playing god movie review

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Playing god, common sense media reviewers.

Fascinating con drama promotes empathy; mature themes.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Finding empathy and compassion for others will hel

Rachel starts out participating in cons with her b

Guns are shown in a stand-off but are never fired.

"God" is used in an exclamatory way, but it's also

Scenes with drinking, including to excess as a for

Parents need to know that Playing God is a drama about brother-sister con artists who are trying to achieve the ultimate con: deceiving a grieving billionaire by pretending to know God (one crook even pretends to be God). Characters drink heavily to numb the pain of grief and loss, a drug overdose is…

Positive Messages

Finding empathy and compassion for others will help you grow into a better, kinder person. Life will cause pain, but it's better to use your grief as a way to help others rather than cause harm.

Positive Role Models

Rachel starts out participating in cons with her brother but eventually reconsiders when she's asked to deceive the grieving Ben. Rachel and Jude are two of the most prominent women in the film; both showcase a sense of morality, kindness, and depth of character. An unnamed White female character and Rachel and Micah's associate Lizzy fill a more sexualized role. No Black women are prominently featured. However, there is some racial diversity, including June's husband, Owen, Frank's criminal associate/friend Jesús, and Jeff, a businessman Rachel meets on the street. Of the characters of color in the film, Owen and Jesús get the most screen time -- but Jesús could be seen as yet another role in which a Latinx character is shown as having criminality. Same for Lizzy, who is also Latinx. Jeff, who is Asian American, could be seen as an example of light, uplifting representation. But if his character is examined from the common assumption of the "high achieving" Asian American, he could also be seen as fulfilling the "model minority" stereotype. Even though the film questions why God is usually portrayed as an old man, Frank --literally an old White man -- is still given the role, which falls in line with stereotypical and propagandist depictions of God.

Violence & Scariness

Guns are shown in a stand-off but are never fired. A guitar is smashed, and Luke and Rachel are taken hostage and tortured for a few moments. A priest is pushed down the steps inside his church.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

"God" is used in an exclamatory way, but it's also part of a joke that Frank, who's pretending to be God, says about "using my name in vain." Words that could be considered ableist, including "crazy," "bonkers," "mental," "insanity," "psychopath" (i.e. in terms of describing events and people's actions as "insanity" or like a "psychopath").

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Scenes with drinking, including to excess as a form of self medication. Mention of Rachel and Micah's mother dying from a drug overdose.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Playing God is a drama about brother-sister con artists who are trying to achieve the ultimate con: deceiving a grieving billionaire by pretending to know God (one crook even pretends to be God). Characters drink heavily to numb the pain of grief and loss, a drug overdose is mentioned, and a couple of scenes include vomit. There's also a brief instance of torture and a scene with a gun stand-off (they're never fired). Not only do the con artists pretend to be angels, but they also pretend to channel the spirit of the billionaire's dead daughter. While this might not sit well with all viewers of faith, the film's message is ultimately about accepting grief and finding meaning in life. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (1)

Based on 1 parent review

Can’t Miss! Good can come from making mistakes.

What's the story.

PLAYING GOD is a dramedy about con artists pretending to know -- and be -- God. Twins Micah ( Luke Benward ) and Rachel ( Hannah Kasulka ) rope their father figure, Frank ( Michael McKean ), into the biggest scheme of their criminal career: getting Frank to pretend he's God so they can rob a grieving billionaire ( Alan Tudyk ). The catch is that Micah and Rachel need the money before an even worse criminal comes after them. And it turns out there's more story about why Micah wants to take this particular billionaire for all he's worth.

Is It Any Good?

Playing God is a stealth crowd-pleaser. Shot on location in Houston, it's both an entertaining dramedy about charismatic criminals plan a high-stakes con and a sly meditation on religion, spirituality, and grief. Kasulka and Benward might play twins, but they couldn't be farther apart in terms of characteristics. Both actors play their characters convincingly, with Kasulka the more compelling of the two. Her Rachel might be well-versed in cons, but she's clearly not cut out to be a career criminal. She has a ton of heart and kindness -- more than her brother, whose understanding of their family history has made him bitter and jaded. Their actual relationship with Ben, the grieving billionaire, shows the gulf of their differing philosophies on life.

McKean is able to explore both his comedic and dramatic chops as Frank, who has to develop a wise but mysterious, grandfatherly character for his interpretation of God. His take on God is both comforting and commanding, seemingly all-knowing while being emotionally opaque. Meanwhile, Frank, when he's not pretending to be God, is a lovable con who taught Rachel and Micah everything they know. McKean makes the impossible idea that God could show up wearing a three-piece suit seem somehow plausible. Overall, Playing God is a fun, entertaining film that also traverses the landscape of grief and examines how far that emotion will take us to try to find some relief, hope, and closure.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about empathy . How big of a role does empathy play in the characters' lives? How does having empathy advance the story and humanize the characters?

How is grief portrayed in Playing God ? Is it realistic? Relatable? In what ways do you handle grief?

Many religious people seek God for answers and clarity. How does the film reflect humanity's search for meaning in life?

How do Micah's grief and anger play into his characterization? Does he grow in the film?

How does Ben evolve over the course of the film? How does he reconcile his grief?

Movie Details

• In theaters : August 6, 2021
• On DVD or streaming : August 6, 2021
• Cast : Hannah Kasulka , Luke Benward , Michael McKean , Alan Tudyk
• Director : Scott Brignac
• Studio : Vertical Entertainment
• Genre : Drama
• Character Strengths : Compassion , Empathy
• Run time : 95 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : November 21, 2022

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The Hollywood Outsider – Film and Television Podcast | Reviews An award-winning film and television podcast for the fan in all of us

Playing God (2021) | Film Review

Aaron B. Peterson August 5, 2021

Walking into Playing God , one thing was abundantly clear: this concept was going to be a hard sell. Everyone loves a good grifter tale (and who doesn’t enjoy a zippy con thriller), but to sell to a modern film audience that anyone would possibly believe they could actually be talking to God in person? Well, that’s a stretch. But a former industry leader in technology succumbing to the idea that the almighty is going to hobknob on a rooftop with him about the meaning of life and death? Absolutely not. Forget about it.

