Karl has been a hotel valet for 35 years, but now gets a chance to be something more: when the hotel manager has to leave for a day, Karl is left to take charge in his absence, which makes him feel like the God of the building. Karl gives a free hotel room to a poor actress and arranges an audition for her in front of a theater manager. Karl also tries to match a piano girl with an uninterested painter. He even tries to break-up a couple whom he thinks are done with their relationship. A thief, Pavlovitch, introduces himself as a detective and gains Karl's trust, only to rob jewelry from a guest, Elvira. Karl clumsily orders that all the hotel guests are summoned in the lobby and searched for stolen goods, but then the hotel director manager returns and fires him. Karl though books a room in the hotel and stays, only to find out Pavlovitch hid the jewelry in his suitcase. When Pavlovitch gets the jewelry again, he is arrested after leaving the hotel, so Karl is again hired to be the hotel valet.
One of only 15 feature films with an average grade of at least 7.0/10 or above on IMDb starring the sympathetic comedian Hans Moser, "To Be the Dear God for Once" is a gentle and light hotel comedy that dwells on the theme of what happens when someone's wish to be the boss comes true and said person realizes it is much more difficult and tough than expected. Hans Moser is charming and funny as the kind, but confusing Karl whose behavior and way of talking reminds of Sweetchuck from "Police Academy III", yet the whole movie is two categories below his talent, never managing to be anything more than just barely amusing. The opening act has Moser's typical comical skills when his Karl is watering the plants with a watering can, only to then drink some water from the can himself. The hotel manager also has this comical exchange with Karl: "Your upper button is open." - "I know. It's my personal touch." - "Does that also include your worn out shoes?" - "If you had been walking in those shoes the whole day, they would have been worn out, too." - "I told you to iron your pants!" - "It doesn't matter how wrinkled the trousers are, what matters is what heart beats in them!" Later on, Karl even opens the letters of a hotel guest, a Professor, because Karl has an agreement with him to not burden his weak nerves with "bad news", which Karl then just throws away. Sadly, the jokes start exhausting themselves already after 20 minutes, leaving only meager humor for the rest of the film, whereas the thin story and passive directing don't enrich the movie. It's not much, but at least it's a well meant, harmless fun with an enthusiastic lead.
Grade:++
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