The comedy part is a real success and, fortunately, it represents most of the movie. But the script pays the price of being written in the US: instead of treating the subject as a science-fiction comedy, like a French writer probably would, it becomes a fable that wants to deliver a message. The message being that God is so hard a job, you should stop complaining and trust him more. And that, when something bad happens, it’s for a good reason. It’s a bit hard to swallow when you’re not American.

“[God,] I want you to decide what’s right for me!” That’s a bit hard to swallow, too.

P.S. Watching the deleted footage on the DVD, I realized that some scene or dialogue bits in the movie make no sense because they relate to what’s been edited out. Hurray for the DVD that gives producers a new possibility to impose cutting out some scenes even if they make the rest incoherent, just by saying “it doesn’t matter, those who care will by the DVD”.
But then, when exactly did it become standard practice to shoot a three-hour movie and cut half of it out afterwards? Aren’t they supposed to pay attention to time when the finish the script?