Conversations With God

Had enough yet? Those are the first words spoken by the ostensible voice of God in Stephen Simon’s uninspiring film account of Neale Donald Walsch’s journey from homelessness to success as the author of his Conversations With God books. That phrase is meant to evoke spiritual awakening, but in Simon’s flimsy movie (scripted by Eric Larrabee) it also has the unintended effect of an early warning to the audience. Simon and actor Henry Czerny (who plays Walsch) bring a certain credibility and realism to the scenes of homeless life (shot on location in Ashland, Ore., and vicinity), but the scenes designed to illustrate the Walsch gospel play, more often than not, come across like canned goods from an infomercial of the tackiest sort. Several supporting players do good work, but only Vilma Silva, an Oregon Shakespeare performer, gets through it with dignity intact.