Thankfully, they have Alan Tudyk.

Playing God follows a pair of twin con artists in Micah (Luke Benward) and Rachel (Hannah Kasulka). They’ve spent their lives grifting from one moment to the next on low-end scores, and Micah puts himself dangerously in debt to a nefarious criminal when the opportunity for that one big score finally arrives in the guise of billionaire and former tech giant, Ben Elwood (Alan Tudyk). Having tragically lost his daughter, Ben has spent his time since on a pursuit to find God. Not figuratively, but literally. I mean, if billionaires can bounce into space whenever they want, is it really a surprise that now they want to talk to the head chief in the sky? Micah and Rachel aim to make that happen, as they have Michael McKean’s conman sensei Frank on hand to bring the bible to life, and in the process bilk Ben out of his fortune.

Written and directed by Scott Brignac, Playing God plays fast and loose with logic, as it is very difficult to accept anyone this intelligent could be fooled by the randomness of this conceit. Yet, Brignac injects enough theology, con magic, and character motivations to eventually win the audience over to his side. Yes, it’s a bit of a longshot. On the same token, we live in a world where people are convinced of the farfetched on a daily basis. Brignac’s script toys with Ben’s skepticism, as well as Rachel’s struggle manipulating a grieving father, just enough to keep us invested as this whole Heaven’s Eleven plays out.

Luke Benward and Hannah Kasulka are fine leads. Micah is a risk-taker and damn near a sociopath in his pursuits of the mark, and Benward sells his motivations. Kasulka is given the more difficult task of navigating an out-of-left-field curveball in the third act, and she handles it with finesse.

What carries Playing God through, though, is Michael McKean and Alan Tudyk. McKean injects his trademark wit and rapscallion flare into Frank, and when it’s time to play the actual G-O-D, he sells it. McKean is always an advantage, and he sells one of the hardest plot points of the entire film as smoothly as selling car insurance.

Alan Tudyk, on the other hand, has THE most difficult part to sell: that of a billionaire genius who is so grief stricken and tormented, that he would ever even possibly entertain the belief that he was actually speaking to the holiest of all holies. Tudyk is one of the most versatile character actors of his generation, and rarely do we hear his name bandied about with the same frequency as others of his caliber. Sarcastic, sardonic, endearing, destroyed, mortified, lost, intimidating, bewildered – every gamut of emotion runs through Ben’s veins, and Tudyk brings them roaring to life. Cast an actor of lesser talent, and this film bottoms out before it ever gets started.

The Hollywood Outsider Review Score

Performances - 7, screenplay - 6, production - 5.

Elevated by Alan Tudyk and Michael McKean, Playing God overcomes its problematic concept to deliver more than thoughts and prayers.

Tags alan tudyk hannah kasulka Luke Benward michael mckean playing god scott brignac

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Review: Houston-shot indie ‘Playing God’ is a wholly enjoyable thriller

When a sibling team of con artists try to pull off the ultimate scam of a billionaire by making him think he's talking to the almighty, they find themselves in a hell of a mess..

Luke Benward, Michael McKean and Hannah Kasulka in 'Playing God,' which was shot in Houston

In the movies, the long con usually stays low to the ground, relying on feints and tricks, which, in hindsight, were right in front of you all along. The new Houston-based film “Playing God” takes a different tack. Its royal scam comes flavored with a spiritual dimension, or at least the illusion of one, raising the stakes for both the perpetrators and the mark. As it turns out, bringing God into the mix conjures all manner of moral dilemmas.

Rachel (Hannah Kasulka) and Micah (Luke Benward) are orphaned twins who have fashioned themselves into skilled con artists, working short rackets and long. Charming, attractive, they know how to use what they’ve got — until Micah’s past catches up with them in the form of a bad guy named Vaughn (Mark Menchaca of “Ozark”). It seems Micah has bilked Vaughn out of $100,000; being a bad guy, Vaughn is ready to play hardball to recoup his cash.

These early moments establish “Playing God” as a slick, sharply written balancing act between comedy and thriller, with a lean funk score (by Joshua Moore) and a whole lot of downtown Houston (including lots of drone shots). There’s something blithe about the tone, even when we’re led to believe Rachel and Micah’s lives are in danger.

Then things start to get interesting. The twins are alerted to the presence of Ben (Alan Tudyk), a billionaire on a desperate spiritual quest following the death of his young daughter. Tudyk, one of the best character actors in the game, manages to infuse this tragic character with comic notes. To Micah, however, he’s just a potential mark, and an unusually wealthy one at that. How can the twins use Ben’s spiritual anguish to separate him from his money?

This brings us to the film’s other golden supporting performance, and to the leap of faith required of the audience. The twins pay a visit to their old mentor Frank (Michael McKean, best known these days for his work on “Better Call Saul”). Frank runs a skating rink, a magnificently long, dark space where he spends much of his time disinfecting the skates. Rachel and Micah have something grander in mind: literally playing God for the bereaved Ben, in hopes of somehow fleecing him dry.

This is where you either go where “Playing God” is taking you — maybe McKean could pass for the Almighty? — or you get off the ride. Except it’s actually possible to do both. It’s a thin conceit that Ben is close enough to the end of his rope to buy the ruse, no matter how well Tudyk and McKean sell it. But you don’t have to believe it to enjoy it. What doesn’t work on a logic level makes sense according to the characters and performances. And the twists — a con movie always has twists — are quite satisfying, even if you see them coming. (I didn’t, but I rarely do.)

Written and directed by Houston’s Scott Brignac, “Playing God” is a thoroughly competent independent film with plenty on its mind. Two of my favorite questions here: How do ethics play into the art of the scam? And does spiritual desperation make one more likely to believe? That “Playing God” offers few pat answers is a sign of its ambition and a good reason to watch. It may be slick, but it’s not shallow.

Running time: 95 minutes

Where: Opens Aug. 6 at Studio Movie Grill Pearland; Star Cinema Grill, Richmond; Star Cinema Grill Springwoods, Spring; Star Cinema Grill Baybrook, Friendswood; Star Cinemal Grill, Cypress; Star Cinema Grill, Missouri City; Star Cinema Grill, College Station.

