God Said, Ha!

Amazon.com

Comic, actress, and Saturday Night Live alumni Julia Sweeney had just moved to a cozy little bungalow in Los Angeles. Her life was buzzing along quite nicely, thank you very much, and she was planning days of writing, evenings of dinner parties and smart conversations, and nights of quiet solitude. "That's when God said 'Ha!'" confesses Sweeney in her monologue-cum-one woman Broadway show and for the next 80 minutes she shares the intimate experiences of an emotionally turbulent year in her life. Her brother is diagnosed with cancer and takes up residence in her bedroom, her parents move down from Washington and into the guest room, and the adult Sweeney is suddenly reliving her childhood in a bizarre nuclear family flashback. The magic of God Said Ha! lies in her loving lampoon of the details surrounding an inherently tragic situation: learning to deal with the foibles of her parents all over again, sneaking a boyfriend into her ridiculously crowded house like an embarrassed teenager, turning her brother's chemotherapy visits into giggly family outings. Sweeney is in total command of the stage, more like a host giving a cockeyed tour of her life than a monologist, and her easy manner and relaxed tone puts the audience at ease. It's a brave, funny, and irresistibly involving film, like the reflective confession of a dear friend sharing intimate details of her life with a mischievous grin. Tragedy has never been so respectfully hilarious. --Sean Axmaker

Description

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE'S Julia Sweeney has teamed with producer Quentin Tarantino (JACKIE BROWN, PULP FICTION) to create this uplifting motion picture presentation of Julia's hilarious stand-up performance, GOD SAID HA! Recently single, Julia was looking forward to the future in a cozy new bachelorette home. But then, her idyllic life was instantly changed when her brother ... along with their parents ... moved into her tiny place for a year she'll never forget! Acclaimed by critics and honored as Best Picture at the Seattle International Film Festival -- Julia's infectious sense of humor allows us to find moments of extreme hilarity in some of life's most challenging days!

Customer Reviews:

Cute and Light.......2007-04-18

Julia Sweeny seems from interviews to be a likeable person, and her writing is similarly winsome. This autobiography is about turning lemons into lemonade, and Sweeny wrings humor from the chaos that ensues when family members band together for support in time of trouble. She does a good job of conveying both the sweetness and low-level eccentricity of her parents, who moved into her tiny California home to minister to Julia and her brother Mike, both of whom contracted cancer around the same time (Julia survived hers after a hysterectomy). That Julia and Mike referred to the home as the International House of Cancer, and obsessed over whether their cat had cancer, too, is an example of how they tried to positively spin the positively horrible.

My guess is that the anecdotes in "God Said `Ha!'" came across better in Sweeny's stage production than in this book, which is really light in content. The font is huge and the paragraphs spaced out widely, as if to help the story reach the minimum length required for print. Still, it's cleverly told, and nicely framed against a back story of how Sweeny and friend Quentin Tarantino unwittingly kicked off Sweeny's awful year of family turmoil by getting "lucky rocks" off the coast of Inish Turk, Ireland (Sweeny later returned hers).

As an aside, I first heard about this story during an interview Sweeny gave discussing, among other things, her atheism. Some of those seeds are planted in "God Said `Ha!'," but nowhere nearly as overtly as the title. In fact, Sweeny's tone in the book alternates between anger at her religion and admiration for nuns she remembered from Catholic school as sources of strength and quirky humor. The atheism must have come later after much soul-searching.

god said ha, i say nah........2007-03-09

it's got heart, but it gets a little too personal to remain of universal interest, unless you know julia sweeney or knew her brother. she is witty and has great delivery & timing, but i expected a bit more humor and a little less sappiness. i had heard an interview in which she discussed her take on religion and how she fell "out of touch" with (her) god, and the comments she made in the interview where awesome, thought provoking. i misunderstood that this dvd was similar to the "routine" she performed on the radio interview. the dvd would be a great way to ease into the mourning period if someone close to you was dying of cancer, but still active in many ways.

Thoroughly Enjoyable.......2007-01-22

Thoroughly enjoyable and insightful observation on the human condition. Poignantly demonstrates how fine the line is between comedy and tragedy, and how inseparable the two can be. Helps explain Ms. Sweeney's mood in her later fantastic work, "Letting Go of God>'

God Said Ha is Unforgettable.......2006-10-22

When I tell people to rent or buy God Said Ha, naturally they think I am being irreverent! Such is not the case.

This one woman show based on the true story of Julia and her family is poignant, hilarious and heartbreaking.

After Julia's divorce and relocation to California, privacy seems to be a hard thing to fine. Her brother had passed out in a public building and was rushed to the hospital. Not having medical insurance because of poor health, her brother had been going to the clinic where his disease was not diagnosed.

Pretty soon Julia's parents are living in her small house and chaos prevails. Not only is Julia taking care of her brother but dealing with the inevitable problems of too many people in too little a space.

Julia's brother is in the end stages of cancer. Before long Julia also develops cancers and requires a hysterctomy. Will the chaos ever end!
But Julia's great since of humor about her situation shines through the entire one woman show.

After seeing the show I also read the book. I would recommend this as a follow up of this great one woman show.

I must also add that without saying so, this is the best recommendation for legislation for health insurance for everyone!

touching, but.......2005-06-12

touching, but, she seems to lack in depth. interesting, though

i would recommend reading something by c.s. lewis

Charlie Rose with Mark Mobius; Roger Ebert; Julia Sweeney (November 27, 1996)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Mark Mobius; Roger Ebert; Julia Sweeney (November 27, 1996)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Description

First, an interview with Mark Mobius, head of the Templeton Emerging Markets Fund talks about investment opportunities around the world as well as his new book On Emerging Markets . Then film critic Roger Ebert discusses his new book, Book of Film, which includes authors including Leo Tolstoy and Spike Lee. Finally, Saturday Night Live alum Julia Sweeney speaks about her new one- woman Broadway play God Said Ha!

DVD:

DVD

DVD