Life1946

A divine being intervenes in human affairs to show a man his worth. Capra's film has the same warmth and faith in goodness, but trades comedy for genuine emotion and stakes that actually matter.

But It's slower, more reverent, and emotionally demanding in ways that Oh, God! You Devil deliberately avoids.

It's a Wonderful Life poster

Heaven Can Wait1978

Warren Beatty as a quarterback given a second chance by heavenly bureaucrats. Same playful tone about divine intervention, same '70s charm, same willingness to treat the afterlife as a plot device rather than theology.

But The romance subplot dominates more than the comedy, and it moves at a gentler pace.

Heaven Can Wait poster

Beetlejuice1988

Tim Burton's afterlife is vaudeville chaos with a con-artist ghost. Burns and Keaton share DNA—both committed character performers who make the supernatural feel lived-in and funny rather than precious.

But It's darker and far weirder, which could feel like a completely different movie if you're after pure warmth.

Beetlejuice poster

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Damn Yankees1958

Both are comedies about selling one's soul where the Devil is far more fun than damnation; both treat the supernatural deal as a love story between competing forces rather than genuine peril.

A man sells his soul to the Devil to make his baseball team win. It's a musical, so the Devil gets to perform—Tab Hunter as temptation, Ray Walston as Lucifer doing actual vaudeville numbers. Same soul-selling premise, completely different medium.

But If you can't warm to Golden Age musicals, the production numbers will feel long and theatrical rather than charming.

Damn Yankees poster
More like this (8)

Oh, God!1977

The original: Burns as God meeting a supermarket manager. If you liked Burns in the sequel, this is where his divine persona was born—smaller, sweeter, and Carl Reiner directing with genuine affection.

But The predecessor can feel slow if you've already seen the devil-versus-God setup done with higher energy.

Oh, God! poster

The Sting1973

Con men outwitting each other with charm and timing. The same structure as the devil-versus-God premise: two smart players, one objective, mutual respect underneath the competition.

But It's a heist film first and foremost—if you're here for fantasy whimsy, this is grounded crime instead.

The Sting poster

I Dream of Jeannie1965

A sitcom about magical wish-fulfillment with comedy coming from character friction rather than plot logic. Same era's approach to the supernatural as a playground for personality clashes.

But It's a TV series with episodic storytelling and '60s production values that haven't aged as cleanly as Burns' performance.

I Dream of Jeannie poster

Bedazzled1967

A man makes a deal with the Devil for worldly success, then learns the hard way why that's a mistake. Peter Cook as Lucifer is charming and witty—a devil you almost root for.

But It's more British and absurdist, with darker undertones about desire and damnation that complicate the fun.

Bedazzled poster

3 Men and a Baby1987

A lightweight comedy about three men forced into unexpected circumstances, learning to care about something beyond themselves. Same '80s sitcom energy, same good-natured chaos.

But It has nothing to do with the supernatural, so you lose the fantasy element that makes Oh, God! You Devil distinctive.

3 Men and a Baby poster

Ghostbusters II1989

A sequel that doubles down on its own logic: if ghosts exist, what if an entire city filled with negative emotion could become a problem? Bill Murray delivering jokes while the supernatural stakes climb.

But It's noisier and more cynical than Burns' warmth, and the plot gets genuinely convoluted by the end.

Ghostbusters II poster

Carnivàle2003

Both feature God and the Devil as active, embodied characters moving through the world; both ask what happens when divine forces play for human stakes rather than abstract morality.

An HBO miniseries about a carnival preacher and a traveling show during the Depression, where good and evil are literally embodied in two men. It's dark theology masquerading as Americana—Burns' divine optimism inverted into cosmic dread.

But It's slow-burn, gothic, and cancelled after two seasons on a cliffhanger. Watching it means accepting an unresolved ending.

Carnivàle poster

A Matter of Life and Death1946

Both films pit Heaven against human desire; both treat the afterlife as a place where rules can be negotiated by the sufficiently charming or desperate; both use fantasy to ask what we're really worth.

A shot-down RAF pilot argues his case before a heavenly tribunal to stay alive and marry the woman he loves. Michael Powell's film is visually sumptuous and philosophically serious—heaven as a place where souls literally defend themselves.

But It's in Technicolor, British, and deeply earnest about mortality and sacrifice. If you want Burns' lightness, this will feel like attending chapel instead of a comedy show.

A Matter of Life and Death poster

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