Der Schein-Heilige

This is a fantastic movie, and proof that Steve Martin is more than just a comedian. The movie is well done, with solid character development and great direction. The production really captures the essence of the midwest setting. The gospel music - a joint effort between George Duke and Edwin Hawkins - is also great. The story itself is very thought-provoking and emotional. Contrary to what another reviewer said here, the ending is great and was the perfect climax to a thoughtful story. (How the other reviewer considered the ending to be pointless is beyond me. Oh well, pearls before swine and all that.) Excellent movie!

Any movie that focuses on religion is bound to be a controversy. If it's a parody of faith, even moreso. At a time when real life televangelists were dropping like flies, this film about a con man posing as a revival preacher surely sparked a few heated debates.

Unfortunately, if people were too offended to give it a fair look, they missed a film that was essentially a true gem. On the surface, it was glitzy & tongue-in-cheek. All the while, the messages of what faith can be comes creeping up on you quietly. Steve Martin turns in what may be his best performance ever, playing the part as only he could & then lending a very human touch. To give him even more edge, his foil is expertly portrayed by Liam Neeson, who seemed to really fit the mold of small town sheriff. Lucas Haas, Lolita Davidovich & especially the small town locals all create a perfect ensemble, while the traveling band seems like any group of traveling carnival players.

In the end, the only real message of this movie is that faith, belief & even miracles exist within the person not the truth of the establishment. One of my absolute favorite movies ever!

All good comedians, are good drama actors.

It'd been a while since I saw this movie, and I had the chance to get it, yesterday. For starters, Steve Martin was great (as he usually does), so the supporting cast.

One of the many reasons I love this movie is that it show us, graciously, a reality that many people couldn't or wouldn't accept (One of the reasons , I think, its low rate).

Do not let fanaticism cloud your judgment.

Nevertheless, if you like good stories with a nice in-message, or if you're just a fan of Mr. Martin, you can't miss this one.

Jonas Nightengale (Steve Martin) is a fake faith healer leading his traveling circus with Jane Larson (Debra Winger), Hoover (Meat Loaf), Matt (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Tiny (M.C. Gainey) and others. They use all the tricks in the book to con people of their money. One of their trucks breaks down in hard-luck desolate town of Rustwater, Kansas. Jonas decides to 'play' the town and get the girl, waitress Marva (Lolita Davidovich). The town sheriff Will Braverman (Liam Neeson) is determined to get rid of the fraud while Jane keeps flirting with him. Boyd (Lukas Haas) is Marva's cripple brother.

I can see why some would downgrade this for its perceived bias against the religious. This is probably one of Steve Martin's deepest characters. There is depth in this movie and compelling characters. It's not really much of a comedy but it works well as a drama. If this was made with darkness, it could be a truly great movie. Director Richard Pearce doesn't have enough style.

I'm suprised that none of the movie buffs recognized the references in "Leap of Faith" to a couple of older movies. The scene to start the movie, where Jonas does a "cold read" on the policeman to elude a speeding ticket is lifted from the Tyrone Power movie "Nightmare Alley". Also, there are numerous elements in the movie that seem to continue the conversation from "Elmer Gantry" about the nature of faith, its purpose in our lives, and its irrelevance to the ones who bring it to us. The charisma of the speaker is more important than his actual belief, but the only one he can't charm is himself, setting up the dilemma that may only be solved by walking away. As entertainment, the movie succeeds to a degree, but there is a layer beneath that makes this a good movie for discussion groups, especially as a double feature with one of the other two movies mentioned above.