Pass the Ammo

With a cast like this attached (Bill Paxton, Tim Curry, Linda Kozlowski, Glenn Withrow, Annie Potts, Anthony Geary and Brian Thompson decking a flowing mullet), I'm surprised to see this comedy to be somewhat of a under-seen cult item which is a mildly humorous spoof on televangelism. Sing it, hallelujah. Praise the lord! Jessie and Claire along with two other friends go into a ministry to rob it, because Claire's inheritance went to the church but they accidentally stumble upon the ministry's live TV set while trying to flee. So they end up holding those inside to ransom, while the cops wait outside and many viewers watch on. The cast are just great. Curry is simply sensational as the smooth talking TV reverend (who makes a memorable first appearance) and so is an over zealous Potts as his eccentric wife. Then you have the likes of Paxton and Kozlowski as the buoyant young couple. Geary is also quite fun as a free-spirited member of studio crew and Leland Crooke as the level-headed sheriff. The zany plot is a basic standoff, but it's the cleverly scathing script that makes good use of the situation to parody these showy religious outings filled with glitz to cover the underlining corruptness. It's a sideshow with over-the-top antics (especially when some gun toting rednecks and the national army gets involved) and neon qualities, as characters open up and America watches on. You'll be glued to the screen.

"Jesus doesn't live in a TV studio. He lives in my heart".

This movie solidified my sheer love of all things Tim Curry (ha!). Seriously, a college pal was a video store employee at the time, found this and thought, "Hmm...." So a bunch of us had a Tim Curry Night Party at her place, and this was the "matinee" -- after viewing it, we should have made it the feature! My personal story aside, if you really want a good look at the inner workings of televangelism (at its all-time worst), and a good laugh to boot, then this is the movie for you! I just watched it again (for the kazillionth time, it seems), and I never fail to find something hilarious in it. So next time you're at the video store, looking for an interesting comedy, get this one! You won't be sorry!

first i was one of the people that did not make it to the credits. i was the fat boy that bill used as a shield from the cops.

i enjoyed watching just as much as being there.

this movie was not just a comedy, but a close look at the televangelist, this was filmed at the height of jim and tammy's trouble, and jimmy swagard's trouble, we received script changes that where a mirror image of events that were still unfolding in the press, many changes happened before it was in the press.

Don't expect much subtlety from this broad but skin-deep satire of TV evangelism, in which an amiable quartet of amateur thieves takes over a TV temple and holds the clergy hostage against a siege of state militia, local police, yellow journalists, and resident vigilantes (can you guess who gets the most sympathy?). The script is more than a little self-satisfied, taking earnest potshots at easy targets without inflicting any serious damage, and except for Tim Curry (who plays the greedy preacher with his tongue firmly in cheek), the holy rollers and gullible worshippers are all too exaggerated to be convincing (it's hard to fake so much bogus sincerity). But once the stand-off is finally underway (after a set-up stretched twenty minutes too long) the story relaxes enough to give the characters room to have fun. The film is certainly no 'Dog Day Afternoon', but it does have its moments, and no one can say it isn't lively. Too bad the real thing (Jim and Tammy Baker; the good reverend Swaggart et al) is so much funnier.

Any film that features the immortal Tim Curry as a corrupt televangelist would be worth watching, and this one has even more to offer: Annie Potts as his loopy, big-haired wife; gun-toting good old boys fresh out of jail (and hungry for Moon Pies); dancing angels in fishnet stockings; and a trigger-happy citizens' militia that takes its TV very seriously. This screwball satire features Bill Paxton as our hero, who attempts to quietly steal back his girlfriend's legacy but inadvertently takes the TV studio Tower of Bethlehem hostage--during a live broadcast. Curry and Potts give virtuoso performances, but every one of the quirky supporting characters adds to the fun. While this over-the-top comedy may not be for all tastes, anyone who ever laughed at a Tammy Faye t-shirt should get a kick out of its razor-sharp send-up of televangelism, and fans of Curry, Potts, or Paxton shouldn't miss it.