Der Schein-Heilige

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!

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.

There is a depth of performance here, with a well-written script and a joyous celebration of con men. The role is an unusual one for Martin, who plays it straight and yet satirizes the character at the same time. Martin has never been better (OK, his hair could use work) and Debra Winger, Lolita Davidovitch and Liam Neeson lead a strong supporting cast. It also captures the small town American scene well. It's a high-tech revival show, starring Jonas Nightengale, faith healer and preacher. "Leap of Faith" is the first movie to reveal the actual methods used by some revivalists and faith healers to defraud their unsuspecting congregations.

at least 7 of 10 stars

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.

Religion is big business and this movie just reaffirmed that fact with me. That aside, the movie was great. Steve Martin did a fantastic job as Jonas. I thought the tent scenes and the people witnessing the miracle of much needed rain were very touching. I enjoyed the movie and have seen it many times.