The Holy Man
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This seemed like a touchy subject and concept for Disney. But, as it turns out the evangelist is not portrayed as some sort of phony, and the film works. I am optimistic about the film. The bottom line in the film is that money and commercialism are not the most important things in life.
One of the most exciting forms of worship is found in the African-American tradition. Every once in a while I go to a "Missionary Baptist" or a "Church of God in Christ" church and enjoy a great gospel service featuring great hand clapping music, joyous dancing, and mesmerizing preaching. It is great stuff! And good for the soul, too. Eddy Murphey is no stranger to this kind of black church experience. The movie brings this enthusiastic style out.
[edit] View from Nowhere
[edit] Other Views from Nowhere
Oh my god, he's electrocuting Morgan Fairchild!
"Holy Man" is not what you expect. Holy Man
You are attracted into the theater by Touchstone Picture's marketing program built entirely around Eddie Murphy's comedic star presence. The trailers have shown some funny bits with stars Jeff Goldblum ("The Lost World") and Kelly Preston ("Jerry Maguire") playing second fiddle to Murphy's hilarious antics. Must be another zany Eddie Murphy comedy in the vein of "The Nutty Professor" or "Dr. Doolittle", right?
So you sit down in the plush seats of your local multiplex, surrounded by hundreds of other like-minded individuals who are expecting lots of laughs. The theater darkens and "Holy Man" unspools. However, about fifteen minutes in, you suddenly realize that this movie isn't as funny as you expected. And when Murphy finally does show up, he's not his usual over-the-top self. Hmmm... must be one of those bad Eddie Murphy movies, like "Metro" or "The Golden Child". Eddie Murphy
But wait... the movie seems to be a satire on television. And the wide-eyed innocence of Murphy's character is being used to hawk the wares of a home shopping television channel. If Murphy's performance is restrained, and this movie is a satire on televised commercialism... ah-ha! It's "The Truman Show" all over again!
It started so simply, and now it's a big production.
However, as the movie progresses, the tone becomes increasingly grim, and the musical score is creating an atmosphere of foreboding. Maybe this movie is a tragic cautionary tale about the fragile nature of idealism, much like the fatalistic "Network" or "Bulworth".
But wait a second... as the third act kicks into high gear, it seems that the Eddie Murphy character is not as ill-fated as he looks. And the romance subplot has now kicked into high gear. Maybe this was a romantic-comedy.
The difference is that G would do this for free.
Jeff Goldblum
Who knows? "Holy Man" suffers from a really bad case of multiple personality disorder. Those expecting a silly diversion with scatological humor will be disappointed. Instead, "Holy Man" is a poignant feel-good tale about a man allowing himself to be ruled by his heart, instead of his head. Unfortunately, you have to put up with the slow-pacing, flat material, and strained acting in the first hour to get to the payoff.
Ricky (Goldblum) and Kate (Preston) are two execs employed by the Good Buy Shopping Network (GBSN), and their malevolent boss (Robert Loggia of "Lost Highway") has them under the gun to boost the company's lagging sales. After their car gets a flat on a Miami freeway, an enigmatic man calling himself 'G' (Murphy) offers his assistance. Before you know it, this kind stranger winds up on the set of GBSN and his presence raises all sorts of ruckus, much to the chagrin of Ricky. If you launch this, and if you make it work, then everything... everything you ever dreamed about will be yours.
Kelly Preston
However, GBSN's viewers immediately take a liking to this shaman with the New Age sales pitch, and he becomes a pop-culture icon. Paradoxically, despite G's messages asking viewers to discard their material aspirations and to take pleasure in the simple things of life, GBSN sales revenues go up. Of course, this is good for the station, and even better for Ricky and Kate's careers. But the higher G's star rises, the more Ricky's conscience begins to gnaw at him. Which, of course, brings him to the inevitable dilemma of choosing between what is best for his career, and what is best for his new friend, G.
As I mentioned earlier, "Holy Man" starts off as one movie, and ends up being a better one. The longer I sat through this movie, the more I found myself liking it. Despite Murphy having top billing, this movie actually is actually about Goldblum's character and his struggle to be content in his life. G serves only as the catalyst for this change, and the strong point of the third act is watching Ricky wrestle with his displaced loyalties, and discovering his true feelings for Kate.
You never feel more whole and right when you love another person... and when that person loves you back.
