Salvation Boulevard

Film should've been better. Kinnear somewhat underplays a space case who somehow agrees to take the fall for an attempted murder that Brosnan's character commits, and then comes to has second thoughts about. Brosnan overplays the petulant and self righteous pastor. Both actors are two i've long thought of as nicely underrated actors in general--the chemistry between the two of them was so nice in 2005's "The Matador" that i was more than a little disappointed that the two of them spend the large majority of this film in their own separate plot lines and only have a limited amount of screen time together here. What you have here is a halfway decent set-up for some halfway decently thought up characters whom are all wasted in a messy barrage of scenes where one thing happens, then another, and then a third thing happens, but none of what happens means anything to any of the characters, and with the exception of maybe the increasingly anxious Kinnear--none of what is happening seems to mean anything to the actors playing them as well. This plot line and these characters probably made a lot more sense in the novel that this is based on...and i can see there is a solid raucous sense of humor going on in some scenes where the mechanics of the plot aren't in the way--like say Kinnear's handful of scenes with Marisa Tomei who's a spacey female interested in him.

Whenever i read something that i think would make a good movie i forget to take into account that when you're retelling someone else's story as a film you can't take into account the motives and inner thoughts of all the characters in a story. Despite some attempts made the film largely doesn't tell you what the characters are thinking while their reacting. (Pierce Brosnan's character for example has a moment in the shower where his phone rings and the caller reads unknown-and he shudders and groans clearly unhappy about getting this call-but why? what does he think this call is? how could he possibly know what's happening? half the time i was watching him i was wondering just what his motivation was other then staying out of jail--why does he care about Greg Kinnear even after he framed him for murder? why does he care about Ed Harris even after he shot him? why is he doing anything at all here?) How exactly does Marisa Tomei's character fit into the film again? what was her connection with the murder plot exactly? how did she know that kinnear was really innocent even before he told her? What she just knew because of his character? Why does Jennifer Connelly (who plays Kinnear's born again wife and is completely unimportant to the plot as a whole) insist on maintaining a relation with Kinnear despite the fact that its clear that the two of them are completely wrong for each other (come to think of it why was he with her in the first place--i get that she saw him as a project to work on--but why did he bother getting himself cleaned up and seeking religion with her when he was clearly so much happier as a dead-head and she was so clearly in love with Brosnan's pastor character? why am i even asking this when again she clearly doesn't matter to the story.) This movie does not work as a whole and its a shame because they clearly had something almost good here. This is exactly why you need to have characters a viewer should care about in addition to decently done chase scenes and somewhat amusing characters in somewhat amusing circumstances.

For one time that an American movie shows a bit of originality, it's finally destroyed by an awful production !

First, it's a acid comedy about faith which is always helpful for the audience instead to be brainwashed by silly blockbusters. In addition, for a french guy like me, it's a real opportunity as french producers just don't wan't to do movies about this kind of movies ! Next, all the characters are finely fleshed and the casting has found some great names to play them : Jennifer, cool and cunning James Bond n°5, grumpy Ed Harris and other known faces… Next, the thematic and its players are synthesized into a crazy story, full of surprises and funny twists !

Unfortunately, all this is lost in the production ! Like most American movies since 2010, this one abuses the famous ugly Blue / Orange color scheme ! The cinematography relies on those two disgusting choices and the props and wardrobes used them too. So we are left with a smurfs movie or too much tanned people living in a blue / orange world ! It's everywhere, every time for everything or everyone and the pleasure a good « Technicolor » movie is gone ! Thus, it's a pity that such bad taste is left unnoticed as it's become an anti-watching tool that kills too many good movies !