Meet the director : Scott Brignac will be appearing for a Q&A at the 7:30 p.m. Friday screening of the film at Star Cinema Grill Richmond.

***½ (out of 5)

Chris Vognar is a Houston-based writer.

• Chris Vognar

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Playing God (2021 Movie) Review

By: Author Tessa Smith

Posted on Last updated: July 20, 2021

Playing God boasts an incredible cast and an interesting concept for a heist type movie — not perfect, but certainly a fun watch.

Playing God immediately interested me because of the interesting premise — con-artist twins decide to take advantage of a grieving rich man by telling him they can introduce him to God. Then throw in the incredible starring talents of Alan Tudyk and Michael McKean and there is nothing that can keep me away from checking this movie out. Playing God is not perfect, but it is a lot of fun, and if the ending doesn’t warm your heart, then you don’t have one.

This movie follows twins Micah (Luke Benward) and Rachel (Hannah Kasulka) who have been in the con business since they were kids but have now found themselves in some hot water. When a crime lord gives them a week to come up with the hundreds of thousands of dollars they owe him, they know they need to go big. 

Ben (Alan Tudyk), their mark, is a grieving tech mogul, and they need to come up with the perfect plan to make him trust them. So they present themselves as angels and tell him they can set up a meeting with God so he can get the answers he wants – face to face. That is where their friend Frank (Michael McKean) comes in, portraying the big man himself. 

The movie itself is interesting enough to keep viewers entertained, especially because of the several twists, turns, and major reveals that occur throughout it. Some are predictable, but there is one that most audiences will not see coming. That twist alone makes this movie worth watching because it gives a whole new depth to it. 

The standout performances should come as no shock — Tudyk and McKean completely steal the show. Not only are their conversations deep, meaningful, and captivating, but the way they portray their characters is fantastic as well. Each of them open up and show raw emotion during monologues that bring a bit of heart to this comedy heist of a movie. 

Benward and Kasulka do a decent job as well, however their writing is not the best at times, which is not their fault. They do have some emotional scenes – one in particular – where they shine. The movie is not without its flaws. It is only an hour and a half but it feels quite a bit longer because of a middle that goes off course and drags quite a bit. There is also not enough action and when we do get it, it doesn’t deliver as well as it should. 

The best parts of Playing God are hands down when Tudyk and McKean interact, and the final scene. It may be far from perfect but that is sort of the message here too — no one is perfect, everything happens for a reason even if you don’t understand it, and forgiveness is important. 

About Playing God

Micah (Luke Benward) and Rachel (Hannah Kasulka) are successful con-artist twins who enjoy the thrill of the scam. Skilled and charismatic, they can run a variety of con games and the money has never been better until a heartless crime lord comes back for revenge. He gives them ten days to come up with the hundreds of thousands of dollars they took from him or they’ll be killed.

When they hear that the quirky billionaire Ben Elwood (Alan Tudyk) has been on a relentless mission to find God, they know it could be the solution to all their problems. With the help of their former mentor Frank (Michael McKean) coming aboard to play The Almighty, the role of a lifetime, the siblings just might pull off the greatest con of their ‘career’ in a matter of days and stay alive.

Playing God hits theaters on August 6, 2021.

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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.

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Movie Reviews

‘playing god’ review: alan tudyk highlights grifter comedy.

Waiting for God – oh.

Playing God takes the con artist movie to the next plane – literally. The movie is about fraternal twins Rachel (Hannah Kasulka) and Micah (Luke Benward), a pair of con artists that come up with a clever ruse after falling in debt to a criminal. They are going to convince a billionaire named Ben (Alan Tudyk) they can get him a one on one with God.  

Just because an idea is a cool does not mean it is a good. The premise confronts problems almost immediately. People with more money than the GNP of countries tend to do crazy things. The idea of a tech billionaire being tricked into believing a meeting with God is right around the corner is a hard sell even in the outrageous tales of grifter fiction.  

Therein lies the main issue with Playing God . In order for a movie about con artist to work, the scam they are planning on has to be believable. Much like a heist story, if the audience does not ask, “can that really work?” then the story has failed to reel in the marks. And if they are not there, then what is the whole production for?

Writer and director Scott Brignac is able to navigate this precarious line, but it is never a sure thing. Playing God has all the expected moments, the wise mentor (Michael McKean) and some neat con artist tricks while also adding ruminations on religion. It is iffy even in its best moments, but the plot is able to keep people watching.  

What puts Playing God over the top are the performances. The people orchestrating the act are usually the glue to these types of movies. Benward and Kasulka do a fine job in their roles, but the real stand out is Tudyk. Along with displaying a gamut of emotions that run from grief to anger, the audience has to believe that Ben actually believes he is going to speak with the Almighty. Tudyk succeeds in getting the audience to believe that, and from there, it is easy to believe in the movie.

Playing God  comes to theaters and VOD August 6

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Playing God

By Alan Ng | November 4, 2021

NEW TO HULU! Scott Brignac’s Playing God , starring Alan Tudyk and Michael McKean, to be honest, is not really a comedy. I didn’t laugh once, yet it’s outstanding. It follows a pair of con-artist twins, Micah (Luke Benward) and Rachel (Hannah Kasulka), who swindle suckers for petty cash. That is until Rachel learns (in the worst way) that Micah owes over $200K to the evil, hot-tempered Vaughn (Marc Menchaca).

Rachel reluctantly agrees to help Micah pull a “heavenly” con on a wealthy billionaire, Ben (Alan Tudyk), who wants to speak with God about the random death of his daughter. Micah and Rachel pose as “angels” in hopes of meeting with Ben. Although Ben doesn’t believe in “angelic” personas, in an act of desperation, he calls their bluff and insists on speaking with God directly. Micah suspiciously accepts the offer, and now the “con” and panic set in. Micah and Rachel immediately turn to their surrogate father, Frank (Michael McKean) — the man who was their mentor and upped their con game — and recruit him to pose as God to Ben.

There are two elements to the story. The most obvious is the con. How does our conniving and desperate trio convince Ben that Frank is God? They go down a very familiar road if you’ve ever experienced a medium or faith healer. Frank employs some very subtle cold reading skills and internet research. But, on the other hand, Ben presses harder and harder for Frank to prove he is actually God. It’s like a spiritual game of chess.

