|
|
PLAYING GOD (2021)
Director: Scott Brignac Cast: Hannah Kasulka, Luke Benward, Michael McKean, Alan Tudyk, Jude Demorest, Marc Menchaca, Leighton B. Allen MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 1:35 Release Date: 8/6/21 (limited; digital & on-demand) |
|
Review by Mark Dujsik | August 5, 2021 The premise of Playing God sounds like an irrational, hard-to-believe comedic gimmick with some questionable taste. Basically, a trio of con artists decide to scam a man out of millions of dollars by pretending to be the almighty deity and a pair of angels. Why would anyone buy something so completely unlikely that it's essentially ludicrous? Well, the target's daughter died, and he has been searching various religions and faith traditions for some kind of cosmic answer to that tragedy. Yes, it sounds ridiculous and a bit awful. How can we accept that even the most skilled of scammers could convince someone, even in such a vulnerable state, of a legitimately divine presence in the flesh? How could we sympathize with people who want to and do manipulate and exploit such terrible grief in such a selfish and cruel way? Somehow, though, writer/director Scott Brignac makes it work. The main con artists are twins Rachel (Hannah Kasulka) and Micah (Luke Benward), who have spent most of their lives perfecting the art of stealing by way of lies. Micah didn't convince one mark, and Vaughn (Marc Menchaca) wants $200,000—what was stolen and for his trouble. The solution could be Ben (Alan Tudyk), the inordinately wealthy man who has been searching the world for a divine reason for his daughter's death. The two siblings—although Rachel has moral qualms that extend beyond this con—enlist their old mentor Frank (Michael McKean) to help them with the plan and to play the role of God. The film works for at least two major reasons. The first is Rachel, who serves as the audience's conscience, while also trying to comprehend how and why she has taken this path in life—as well as how she can possibly get out of and make up for it. The other is a trio of scenes between Ben and Frank, which may be fake but actually reach at the despairing heart of grief and the longing core of faith. Among a strong cast, Tudyk stands out as a man so devastated that he almost wants to be fooled. For a story about trickery, it's a surprise how sincere Brignac and the cast are in confronting matters of theology, grief, and, in the twins' back story, character-defining pain. Playing God succeeds, simply by investing some thought and care into these characters. Copyright © 2021 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
Buy Related Products
|
