Holy Man (1998)
Bekkah:
This movie was not really what I thought it would be, considering I had no idea what it was going to be about. It was much less religious and much more about capitalism than I expected. Spoilers: Capitalism wins, Unlikable Jeff Gets The Girl, and Eddie Murphy was maybe a magic negro? I can’t really tell if this fills that trope or not. I didn’t love this movie, I didn’t hate it. It’s really solidly in the middle of a 90s comedy. It was so 90s. The big shoulder pads, the giant cell phones, the home shopping show, Jeff’s weird 90s wood paneled fancy home. There were some great cameos (best: Betty White, worst: maybe Morgan Fairchild?) and some poor decisions made by, like, everyone. Anyway, it’s been a while since Sweet D (as Lindy West called Danya in the best fucking Hannukkah present ever) and I had time to watch a whole-ass movie, so it was nice to do that again!
Danya:
So, like there is certain feel to 90s movie. I don’t know if it’s the should pads in suits, or the blatantly evil bosses in pinstripes, or the plucky girl reporter who has no other personality…but there is a zeitgeist. Holy Man does all of these things and more. #UnlikeableJeff learns that capitalism is not actually that great, after all. Eddie Murphy plays a holy fool to perfection, and I would def invite him to Thanksgiving.
6/10 Holyblums
Eddie Murphy stars as an over-the-top television evangelist who finds a way to turn television home shopping into a religious experience, and takes America by storm.
Director Stephen Herek
Writer Tom Schulman
Stars Eddie Murphy Jeff Goldblum Kelly Preston