The bright spot of Playing God is that the “con” is not solely what the film is about, otherwise, it would not be getting a good review from me. Instead, the heart gets into this conflict between Ben and Frank… or Ben and God. The battle over the age-old question — if God exists, why do bad things happen to good people? To innocent children? If God does exist, then his intentions are either evil, or he just doesn’t care.

“Micah and Rachel immediately turn to their surrogate father…and recruit him to pose as God …”

I tend to feel a little apprehension when approaching films that debate God’s existence. I’m all for debate. Asking tough questions without fearing the answer is necessary for both faith and maturity. However, seeing films like this from both the faith-based and atheist viewpoint has always come off as either overly rosy/simplistic or demeaning/angry. Brignac lays right in the middle, maybe leaning slightly toward faith. The debate over God’s goodness goes on quite a while, but the story takes a twist. I didn’t see it coming (I’m generally pretty prophetic when it comes to these stories), but it’s worth the payoff. It’s a testament to Brignac’s clever writing.

If you’re an aficionado of faith like I am, Playing God asks many good questions. So much so that my brain was in overdrive to the point that I had to rewind at times because I was in my own head. A film that makes me think is always a good film in my books.

Theological elements aside, I need to talk about the cast. Luke Benward and Hannah Kasulka are good in the leads. It’s Kasulka that takes on much of the emotional heavy lifting, and as a good con-artist story, they never reveal their shifting and plot-twisting hand. The absolute joy is the performance between Alan Tudyk and Michael McKean. Only great comedians can pull off this kind of dramatic performance. Tudyk has the conflicted and faith-shaken father down ideally. McKean perfectly balances the role of con-man and God.

Playing God’s fun is because the film is not what you think and will surprise you at how excellent and heartfelt the real story is.

Playing God (2021)

Directed and Written: Scott Brignac

Starring: Hannah Kasulka, Luke Benward, Michael McKean, Alan Tudyk, etc.

Movie score: 8/10

"…a film that makes me think is always a good film in my books."

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Playing God

Dove review.

Intelligently written and thought-provoking, this well-acted drama stirringly deals with the topic of God and why He allows the tragic moments and suffering in our lives.

The story begins with two con artist twins, Micah (Luke Benward) and Rachel (Hannah Kasulka), who are great at fleecing people out of their money. Posing as needy victims, they have managed to make a pretty good living from the generosity of others. However, they come across one man who catches them in their deceitful plot and demands $100,000 from them within ten days or it will be “lights out” for the duo.

Micah and Rachel consult their old “mentor” Frank (Michael McKean), who has been trying to run a legitimate business at a roller rink since being released from prison. He doesn’t want to do the con game anymore, but when the twins mention a certain target, a soul-searching billionaire named Ben Elwood, he decides one more con might be financially worth taking the risk.

There are a lot of nice underpinning moments in this dramatic story, which explains a lot of the set-ups in the plot. For instance, the twins’ dad left them when they were quite young and they have never gotten over it. On top of this sad scenario, their mother committed suicide, using drugs as her choice in leaving this world. She died on their bathroom floor.

The plot the trio conceives is for Frank to play “God,” and to talk with Ben. Ben has searched for a greater meaning in life for a long while. His spiritual quest has included meditation, drinking with a Brazilian shaman, and talking with a Catholic priest.

Micah tells Ben that he can arrange for God (himself) to meet with him. “No smoke and mirrors, no burning bush-God wants to talk to you.” Frank finds out as much as he can about Ben, and with Rachel and Micah aiding him behind the scenes, he meets with Ben on the top of a building. This is after Frank has bought a custom suit and jokes with Micah and Rachel, “Repeat after me, in Frank I trust.”

Frank’s background includes attending Catholic school for 10 years, and he thinks there are insane moments in the Bible. “Talking donkeys, people coming back from the dead, people turning to salt and channeling spirits,” he says. Yet, there is a quality about Frank that will leave the viewer thinking there is more to him than just what is seen on the surface.

Frank tells the twins, “We don’t need to give him the God of the Bible or the Koran or Oprah-we just need to give him the God that he wants.” We soon learn that Ben lost a daughter, tragically killed when she was still a girl. He has never gotten over it. He keeps wondering, “Why?” Rachel struggles with this trickery of Frank posing as God and she finds herself feeling sympathy for Ben. She sees the pain in Ben’s eyes. Micah is less sympathetic. “The world burns everyone,” he says. “Life sucks and nothing matters. Well, actually, there’s one thing that matters–money. Money creates opportunity.”

At the meeting on the building, Ben asks Frank, “So, you’re God. Which one?” “There’s only one,” replies Frank. As they talk Frank demonstrates that he’s done his homework by letting Ben know he knows him very well, including his heartbreaking past. When Ben thinks about leaping off the building, Micah tells Frank in an ear-piece to let him. But Rachel begs him to stop him. Frank convinces Ben to meet with him again in a place other than “high places.”

This fascinating story climaxes with Rachel deciding, “I can’t do this anymore.” And a shocking revelation brings the movie to an amazing and satisfying conclusion. The filmmakers are to be commended for tackling a painful subject—the suffering of life and God’s seemingly silent stance.

Although not blatantly Christian, the film concludes with two strong Christian statements: The Lord’s Prayer is played by the Beach Boys, and a scriptural reference to Joseph from the book of Genesis is displayed on screen at the very conclusion of the film. Without plot-spoiling, it is significant to note that the final words of the movie gives us an insight to the sorrows of this world: “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result.”

This film has earned our Dove seal for Ages 12+.

The Dove Take:

For anyone who needs to find hope in difficult and painful circumstances, this movie will speak to your heart.

Dove Rating Details

There are a few distinct Christian moments which includes seeing a church and the cross, The Lord’s Prayer in a song and a reference to Joseph from Genesis at the conclusion of the film as well as a few Biblical quotes.

A few violent moments include a man busting up a guitar and a few people holding guns on each other; people’s lives are threatened; a man is knocked out by being hit with a gun.

