10. Gene Hackman, Two Of A Kind (1983)

10. Gene H ackman , Two Of A Kind (1983)

In John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John’s oft-forgotten second cinematic team-up, God is initially introduced as an absentee landlord, having popped off 25 years before for a well-earned rest, entrusting heaven and earth to a quartet of angels named Charlie, Earl, Gonzales, and Ruth. When he returns, however, God—appearing only as a ball of light—sounds downright pissed off that he’s had to come back at all, grouching about the angels’ shoddy performance, complaining about the state of the world, and deciding that he should just start over from scratch. In God’s defense, the fact that all four angels immediately start stammering when asked to fulfill his simple request to “show me one good person” would seem to indicate that he’s onto something, but given the critical drubbing Two Of A Kind took before bombing at the box office, it seems just as likely that God’s grouchy tone was simply the result of Hackman having read the script. Either way, it’s clear that neither God nor Hackman could be bothered to speak up at the end of the film: When Travolta’s character ultimately proves to be a good person, thereby saving humanity, the voice of God is nowhere to be heard. [Will Harris]