GOD’S FAVORITE IDIOT Contains Moral Messages That Are Marred By Faulty Theology
By Movieguide® Contributor
Netflix’s recent comedy, GOD’S FAVORITE IDIOT, follows an average office employee whose life changes forever after one unexpected moment.
Ben Falcone, who plays the main character in GOD’S FAVORITE IDIOT, created this controversial apocalyptic series, which is produced by On The Day Productions. Streaming on Netflix, the series stars Melissa McCarthy, Ben Falcone, Usman Ally, Ana Scotney, Chris Sandiford, Kevin Dunn, Steve Mallory, Yanic Truesdale, Leon Ford, Leslie Bibb, Georgie Bolton, and Magda Szubanski.
Clark Thompson enjoys his simple life—working at the office, hanging out with his dad and caring for his cats. Then, one day, he gets struck by lightning, and everything changes. Surprisingly, he doesn’t even remember what happened.
His co-worker Amily sees Clark glowing one night, but everyone else thinks she is crazy or on drugs. One night, though, an entire restaurant sees Clark glowing, and he goes viral.
Strange events begin to occur, starting when a dead bird resurrects after Clark touches it. A specific pop song plays on the radio when Clark comes around, and various other strange incidences occur.
Soon, an angel appears and tells Clark that God chose him to help people. He and his co-workers wonder why God chose Clark when he could have picked someone far more qualified.
As more people learn about Clark, his following grows, both with haters, who believe he is a liar and a false prophet, and fans, who believe he has a special mission from God.
While Clark works to spread the news that God is real, he also juggles the craziness of his new world, going into the office, attempting to keep up with normal life, and running from bad guys.
Meanwhile, the battle between heaven and hell rages, growing more intense as time passes. Clark must spread the news before it is too late, and everyone must join forces to help God’s side win. Will Clark and his friends be able to avoid temptation and stay on track? Or will the supernatural battle end in disaster?
GOD’S FAVORITE IDIOT has some moral worldview elements. Characters aim to become better people, no matter what their pasts look like, and hope to spread the message of God, love and peace in a crazy world. While the show features Christian elements such as family, love, forgiveness, and positive references to God and the Gospel, GOD’S FAVORITE IDIOT also contains anti-Christian elements. God and Satan are both females, and the show claims that every religion with a god is correct. Some characters use bad words and make poor choices. In the end, they seem to work towards bettering themselves and treating others better. Although the show contains some moral content, significant amounts of poor language, actions and anti-Christian worldview elements mar the otherwise uplifting show.
The show contains about 91 obscenities and about 23 profanities, including phrases using “Jesus” or “God.” In addition, characters use a variety of aggressive insults and phrases throughout the show, including “eff off” or “shut up.”
The violence throughout the series occurs because of the ongoing battle between God and heaven versus Satan and hell. Violence includes numerous chases, gunfire, people scorched by fire, strangulation, and characters thrown from buildings, among other violent instances. A man is thrown from the third floor of a building. Another man is locked up in a sauna which lands him in the hospital on his deathbed. The apocalypse is also briefly mentioned in the series.
The show contains no nudity but implies sexual content and shows some kissing. GOD’S FAVORITE IDIOT contains excessive drug and alcohol content. One character depends on and abuses these substances, although she never looks intoxicated.
The show mentions various drugs, including cocaine, Vicodin, Adderall, and opioids, and characters take them with alcoholic beverages in order to feel something. One character smokes cigarettes. Miscellaneous immorality includes lying, kidnapping, sabotage, revenge, slander, and other evil habits and actions.
The show exhibits an entertaining but slightly lackluster production value. The series keeps viewers entertained with its comedy but does not clearly articulate its sometimes vague messages. Positive messages include discussions about God and seeking peace and love with one another, but the comedy often overshadows these more uplifting elements. The filming, scenery and use of color were all beautifully done. Overall, the series could have emphasized the positive messages more, but it still spreads some light in a dark world.
GOD’S FAVORITE IDIOT does contain some moral worldview elements as characters aim to become better people after they understand what is happening in the world. Characters try to spread love, peace and God’s message to others, and themes of family, forgiveness, justice, truthfulness, and other moral qualities permeate the show. However, significant miscellaneous immorality, excessive foul language and an incorrect presentation of Christianity greatly mar GOD’S FAVORITE IDIOT, and is likely to confuse viewers. Due to some moderately questionable elements and excessive language, Movieguide® advises extreme caution and discretion for older teenagers and adults.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