Someone exclaims “Oh g…!” and a man posing as God jokes not to take his name in vain; H*** is mentioned in a song a few times but is used in reference to God turning things into a Heaven from the h*** in our lives.

A few characters are seen with alcohol and bourbon and a man holds a beer; a man drinks from a flask; it’s stated a woman died from a drug overdose.

Mild cleavage in a scene.

The topic of pain and suffering; a man that portrays God jokes about it, saying such things as “In me you must trust”; tension and disagreements between characters; characters steal various objects and con people out of money; death and grief; a girl is briefly seen vomiting; a Buddha figure is seen in a man’s home, a man seeking to find God.

More Information

Film information, dove content.

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Playing God Reviews

Just when the film starts to lag, Hutton and Duchovny throw in some lines to keep it gruesomely lighthearted.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 18, 2021

David Duchovny is absolutely charming in a movie that combines medicine and crime and ultimately wears out its welcome by being too cute and repetitive with its throwaway humor.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Mar 28, 2019

The degree to which Playing God simply doesn't work is, quite frankly, astonishing...

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Feb 8, 2016

Full Review | Original Score: D | Sep 7, 2011

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Oct 27, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Aug 8, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 2/10 | Apr 14, 2004

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jan 12, 2004

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Aug 22, 2003

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 25, 2003

Jarring and unpleasantly woozy.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Apr 29, 2003

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 18, 2003

Another boring Pulp Fiction derivative - a copy of a copy of a copy.

Full Review | Original Score: C- | Jul 30, 2002

If you watch closely, you can spot the exact moment that David Duchovny's career ended.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Jul 26, 2002

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Apr 12, 2002

Full Review | Original Score: 64/100 | Jul 24, 2001

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 1, 2000

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jan 1, 2000

There's a lot of screaming and carrying on (this is, remember, a movie containing Russian gangsters), but there's a curious absence of weight to the performances.

Full Review | Jan 1, 2000

Meanders within the territory of comedy, drama, thriller, and just about anything under the cinematic sun with very little rhyme and no apparent reason at all.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Jan 1, 2000

Playing God (2021) – Movie Review and Analysis

Summary of the post.

The following summary includes the list of the topics we will cover in our post related to “Playing God”

• Introduction
• Can money buy happiness?
• Joseph and the Bible’s story
• Pros, Cons, Best Scene and Final Rating
• Where you can watch Playing God

Playing God – Introduction

We have anticipated “Playing God” in one episode of “ The Movies of the Week “ , and we were right. It’s an exciting comedy and a drama with something powerful to offer.

Playing God is an American production that lasts for one hour and thirty-five minutes. It touches delicate topics such as God, family, forgiveness, revenge and that desire for love that keep us alive .

Scott Brignac, the director and writer, did an interesting job, but not perfect. Anyway, it’s a movie we suggest you watch because the story engages in all of the challenges around it.

Playing God – Details

Playing god – the story.

Micah ( Luke Benward ) and Rachel  (Hannah Kasulka ) are decent thieves, but their lives changed forever when they picked the wrong target one day. They will have to deal with bad people to solve their issues. They need money and quickly . Micah comes with a “divine” plan when any hopes seem lost. They need to find God to discover their path to true salvation. 

• Will they be able to succeed?
• What are they going to discover?
• And are you a forgiver or a revenger?

Playing God – Official Trailer

Playing God – Review, Analysis and Explanation

( SPOILERS BEGIN – Watch the Movie and then enjoy it and let us know your opinion)

A section of the Bible inspired the movie. Precisely, Genesis 37:2-50:26, with Joseph’s story. But there is much more , and we want to share with you our analysis because the border between revenge and forgiveness is very thin, and you can make the difference. Let us explain it.

1. Can money buy happiness?

Micah and Rachel grew up alone, without parents. They learned how to survive, scamming people, even those they loved . For example, think of how Rachel stole money from June and Owen. Money are essentials for them but, even if they are twins, our protagonists have a different approach to life.

Micah is delusional. He doesn’t believe in relationships because everything sucks in life , except money. He is very practical but not happy, as we can see during the dialogue with Rachel on the bus. Rachel is different. She doesn’t care about money. Rachel wants to live and build relationships . She needs June in her life. June is an inspiration for her, almost the mum she never had.

Rachel doesn’t want the dirty money Micah stole from his father. She prefers to work as a waitress and be honest . As a result, Rachel suffers and can’t find peace with herself, scamming even the person who loves her.

Revenge or forgiveness?

Their different approach to life is transparent. Micah craves for his revenge against his father. He tries to persuade Rachel that this is the right way to punish Ben and, therefore, redeem their lives by punishing him. Revenge and violence are the most spontaneous reactions most people have before delusion or injustice. Micah wanted to steal also the picture on the wall, not for money anymore but for revenge . We can notice that there is something worth more than money for Micah.

Rachel, instead, lives a personal journey to try to go over her thief life and start something meaningful. She wants that love she couldn’t have as a baby . Rachel is sorry for Ben multiple times during the movie. She has the opportunity to talk to her father, apologise to June, and be honest and the best version of herself.

To reach her goal, Rachel learned sufferance : feeling sorry and horrible and seeking forgiveness. She wants forgiveness from June. Rachel is sorry for what she did to her father. Rachel represents forgiveness and the research for the meaningful side of life. Maybe this is the reason why we loved her more than Micah, and you should think about that.

But what makes you feel alive?

Money can’t buy happiness. They can help us live a better life, but not our best life. Don’t you agree? Let’s look at Ben. He is a millionaire; he had a beautiful family and a daughter who were his world. When he lost them, he lost himself. No money can’t buy his peace and happiness. Memories and relationships are the best assets in our life, although we often forget them.

During his personal journey, Ben learnt forgiveness. Ben is sorry for what he did to his children when he finds out about the scam, not for what he lost . And when he goes to find Rachel, he is not angry; instead, Ben is seeking forgiveness and a new chance.

When Rachel says she is sorry, and Ben replies, “so, am I,” we think it’s the most beautiful part of the movie . It’s the power to admit that we are humans, that we can make mistakes, but also that we can start again. And then live those priceless memories they couldn’t enjoy till now.

