Feel-good films usually put viewers in the mood to celebrate the holidays. After all, how would we get through the month of December without movies like Miracle on 34th Street and It’s a Wonderful Life? Dear God, one such attempt to bolster our spirits, tells a story about postal workers who decide to answer letters addressed to God. Sounds like a great idea for a movie, you must be thinking. Unfortunately, this uneven comedy fails to deliver its message in an entertaining package.

Former "Talk Soup" television host Greg Kinnear (Sabrina) plays a con man forced by a judge to find a regular job. This handsome actor captured my interest at the beginning of the film as engages in various schemes to con people out of their hard-earned money. He holds out his bandaged hands and begs for money "to get me to the San Diego Burn Center." He dresses as Santa Claus and collects funds for "Santa’s Kids." But as soon as this slick con man goes to work in a dead letter office of the U.S. Postal Service, the film starts to drag.

Dear God introduces too many eccentric characters, becomes clumsy and annoying (especially in a ridiculous sequence depicting a suicide prevention effort), and commits the worst sin of all for a comedy – it evokes very few laughs.

Granted, the talent potential here simply boggles the mind. Laurie Metcalf ("Roseanne"), Tim Conway ("The Carol Burnett Show"), Hector Elizondo (Necessary Roughness), and Roscoe Lee Browne (The Mombo Kings) try valiantly to save this disappointing movie. Metcalf almost makes the stressed-out former lawyer she portrays come to life on screen. Conway, as a mail carrier demoted for biting a dog, recreates his trademark bewildered persona, resulting in a few amusing moments. Elizondo, as a quirky supervisor, and Browne, playing a postal worker close to retirement, give their usual fine performances. Still, none of these accomplished actors can overcome the unfunny situations featured throughout Dear God.

Director Garry Marshall, who also appears briefly as the Postmaster General, should know better. He’s directed some very humorous films (Young Doctors in Love, The Flamingo Kid, and Pretty Women) – which causes me to wonder what happened to his previously sharp sense of humor.

Dear Viewer: Instead of watching Dear God this holiday season, here are other films you might consider – Trapped in Paradise, Home for the Holidays, Christmas in Connecticut" (the one with Barbara Stanwyck), Meet Me in St. Louis, and A Muppet Christmas Carol.

Happy Holidays!

(Released by Paramount Pictures and rated "PG" for language and mild thematic elements.)