More Elmer Fudd than Elmer Gantry, Steve Martin's 1992 misfire LEAP OF FAITH can't even save itself.
I am a huge Steve Martin fan, but this strange blend of comedy & drama is that rare time I felt like he was seriously miscast.
Martin stars as fake faith healer (is there any other kind?) Jonas Nightingale. He leads a bus and semi-truck band of shysters across America, bringing a tent busting with salvation and fantastic gospel music to small towns.
The music is the best part of the movie and anytime that his choir is singing, the movie soars. But sadly, we need a lot more songs.
Martin plays Jonas with a strange blend of hardcore cynicism and PT Barnum showmanship and I never really believed either side. Martin is a fantastic comedian and dramatic actor, so I'm blaming the weak script by Janus Cercone, whose only other big screen effort was "Ed" about a baseball playing chimp. OK.......
Martin took over the role after Michael Keaton walked away from the production.
Debra Winger is Jane, Jonas' computer whiz (check out all those big boxes that every program used to come in! Remember them well.) who operates backstage, organizing all the rubes and telling Jonas what to say through his earpiece.
A young Liam Neeson stars as Will, the sheriff in Rustwater, Kansas, their latest destination. He sees Jonas for what he is, but that doesn't stop him from falling for Jane.
Neeson and Winger seems to be starring in a completely different film. Their scenes together are the best in the film (after that choir!).
Lolita Davidovich (Blaze) is also good as diner waitress Marva, whose brother Boyd (Lukas Haas from "The Lady in White" and "Lincoln") was badly injured in a car accident. Marva is tired of traveling preachers and doctors promising healing.
Haas' condition sets up a fascinating final revival, with all the characters heading toward a reckoning. I thought the film was going to finally payoff all the set up, but Cercone's script manages to somehow deliver a big moment and then completely waste it. Nothing makes sense after the big event.
What a mess.
And what a waste of a supporting cast! Philip Seymour Hoffman (A Most Wanted Man, Capote), LaChanze ("The Color Purple" Original Broadway Cast), Meat Loaf and M.C. Gainey (Con Air) are all a blast as part of Jonas' crew.
The film was turned into a Broadway musical that only ran for 19 performances, so I can only imagine they didn't fix the ending for the stage.
Grossing only $23 million against its $20M budget, the film was a flop.
It did accomplish one thing, inspiring me to make sure and watch "Elmer Gantry" again this summer. What a movie.
LEAP OF FAITH gets an uninspired C- in the collection plate. Without the chorus, it would have got an even duller D.
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