On the other side, Micah gets the money, a beautiful girlfriend who he couldn’t afford before (yes, we think it’s the right word), and Micah is ready to spend his money. Still, he cannot provide peace to the delusional status we mentioned above.

So, what makes happiness for you? Money or healthy relationships? Team Micah or team Rachel? Let us know in the comment section below. We think that without Rachel, it would be a cold movie with a flat and sad story to tell. But, who wants that in its life, right?

2. Joseph and the Bible’s story

At the movie’s end, the director shows us a verse from the Bible . Again, we found a strong connection with the film’s story. Joseph is the favourite son of Jacob. His brothers hated Joseph because their father so loved him. ( Doesn’t remind you of Ben loving Katie more than Micah and Rachel? ) Joseph also told them that he had a vision where Joseph would lead the family. The hate increased, and they decided to kidnap him and sell Joseph to the Egyptians.

They stained his clothes with goat’s blood and sent it to their father, just to let him suffer because of the fake Joseph death. ( Isn’t this Micah’s plan to steal all of his father fortune to punish Ben? ) But what seemed something terrible became something powerful for Joseph . Joseph was sold to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard in Egypt. Joseph became Potiphar’s personal servant and subsequently his household’s superintendent.

Joseph honesty and integrity were the keys to his success . But after several vicissitudes and sufferance, Joseph can fulfil the prophecy and provide for his family and the brother who sold him. Joseph forgives his brothers and gains his position in life through a tiring job and integrity . ( And we have the happy ending between Rachel and Ben )

Why this story? Let us explain it.

There is much to learn from Joseph’s story . As parents, we warn Jacob’s favouritism and its consequences on other children. Thus, for example, Joseph’s youthful pride and the envy and hate of his brothers. And we have a clear understanding of God’s faithfulness. He does not abandon His children, even in the middle of suffering. : “the Lord was with him” (Genesis 39: 3, 5, 21, 23).

Who could blame Joseph if he had decided to reject his brothers in time of need? Yet, Joseph showed them mercy, and God desires us to exercise compassion above all other sacrifices (Hosea 6: 6; Matthew 9:13). But it’s also about how God sovereignly works to defeat evil and carry out his plan. After all of his suffering, Joseph was able to see God’s hand at his work.

When he revealed his identity to his brothers, Joseph spoke of their sin in this way: “But now do not be sad and do not regret having sold me on being brought down here, for God has sent me before you to keep your life. [ …] So, it is not you who sent me here, but it is God “(Genesis 45: 5, 8).

Later, Joseph reassured his brothers again, offering them forgiveness and saying : “You have plotted evil against me, but God willed him to serve good” (Genesis 50:20). The worst of human intentions can never destroy God’s perfect plan.

Rachel forgives her father’s sins. She decides to earn her money honestly. Rachel accepts her sufferance and tries to become a better person . And she does, confessing her betrays to June and forgiving her father because she could see his regrets and willingness to live her.

Evil becomes good, it depends on God maybe, but mostly on our ability to love and forgive, because everyone can make mistakes , but only the good one know how to forgive . Thus, the movie becomes inspiring and redeems its script’s sins.

Playing God – Pros, Cons, Best Scene and FInal Rating

We feel an obligation to praise the interpretation offered by Hannah Kasulka and Alan Tudyk. We just mention them, but the whole cast delivered an excellent performance. The movie is something different from what the trailer sold us and, even if we laugh less than expected, we learn something powerful for our lives.

It’s the real wealth of life, as we mentioned above . We noticed the importance of God, maybe mostly the real one, but the desire for spirituality is something substantial that our consumeristic society knows how to hide from us. According to us, the story is powerful but delivered not in the best way.

As we previously mentioned, it’s a decisive moment when Rachel and Ben forgive each other . However, it’s not something instantaneous. The director let Ben wait for hours outside the restaurant. It’s like we need the time to forgive. To be alone and think and ask for forgiveness. We probably underestimated this act’s power, but forgiving someone and being forgiven is the best emotion that our soul or we can experience.

The idea of the movie is genial. The trailer lets us think about many funny situations that we didn’t have. But, let’s be honest, “Playing God” doesn’t look like a comedy, but more like a drama. We don’t have the pace or great cinematography. As a result, we missed more profound religious dialogues, not only the funny ones.

Our feeling is that Playing God had a much more significant potential than the final product delivered . The film should better release everything we tried to explain above on the screen. It’s a pity because we loved the idea, but the Frank-God should be something more inspiring and not so weak . It’s difficult to buy and believe his dialogue.

Our final rating is

Where can you watch playing god .

You can currently watch Playing God on Hulu . But check this link to see where you can watch it in your country.

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Playing God

Cast & crew.

Hannah Kasulka

Luke Benward

Jude Demorest

Michael McKean

Fascinating con drama promotes empathy; mature themes.

• Average 6.2

Information

© 2020 PLAYING GOD, LLC. All Rights Reserved

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PLAYING GOD

"bad choices".

What You Need To Know:

(Pa, LL,VV, NN, S, D) Pagan worldview in which a man writes the rules; 25 total obscenities & profanities; graphic violence, men shoot men, men stab men, & man shoots woman; upper female nudity; implied sex; and, men take drugs

More Detail:

In PLAYING GOD, Doctor Eugene Sands (David Duchovny) must choose between doing what he loves − healing − and ending what he hates − violence. Opening with a discussion of choices, the movie depicts Sands taking drugs, then losing his patient and medical license. A man with an addictive personality who loves to heal people, Sands next chooses to save the life of a shooting victim in a bar. Viewers later find out that Sands took drugs because he couldn’t stand the responsibility of choosing which patients lived or died.

Sands’ heroic treatment of the bar patron brings him to the attention of international smuggler, Raymond Blossom (Timothy Hutton), who needs a gunshot doctor to treat the wounds of the thugs in his gang without exposing their identities in a public hospital. The FBI is watching Blossom closely as he duels with the Russian Mafia for control of the lucrative software smuggling business. Blossom cuts out the Russians, but they retaliate and steal his merchandise. Blossom’s thugs capture Vladmir (played by Peter Stormare), the chief Russian hooligan, but one of them shoots Vlad before Vlad has told them where the software is stashed. Blossom hires Sands for $10,000 to heal Vlad so the gang can pump Vlad for information. Blossom doesn’t tell Sands he plans to kill Vlad later. In fact, all Sands knows is that he is in lust with Claire (Angelina Jolie), Blossom’s beautiful girlfriend.

