Good, fast-paced adult comedies with a little bit of action sprinkled in are rare these days. The 2022 film God’s Petting You, written and directed by Jamie Patterson, feels like it belongs to another time—probably the early 2000s—where it could have been a sleeper hit with its raunchy vibe and the overall rom-com tone it tries to subvert. But in the third decade of the century, it’s missed out on the zeitgeist that could make this film feel relatable. That being said, this film can be enjoyed, and it does have genuine laugh-out-loud moments, but they have to be placed within the context of the film. The film is a bit tone-deaf at points, and some of the characters seem so out of sync with the story that it would have been better if they were edited out completely. But God’s Petting You still remains a watchable experience as it keeps us entertained for 90 minutes with its expected, funny, and sometimes absurd twists and turns.
Spoilers Ahead
Plot Synopsis: What Happens In The Film?
The title of the movie refers to the phrase Charlie’s friend used while describing what it feels like to be high on heroin. It’s like, ‘God is petting you,’ Charlie told ‘Tattoo Girl,’ (known only by this name, I checked!) whom he had met in his therapy session. Charlie, a heroin addict, had joined group therapy to meet his dealer, but the dealer was going away as he had met a girl somewhere far away. Charlie, a little bent out of shape, met Tattoo Girl and asked her about her addiction, and her reply was intriguing. Tattoo Girl had no control over her carnal desires, and she had chosen an adult film star as a boyfriend. The relationship was a little more complex than initially described, but Charlie and Tattoo Girl copulated the night they met, and an unlikely love story began.
Why Did Charlie And Tattoo Girl Plan To Rob Jimmy?
Jimmy, Tattoo Girl’s boyfriend, was a violent man who abused her every chance he got. Tattoo Girl had no option, as she was scared to leave because he had threatened that if she did so, he would kill her. When Charlie figured that he had hit her, he gave her the option of running away together, but they had no money. Charlie worked a job in a call center under his boss, Mark, who always kept complaining about his wife. There was no help to be gotten from him, and Tattoo Girl depended on Jimmy’s money. Charlie briefly had the fantasy of robbing a bank and then walking away into the sunset with Tattoo Girl, but she had a better, less radical idea. She told Charlie that Jimmy ran a side hustle as a gigolo, and he had stashed all his money from this endeavor into a safe, whose combination she knew about. She wanted Charlie to get a gun and rob Jimmy, and she would later join him, and they would run off to someplace foreign where Jimmy couldn’t track them. Jimmy deserved all that they were planning to do to him, but the problem was that they didn’t have a gun.
How Did Charlie Get The Gun?
With a little hiccup in their plans, Charlie tried to figure out where he could get a gun. His dealer had vanished, and it was highly unlikely that Mark would have a gun. He would have to explain his plans unnecessarily if he approached him. The ‘deus ex machina’ kicked into the plot, and a shady American came into the bar where Charlie and Tattoo Girl were planning their next move. He happened to have a gun, and he asked the duo to meet in a secluded palace later. Charlie and Tattoo Girl were grateful that they would finally be free and stay together after robbing Jimmy, but the American created unnecessary problems. He gave them a bolt-action rifle, which was not what Charlie had expected. He needed a small gun, easy enough to hide, but now they had given away the two grand to the American, and he wasn’t willing to refund it. The situation escalated, and Charlie was shot at, and he was lucky the bullet just grazed his arm. Now, Charlie is stuck with the bolt-action rifle, and the challenge is to make it inconspicuous.
Is Jimmy Dead?
The film begins with Charlie telling all that had panned out with him and Tattoo Girl. The therapist was annoyed by Charlie’s graphic depiction of every time he had intercourse with Tattoo Girl, but there was a reason for it. Earlier, Charlie had asked Tattoo Girl about her sex addiction and if she could shed light on its origins. Tattoo Girl had pinned it on the visits to a certain Dr. Clarke, who had raped her when she was just 13 years old. Tattoo Girl was embarrassed to admit that she found it pleasurable and was never able to get over it. This was, according to her, the embryo of her addiction, a pain she was not able to forget, and she had to have meaningless intimacy to reclaim her power in a weird way. The therapist Charlie was sitting in front of was Dr. Clarke herself. After killing Jimmy, Tattoo Girl wanted to finish off Clarke as well before going to Mexico. Charlie must have taken charge and gotten an appointment with Clarke. Tattoo Girl couldn’t go in herself, as there was always a chance of Clarke recognizing her and immediately calling for security. But with Charlie, she listened to her story.
Charlie kept her engaged, telling her how the plan had almost backfired. To hide the gun, Charlie borrowed Mark’s overcoat and arrived at Jimmy’s place. Jimmy, who had already beaten Charlie black and blue after seeing his text on Tattoo Girl’s phone, was ready for him. Charlie wanted his revenge for getting beat up so badly, but it was Tattoo Girl who pulled the trigger. She wanted to cut off Jimmy’s well-endowed ‘source of income’ from his body, but there was little time. Clarke was so rattled by the murderous confession that she wanted to call the police, but when Charlie mentioned Tattoo Girl, the girl she had raped years ago, Clarke had to take a step back and negotiate for her life. Tattoo Girl knew that Clarke had molested several little girls, and death was her only punishment. She shoots Clarke dead, and the murderous moment is followed by a comical one when Charlie and Tattoo Girl are seen by Mark and his wife, who by chance had an appointment with Clarke for marriage counseling. Charlie didn’t shoot Mark, as he thought there was an unsaid agreement between them that they wouldn’t tell anything to the police, but I think they did.
It’s apparent that during the ending of God’s Petting You, the police van was following Charlie’s car. He and Tattoo Girl were cruising to Mexico with the music blasting on, and hence they didn’t pay attention to the police tailing them. It is possible that they were tailing them because they were driving over the speed limit, or most likely, Mark had called the police, telling them about Dr. Clarke’s murder. It’s highly unlikely that the duo will get to Mexico. They will be caught, spending the rest of their lives in jail. The best-case scenario is that they might be let go if other witnesses come forward and accuse Clarke of unforgivable crimes. As far as Jimmy, he seemed to be a criminal himself, and his death could be said to be a result of self-defense, as he had threatened Charlie and Tattoo Girl before.