Morgan Fairchild with Eddie Murphy
Now before I continue gushing, there are significant problems with the rest of the movie. Goldblum babbles incessantly throughout the movie, and though it helps to show his character's insecurities, it is distracting and detracts from the poignant atmosphere that director Stephen Herek ("Mr. Holland's Opus") was attempting to create. And though she did have her moments, Preston is not completely successful as the love interest, and her stilted acting is difficult to watch, particularly in the first hour. Murphy's kinder and gentler role, despite a few interesting bits of elocution, comes off as little more than a dull, though affable, dispenser of wisdom. The rest of the cast is rounded out by a number of celebrity cameos, including Morgan Fairchild, Soupy Sales, Florence Henderson, and James Brown. Unfortunately, these potential 'gee-whiz' moments are wasted with some very unfunny material.
Finally, what is perhaps the greatest problem with "Holy Man"-- as a comedy, it is not very funny. As a satire, it does not go far enough to expose the machinations of commercial exploitation, and seems to lose its way thematically on more than one occasion. As a romantic-comedy, the romance is awkwardly inserted, as though it were an after-thought. Finally, as a feel-good cautionary tale, it barely earns itself a good rating from being dragged down by the film's muddled narrative and comedic misfires.
As I said in the beginning, "Holy Man" is not what you expect.[1]
The Phoney Holy Man [Hypocrisy]
Once upon a time there was a man who looked and acted just like a holy man. He wore nothing but rags, had long matted hair, and relied on a little village to support him. But he was sneaky and tricky. He only pretended to give up attachment to the everyday world. He was a phoney holy man.
A wealthy man living in the village wanted to earn merit by doing good deeds. So he had a simple little temple built in the nearby forest for the holy man to live in. He also fed him the finest foods from his own home.
He thought this holy man with matted hair was sincere and good, one who would not do anything unwholesome. Since he was afraid of bandits, he took his family fortune of 100 gold coins to the little temple. He buried it under the ground and said to the holy man, "Venerable one, please look after this my family fortune."
The holy man replied, "There's no need to worry about such things with people like me. We holy ones have given up attachment to the ordinary world. We have no greed or desire to obtain the possessions of others."
"Very well, venerable one," said the man. He left thinking himself very wise indeed, to trust such a good holy man.
However, the wicked holy man thought, "Aha! This treasure of 100 gold coins is enough for me to live on for the rest of my life! I will never have to work or beg again!" So a few days later he dug up the gold and secretly buried it near the roadside.
The next day he went to the wealthy villager's home for lunch as usual. After eating his fill he said, "Most honourable gentleman, I have lived here supported by you for a long time. But holy ones who have given up the world are not supposed to become too attached to one village or supporter. It would make a holy man like me impure! Therefore, kindly permit me to humbly go on my way."
The man pleaded with him again and again not to go, but it was useless. "Go then, venerable sir," he agreed at last. He went with him as far as the boundary of the village and left him there.
After going on a short way himself, the phoney holy man thought, "I must make absolutely sure that stupid villager does not suspect me. He trusts me so much that he will believe anything. So I will deceive him with a clever trick!" He stuck a blade of dry grass in his matted hair and went back.
When he saw him returning, the wealthy villager asked, "Venerable one, why have you come back?" He replied, "Dear friend, this blade of grass from the thatched roof of your house has stuck in my hair. It is most unwholesome and impure for a holy one such as myself to 'take what is not given'."
The amazed villager said, "Think nothing of it, your reverence. Please put it down and continue on your way. Venerable ones such as you do not even take a blade of grass that belongs to another. How marvellous! How exalted you are, the purest of the holy. How lucky I was to be able to support you!" More trusting than ever, he bowed respectfully and sent him on his way again.
It just so happened that the Enlightenment Being was living the life of a trader at that time. He was in the midst of a trading trip when he stopped overnight at the village. He had overheard the entire conversation between the villager and the 'purest of the holy'. He thought, "That sounds ridiculous! This man must have stolen something far more valuable than the blade of dry grass he has made such a big show of returning to its rightful owner."
The trader asked the wealthy villager, "Friend, did you perhaps give anything to this holy looking man for safekeeping?" "Yes friend," he replied, "I trusted him to guard my family fortune of 100 gold coins." "I advise you to go see if they are where you left them," said the trader.
Suddenly worried, he ran to the forest temple, dug up the ground, and found his treasure gone. He ran back to the trader and said, "It has been stolen!" "Friend," he replied, "No one but that so-called holy man could have taken it. Let's catch him and get your treasure back."
They both chased after him as fast as they could. When they caught up with him they made him tell where he had hidden the money. They went to the hiding place by the roadside and dug up the buried treasure.
Looking at the gleaming gold the Bodhisatta said, "You hypocritical holy man. You spoke well those beautiful words, admired by all, that one is not to 'take what is not given'. You hesitated to leave with even a blade of grass that didn't belong to you. But it was so easy for you to steal a hundred gold coins!" After ridiculing the way he had acted in this way, he advised him to change his ways for his own good.
The moral is: Be careful of a holy man who puts on a big show.[2]