An FBI agent, “Mr. Gage” (played by Michael Massee) shows up at Sands’ apartment and threatens Sands with drug and conspiracy charges if he doesn’t help nail Blossom. Sands eventually agrees to carry a recording device, wryly commenting in voice-over that he has gone from “respected doctor to mob doctor to FBI snitch.” Gage tells Sands there is an informant in Blossom’s gang, but doesn’t reveal who it is.

Sands returns to Blossom’s haven with a FBI listening device taped to his body. The new Russian Mafia leader, Dmitri, breaks into Blossom’s office with a squad of goons who shoot one of Blossom’s thugs and his girlfriend, Claire, in the breast. While Dmitri aims a gun at Sands’ head, he cares for Claire, as Blossom goes crazy. Another Blossom thug enters and executes the Russian hooligans.

Blossom drives away from the carnage with his henchman in the front seat and Sands treating the wounded Claire in the back seat. As he treats her, Sands finds a FBI listening device attached to Claire’s body, proving that she was Cage’s informant. Notwithstanding the peril to his own life, Sands tells Claire he is going to save her. He shoots her full of painkiller, then screams to Blossom that she is dead, driving him into a mad frenzy. Claire wakes up and stabs the henchman in the neck. Sands gets rid of the henchman’s body and Blossom. Sands takes Claire to his conveniently situated summer home and tends to her wounds but puts off calling the FBI.

Meanwhile, Blossom recovers, figures out that Claire has betrayed him and contacts Gage, the FBI agent, to make a deal. The FBI offers to give Claire back to him if he will turn over some Chinese smugglers whom he is about meet. Blossom meets the Chinese with Claire and Sands, but the deal doesn’t go well. Blossom shoots all the Chinese smugglers, while Gage has a fit as he listens to the confrontation on the other end of the listening device. Blossom admits he planned to kill everyone, leaving the FBI high and dry.

Sands jumps into the action, precipitating the inevitable chase scene between him and Blossom, who jumps into the middle of traffic to shoot Sands and Claire, but is hit by a car. Unable to resist treating a wounded man, despite the fact that Blossom tried to murder him, Sands runs over to treat Blossom. Sands does save Blossom, who gets life in prison. Sands gets a chance to practice medicine again, and Claire gets an opportunity to get her life back together. Expressing the moral of his story, Sands says, “You must save yourself before you can save anyone else.”

PLAYING GOD makes a stab at the truth by exposing the fact that bad moral decisions lead to destruction and death. However, even with its stated moral that nobody − not even doctors can play God, the movie’s resolution rings hollow. No one can save oneself by one’s own efforts. The Bible says that “while we were still sinners, Christ saved us”(Romans 5:8). The only power which can really save anyone is the power of God, and so Sands’ insight is flawed. He says he must save himself. How? By getting clean of drugs? No. This movie wrongly assumes that people’s moral choices are made in a vacuum, where there are no absolute values, and clearly that is not the case.

PLAYING GOD is so complex that the story is hard to follow, with all the characters constantly double crossing each other. The only consistent thread is Sands’ desire to be a good doctor and to keep Claire alive. With choppy action, excessive violence, too many close-ups, and unsatisfying resolution, PLAYING GOD ultimately rings hollow.

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Is ‘kung fu panda 4’ available on streaming here are ways to watch it online.

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Cropped poster for "Kung Fu Panda 4"

Kung Fu Panda 4 — Jack Black’s latest animated film hit — is now available to stream online on select digital platforms.

Released in theaters on March 8, Kung Fu Panda 4 marks the first big screen adventure for Black’s martial arts expert Panda Bear Po since Kung Fu Panda 3 in 2016. The film franchise kicked off in 2008 with Kung Fu Panda and its first sequel hit theaters in 2011.

After a $57 million opening weekend in March, Kung Fu Panda 4’s box office has earned $166.4 million at the domestic box office to date. Combined with $251.3 million in ticket sales overseas, Kung Fu Panda 4 has a combined gross of $417.7 at the worldwide box office so far.

While a “free” streaming date for Kung Fu Panda 4 has not been set yet by Universal Pictures — provided you subscribe to the studio’s streaming service Peacock — the film is now available to stream on premium video on demand.

Currently, such streaming platforms as Prime Video , AppleTV+ and VUDU have the film available to rent for $19.99. If viewers don’t want to rent Kung Fu Panda 4 via PVOD — which generally gives renters 48 hours to stream the film once they start watching it — a digital copy of the film is available to purchase on the same platforms for $29.99.

Is Leadership an Art or a Science

Aaron lewis hits a new career low with his new album, o j simpson dies of cancer at 76, what is ‘kung fu panda 4’ about.

At the beginning of the Kung Fu Panda saga, Po (voice of Jack Black ) finally accepts his destiny per ancient prophecy and becomes a Dragon Warrior and a master of Kung Fu.

In Kung Fu Panda 4 , Po’s Kung Fu teacher, Master Shifu (voice of Dustin Hoffman), informs the gregarious Panda Bear that he needs to find and train a new Dragon Warrior so he can become the new Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace.

However, since a new enemy called The Chameleon (voice of Viola Davis) has emerged, Po is reluctant to make the transition. Naturally, Po comes face to face with the Chameleon — and discovers that the shapeshifting sorceress wants to steal his Staff of Wisdom so she can pull all of Po’s previous enemies out of the spirit realm and gain their Kung Fu skills.

Thankfully, Po won’t face the Chameleon alone since he’s found a friend in a sly fox named Zhen (voiced by Awkwafina).

Kung Fu Panda 4 received a warm reception from Rotten Tomatoes critics by earning a “fresh” rating of 72% based on 145 reviews. The film was embraced even more by viewers and earned an 86% positive audience score based on 1,000-plus verified ratings.

