The God Committee

The God Committee is a 2021 American drama film, adapted and directed by Austin Stark, based on the play of the same name by Mark St. Germain. It stars Kelsey Grammer, Julia Stiles, Janeane Garofalo, Dan Hedaya, and Colman Domingo. The film focuses on organ transplant systems and the impact they have on the people involved.^[4]

The God Committee
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Austin Stark
Written by	Austin Stark Mark St. Germain (play)
Produced by	Molly Conners Amanda Bowers Jonathan Rubenstein Ari Pinchot Jane Oster Bingo Gubelmann Benji Kohn
Starring	Kelsey Grammer Julia Stiles Janeane Garofalo Dan Hedaya Colman Domingo
Cinematography	Matt Sakatani Roe
Edited by	Alan Canant
Music by	The Newton Brothers
Production companies	Crystal City Entertainment Paper Street Films Phiphen Pictures Plain Jane Pictures KGB Films
Distributed by	Vertical Entertainment
Release dates	June 20, 2021 (2021-06-20) (Tribeca) July 2, 2021 (2021-07-02) (United States)
Running time	98 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$32,934[2][3]

The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 20, 2021. It was released on July 2, 2021, by Vertical Entertainment.

Plot

An organ transplant committee has one hour to decide which of three patients deserves a life-saving heart. Seven years later, the committee members struggle with the consequences of that fateful decision.

Cast

• Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Andre Boxer
• Julia Stiles as Dr. Jordan Taylor
• Colman Domingo as Father Dunbar
• Janeane Garofalo as Dr. Valerie Gilroy
• Dan Hedaya as Emmett Granger
• Peter Kim as Dr. Allen Lau
• Patricia R. Floyd as Nurse Wilkes

Production

In March 2019, it was announced Kelsey Grammer, Julia Stiles, Colman Domingo, Janeane Garofalo, and Dan Hedaya had joined the cast of the film, with Austin Stark directing from a screenplay he wrote.^[5]

Principal photography began in March 2019.^[6]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 20, 2021. Prior to, Vertical Entertainment acquired distribution rights to the film, and set it for a July 2, 2021, release.^[7] It was previously scheduled to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2020, but the festival was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[8][9]

Reception

The God Committee received generally favorable reviews. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a fresh rating, with a 66% approval, based on 29 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "The God Committee's strong cast and compelling ethical dilemma are ill served by a convoluted story with a disappointing tendency toward melodrama."^[10]