"I am the anointed servant of God and I tell you to be silent!" Deadhead turned born-again-Christian Carl (Kinnear) is friends with the pastor of his local mega-church Dan Day (Brosnan) and is invited to accompany him to scientist Dr. Paul Blaylock's (Harris) house for a discussion. When a terrible accident happens Carl finds himself fingered in the incident and does everything he can to prove he is innocent. Things aren't always easy though. Having never seen a preview for this I was excited for this based off the cast alone. While I will say this is a good movie and a very dark comedy I was a little disappointed. The main flaw this had was that the movie had a good idea but had only ten minutes of it. There was a lot of repeating going on and a few scenes that seemed like they were only put in to increase the running time. I have to say that Brosnan and Kinnear played very similar parts to the ones they played in "The Matador" (which is a better movie) but it seems to fit them. It may sound like I'm bashing this movie. I don't mean to if that's how it comes off. I did enjoy it and laughed a few times but based off the cast I was a little disappointed (but after movies like "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and "Son Of No One" I need to stop thinking just because the cast is great means the movie will be great.) Overall, a decent dark comedy that is worth watching but tone down your expectations. I give it a B-.

While this is not Casablanca, this is a great little sleeper of a film. Great cast, funny script, good production values, I'm just astonished it bombed at the box office.

The story of a preacher gone bad, a dead head turned believer, and a cast of character actors that are very well cast. It's a slapstick of a film, but we live in a world where that isn't enough.

The plot is right on the money, with with a series of turns and twists that entertain at every junction. I've never seen Pierce Brosnan as well cast as the Evangelical that goes astray. Greg Kinnear is superb in the role of the deadhead turned believer who has his faith tested. Ed Harris is perfect in the role of anti-Christ author, Marisa Tomei is just hilarious as the redeemer of Greg. Jennifer Connelly plays a very convincing wife who just can't believe that the pastor is in the wrong. Isabelle Furman plays a wonderful role in the daughter who is caught in the middle.

Great funny lines, incredibly fun acting. If you are looking for a fun night and need a video, this is it. I have to imagine this film might be more successful over time, and as people discover it. If you are a born again Christian, this might not be your cup of tea.

With all the hullabaloo about the giant Evangelical MegaChurches such as Orange County, California's Crystal Cathedral filling the media it is refreshing to find a film that joins in the parodies and reveals some of the many flaws in those organizations. What begins as a debate between Pastor Dan Day (Pierce Brosnan) and atheist Dr. Paul Blaylock (Ed Harris) in front of a vulnerable audience in which sits radical born-again Christian Gwen (Jennifer Connelly) and her ex-drugged out Grateful Deadhead dummy of a convert husband Carl (Greg Kinnear) rouses some hilarious lines, but when Day and Blaylock and Greg meet for after debate drinks and Day inadvertently shoots Blaylock in the head, the story goes downhill from there: Greg is talked into taking the blame for the shooting so that the 'miraculous' moneyminded project of building a wholly Christian City on the Hill (complete with medical school, law school, and of course a crystal cathedral, etc.) will continue to pad the coffers of the evangelical showtime of Pastor Day. Carl's bumbling attempt to correct his sins of the past provides the common thread is this flimsy film, a journey that involves an old ex-deadhead security guard Honey Foster (Marisa Tomei), a cameraman gone berserk Jerry Hobson (Jim Gaffigan), Greg's vulnerable daughter Angie (Isabelle Fuhrman), and Greg's scheming father-in-law Joe (Ciarán Hinds).

Based on Larry Beinhart's novel by the same name, the disjointed script is by newcomer Douglas Stone and writer/director George Ratliff. If the point of making this movie was to poke fun at the increasingly popular cults of the Mega Churches and their brainwashed followers then they have succeeded. But 'reason' (in the character of Ed Harris's character) is knocked off in the first few minutes of the film and from there the movie just rambles around with poorly differentiated characters about whom we couldn't care less. How a cast of some of our finest actors got caught up in this mess is a conundrum. The end result suggests a knockoff Coen Brothers movie gone bad. It is a trial to make it through the end of SALVATION BOULEVARD!

Grady Harp