Kung Fu Panda movie received a franchise -high 87% percent “fresh” Rotten Tomatoes rating while Kung Fu Panda 2 scored an 86% percent rating and Kung Fu Panda 3 nabbed an 81% rating.

While Kung Fu Panda 4 has the lowest rating of all four films via Rotten Tomatoes critics, it surprisingly has the highest audience score in the franchise.

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Someone Like You

Based on the novel by #1 NYTimes bestselling author Karen Kingsbury, "Someone Like You" is an achingly beautiful love story. After the tragic loss of his best friend, a grieving young archit... Read all Based on the novel by #1 NYTimes bestselling author Karen Kingsbury, "Someone Like You" is an achingly beautiful love story. After the tragic loss of his best friend, a grieving young architect launches a search for her secret twin sister. Based on the novel by #1 NYTimes bestselling author Karen Kingsbury, "Someone Like You" is an achingly beautiful love story. After the tragic loss of his best friend, a grieving young architect launches a search for her secret twin sister.

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• Sarah Fisher
• Lynn Collins
• 20 User reviews
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• Trivia Robin Lively and Bart Johnson play a married couple in this movie, and they are married in real life.

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The launching pad for Bertrand Bonello ’s new picture “The Beast” (“La Bete”) is a 1903 short story by Henry James called “The Beast in the Jungle.” Seen by some James scholars as an autobiographical expression of rue for a life of inaction, it treats the case of John Marcher, who confides in his acquaintance May Bartram that he lives in fear of an unnamable catastrophe that could upend his life, and the life of anyone close to him. She claims to get what he’s talking about.

“‘You mean you feel how my obsession — poor old thing — may correspond to some possible reality?’

‘To some possible reality.’

‘Then you will watch with me?’”

And so May does. And Marcher’s fear translates into a passivity that compels him to hold May at arm’s length for the rest of his life. At the end of the story, he mourns a love he never allowed himself to have and understands that the catastrophe was his own fear.

In Bonello’s film, the fear belongs to the popular Parisian concert pianist Gabrielle Monnier ( Lea Seydoux ), who, around the time of the great 1910 flood of France’s City of Lights, confesses this fear to Louis ( George MacKay ), a young Englishman with whom she soon begins a tentative liaison. But the trouble they encounter has nothing to do with Gabrielle’s reticence to enter into a romantic relationship with Louis—although that does exist.

Bonello’s not here to tell us that the only thing to fear is fear itself. He’s here to tell us to be afraid—be very afraid. What he delivers is not just a densely packed art movie but the most potent horror picture of the decade so far. A vision of three (actually four) nightmare times, all of them in the same vexed world.

The cataclysms that fall upon Gabrielle—played by a superbly controlled and often heartbreaking Lea Seydoux—aren’t spiritual or conceptual (well, of course, at first, they are), they’re “real,” or Real. They’re corporeal/physical, or simulations of the corporeal physical. And they’re unavoidable. Boy oh boy can you not stop what’s coming. Close that browser window, rewind that video, press mute on the sound system, reset the house alarm, none of it will do you any good. Not even an alteration in the fabric of reality itself—and this seems to occur at least a half dozen times in the picture—will stave off horror. The beast isn’t in the jungle, it’s in the house, and it’s in the air we can only barely breathe when the movie gets to 2044. It is in us; it is us.

Sounds cheerful, right? Well, what can I tell you? Bonello has a way of throwing us into an enhanced vision of the degrading noise of contemporary life that’s all the more engaging for being so even-handed and deliberate. I mentioned three timelines that are actually four—the movie is framed, kind of, by a green-screen session in which Seydoux, possibly playing Gabrielle, possibly playing herself, is coached through paces for a scene in which she actually apprehends “the beast” and lets out a blood-curdling scream. The image degenerates into a gorgeous abstract mural of pixels. Digitization is here both a source of ravishing sights and sounds and an Excedrin headache of aural and visual glitch. The movie then bounces through three time periods: 1910, 2044—where Gabrielle’s character seeks to abolish her reincarnation torment through a “DNA purge”—and most terrifyingly, 2014, wherein “Gabby” is housesitting in L.A. and targeted by the angry incel version of MacKay’s Louis—Louis Lewansky, who’s 30 and never been with a woman despite his “magnificence,” and who’s now getting ready to avenge himself.

Dolls are a recurring motif here—there are old-fashioned ones made for fans of the pianist Gabby, and unhelpful talking doll in the Hollywood house, and a walking, talking A.I. helper (played by Guslagie Malanda , as impressive here in a relatively small role as she was in the lead of 2022’s “ Saint Omer ”). An electrical fire figures in the 1910 sequence; a malware attack on a laptop is one of the insane blowups in the 2014 scenario. There are bits and pieces here that feel Lynchian, especially in the Los Angeles scenes, during which Gabrielle is fascinated/repulsed by a TV singing contest show that feels like it might have sprung full blown from the creator of “Twin Peaks.” Then there’s the fact that the love song recurring throughout shows up at the very end, sung in its original version by, well Roy Orbison. But unlike Lynch, Bonello has a decidedly un-obscure point to make. Mainly about how the pursuit of the authentic in life is invariably thwarted by roadblocks of humanity’s own making. (Although one supposes that the eighth episode of the 2018 “Twin Peaks” season treated that theme in a relatively unambiguous way.)

“There must be beautiful things in this chaos,” Gabrielle tries to reassure the movie’s scariest version of Louis at one point. Bonello, and this movie’s, greatest dread is that someday a terrible order will emerge, one that will make whatever beauty remains disappear. 

Glenn Kenny

Glenn Kenny was the chief film critic of Premiere magazine for almost half of its existence. He has written for a host of other publications and resides in Brooklyn. Read his answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Film credits.

The Beast (2024)

146 minutes

Léa Seydoux as Gabrielle

George MacKay as Louis

Kester Lovelace as Tom

Julia Faure as Sophie

Guslagie Malanda as Poupée Kelly

Dasha Nekrasova as Dakota

Martin Scali as Georges

Elina Löwensohn as La voyante

Marta Hoskins as Gina

Félicien Pinot as Augustin

Laurent Lacotte as L'architecte

Xavier Dolan as Interviewer (voice)

• Bertrand Bonello
• Guillaume Bréaud

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