It's a simple story with a timeless message.

Jerry Landers (John Denver) is the assistant manager at the Food World grocery store in Burbank, California. Up until now, he has led an average life, along with his wife Bobbie (Teri Garr) and their two children, Adam (Moosie Drier) and Becky (Rachel Longaker).

And then Jerry gets an invitation for an interview with God.

Obviously, at first, he thinks it's a joke pulled on him by one of his friends. But it turns out to be real. And when God manifests himself in a visual form that Jerry can understand, he looks a lot like George Burns. A merry old soul indeed. Mostly.

God has chosen this unassuming family man to be a new messenger. He wants to let everyone know that the world can work, if we all do the right things and work together. It's up to us. Jerry is reluctant at first to spread this word. He goes public anyway. Of course, he's met with skepticism, even from within his own family. Eventually he attracts media attention and much, much more. His life gets more complex. An ecumenical council of clergymen wants tangible proof of God's appearance, in the form of 50 questions they want God to answer.

Can Jerry -- and God -- convince people to believe in the message? And to have faith that he exists, after all?

The conversations between Jerry and God are at once both serious and hilarious. The duo is especially fun to watch as Jerry drives them around in his orange and wood-paneled AMC Pacer. (Remember them?) Watch for all kinds of other familiar faces to show up on the screen, too. David Ogden Stiers (otherwise known as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III of M*A*S*H) plays Mr. McCarthy, a district produce manager for the grocery chain. Ralph Bellamy portrays an attorney, and Barnard Hughes, a judge. You may not recognize Jeff Corey, Barry Sullivan and Titos Vandis by name; but you'll nod with understanding when they appear around the table of religious leaders. Director Carl Reiner even makes a cameo, as he plays himself being interviewed on The Dinah Shore Show.

However, it's Paul Sorvino who takes the cake as a loud-mouthed evangelist, the Rev. Willie Williams. He's as stereotypical and yet as realistic as it gets.

The script is great, the casting is great. And this movie still exudes a great deal of charm, from the banter and the chemistry between Denver and Burns, to the climax that mimics the one at the end of Miracle on 34th Street. Leave it to a seasoned director like Reiner to give us such a timeless message. Aside from the 1970s interior decoration and clothing fashions -- and that AMC Pacer -- this story could easily be assumed to be set in contemporary times. Or in any time, really.

This movie represents one of the few screen appearances by John Denver when he isn't called upon to sing. At the time of the filming, he was in the midst of the best years of his performing career, having already scored five No. 1 songs on the pop music charts. He was also specifically known for his clean-cut image. Who better, then, to take on the role of Jerry Landers? And if George Burns isn't the best person to play God, who else could be?

Oh, God! could have turned out to be a hokey and a goofy performance, but it isn't. This film still offers some food for thought. It is still relevant: perhaps even more so today than it was in 1977. When's the last time you watched it?