Alright, fellow tape travelers, let's rewind to a time when finding something truly unexpected on the video store shelf felt like striking gold. Sometimes you grabbed the big action hit, sometimes the buzzy thriller, but other times... you stumbled onto something quieter, gentler, maybe even a little quirky. Case in point: 1996’s Dear God. Now, this one might not have been the Friday night blockbuster, maybe more of a Sunday afternoon discovery, but it carries a certain mid-90s charm that’s hard to completely dismiss, especially when you see Garry Marshall’s name on the director’s chair.
### Divine Intervention, Postal Service Style
The premise itself is pure 90s high-concept sweetness: Greg Kinnear, flashing that easygoing charisma that was making him a movie star after charming us on TV's Talk Soup, plays Tom Turner. Tom’s a small-time con artist whose latest scam lands him not in jail, but with court-ordered community service. His assignment? The gloriously analog Dead Letter Office of the U.S. Postal Service in Los Angeles. It's here, amidst mountains of misaddressed mail, that Tom stumbles upon letters addressed simply to "God." Initially cynical, Tom finds himself compelled (partly by circumstance, partly by a stirring conscience) to start answering them, setting off a chain reaction of unintended consequences and quiet miracles.
### Kinnear Delivers the Goods
Let's be honest, the film rests squarely on Greg Kinnear's shoulders. This was a pivotal time for him, moving from snarky TV host to viable leading man, and Dear God showcases that likability perfectly. He manages to make Tom’s transition from self-serving hustler to reluctant do-gooder feel believable, even within the film's sometimes overly earnest framework. You buy his initial reluctance and his gradual warming to the idea that maybe, just maybe, doing something decent feels better than the quick buck. It’s not a flashy role, but it’s one perfectly suited to his particular brand of charm.
He's surrounded by a solid ensemble, as you'd expect from Garry Marshall, the man who gave us the bustling casts of Pretty Woman (1990) and TV's Happy Days. Laurie Metcalf, fresh off her iconic run as Jackie on Roseanne, plays Rebecca, Tom’s weary, by-the-book supervisor (and eventual love interest, naturally). She brings her trademark grounded intelligence, acting as the necessary counterpoint to Tom’s schemes. And who could forget seeing the legendary Tim Conway pop up as a fellow postal worker, adding his unique brand of gentle comedy? Marshall even sneaks in himself for a cameo as the Postmaster General – a classic Marshall move.
### That Garry Marshall Touch
Speaking of Garry Marshall, his directorial style is all over this. There’s an inherent warmth, a focus on character relationships, and an optimistic belief in the goodness of people (even con artists!). While Dear God never quite reached the stratospheric success of Pretty Woman, you can feel Marshall aiming for that same blend of heart and humor. Interestingly, the script had several writers credited, including Brent Maddock and S. S. Wilson, the duo better known for the creature features Tremors (1990) and Short Circuit (1986). It’s a slightly different vibe for them, trading graboids for guidance, but it hints at the journey the script might have taken.
The film feels very mid-90s – the slightly oversized suits, the pre-internet world where a physical letter could still feel profoundly important, the earnest belief that small acts of kindness could snowball. There’s a certain lack of cynicism here that might feel quaint now, but back on that slightly fuzzy CRT screen, it offered a comforting escape. Remember sorting through actual mail? The film taps into that tactile reality, filming partly in real Los Angeles postal facilities, giving the Dead Letter Office a believable, lived-in feel.
### A Message Delivered, If Not First Class
Dear God wasn't exactly a box office juggernaut – pulling in just over $7 million domestically, it faded relatively quickly compared to Marshall's bigger hits. Critics were mixed, often finding it a bit too predictable and sentimental. And yeah, watching it now, you can see those points. The plot mechanics creak a little, and the resolution ties things up perhaps a tad too neatly.
But there’s still an undeniable sweetness here. It explores themes of faith (less religious, more humanitarian), cynicism versus hope, and the power of community in a gentle, unassuming way. It doesn't demand deep theological debate; it just asks what might happen if people started actively listening and responding to the quiet pleas around them, even those addressed to the heavens. It’s a message movie, delivered with a spoonful of sugar, characteristic of its time.
Overall Rating: 6/10
Justification: Dear God earns its points for Greg Kinnear's perfectly pitched performance, Garry Marshall's reliably warm direction, and a genuinely charming high-concept premise. It captures that specific mid-90s feel-good vibe effectively. It loses points for predictability, a sometimes overly sentimental tone, and a lack of truly memorable moments or sharp comedy that would elevate it beyond being simply "nice."
Final Thought: This is the kind of movie you might have rented on a whim, enjoyed quietly, and then mostly forgotten. Rediscovering it now feels like finding a pleasant, slightly dusty postcard from 1996 – a reminder of a gentler, more earnest style of studio comedy that rarely gets delivered anymore. Worth a watch if you're in the mood for something warm and fuzzy from the back shelves of VHS Heaven.