Holy Man (1998)

To me, this movie is perfection.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Sales have been flat for 27 months at the Good Buy Shopping Network under the arrogant Ricky Hayman (Jeff Goldblum). John McBainbridge (Robert Loggia) brings in Kate Newell (Kelly Preston) and gives Ricky 2 weeks to raise sales 8%. Ricky and Kate get a flat tire and encounter spiritual almost-supernatural guru G (Eddie Murphy).It's a comedy spoof of the Home Shopping Network. Quite frankly, they don't need to be spoofed. It would be more compelling to be more realistic. There are plenty of fun weird stories without going over the top. The idiocy simply makes the movie stupid, ugly and annoying. As for the three main actors, Kelly Preston contributes very little. Jeff Goldblum is wrong as the leading man. Eddie Murphy is not funny and lacks the likability for this guru character. His entry walking across that highway is terrific but it's a long downward slide from that point. This is unfunny and actually off-putting for the most part.

Holy Man is not a terrible movie,it's definitely not as bad as critics mad it out to be,but it isn't brilliant.Eddie Murphy has done some brilliant movies and some terrible movies,this isn't either of those,it's not Beverly Hills Cop but it's also not Norbit.There are a good few parts that made me laugh,but nothing had me laughing out loud,but there's also just as much jokes that didn't work out.I found Eddie Murphy's character very likable,but I really didn't like Jeff Goldblum in this movie,I found his character and his overall performance very irritating,and I think this movie could have done much better with a more comedic actor,like Ben Stiller or Jim Carrey,they would have done a much better job.There were a few parts of Holy Man that made me laugh,but I wouldn't recommend this movie,it isn't Eddie Murphy's worst,but it's certainly not his best.Ricky Hayman (Jeff Goldblum) is the head of a failing shopping cable channel and only has two weeks to save it,he finds the answer in G (Eddie Murphy),an enigmatic holy man.

Cast as 'G,' an enigmatic messiah who saves a TV shopping network from disaster, "Trading Places" comedian Eddie Murphy looks like a Buddhist monk in his white robe with a clean-shaven head. A serene smile on his face, Murphy spouts platitudes such as "You need to find ultimate and complete happiness." Not only does "Holy Man" register as a lukewarm New Age romantic comedy, but it also neglects to exploit Murphy for maximum mirth. Although billed as the title character, Murphy spends more time off screen. Sadly, "Holy Man" waits far too long to integrate the Eddie Murphy character into the action. Worst, "Mr. Holland's Opus" director Stephen Herek's film crackles with pretense more often than humor."Holy Man" focuses on self-absorbed TV executive Ricky Hayman (Jeff Goldblum of "Jurassic Park") whose career at the Miami-based Good Buy Shopping Network is in the crapper. When his new boss, Mr. Bainbridge (a deeply tanned Robert Loggia), delivers an ultimatum, Ricky finds his work cut out for him. If network profits don't pick up in 14 days, Ricky is history. Adding insult to injury, Bainbridge hires sassy media analyst Kate Newell (Kelly Preston of "Twins") to help Ricky devise a distinctive network image. At first, Ricky and Kate hate each other. Eventually, they wind up in each other's arms. Breezing down the freeway one day, Ricky's Jaguar blows a tire. Accident and coincidence serve to bring Ricky, Kate, and G together. On a footloose pilgrimage through Miami, G takes the time to kneel and smell the grass. Crossing the rush hour freeway with no thought for his own safety, G offers to help Ricky and Kate. G captivates Kate with his cordiality. As Ricky is about to drive off, he puts his Jaguar in reverse and nearly backs over the pilgrim. G faints, and Ricky and Kate rush him to the hospital.Kate invites G to her home to recover. Ricky insists that G bunk with him. G turns Ricky onto herbal teas and meditation. Ricky's low opinion of G does a 180 when G crashes one of Ricky's parties. G uses hypnosis to cure a wealthy party guest who fears flying. Ricky makes a deal with G that sends him before the cameras. G pokes fund at the crass hucksterism of Ricky's cheapskate products. GBSN's ratings soar, and G becomes an overnight sensation. Eventually, a guilt-ridden Kate convinces Ricky that they have no right to ruin G's life with fame and fortune. Driving back to where they met him on the freeway, Ricky and Kate bid G adieu. Nothing miraculous or hilarious enlivens Oscar winning "Dead Poets Society" scenarist Tom Schulman's sluggish, pseudo-inspirational screenplay. The premise is that (1) shopping and (2) watching TV are the two key experiences that Americans pursue with religious fanaticism. Herek and Schulman obsess over plot logistics instead of forging funny situations.As a comedy, "Holy Man" springs jokes and gags that garnish rather than galvanize the plot. Murphy doesn't appear until nearly twenty minutes or more have elapsed. When G should be front and center for laughs, the filmmakers cut back to Ricky and Kate's banal love story and leaves little time for Murphy. Basically, "Holy Man" doesn't have a prayer, but Eddie Murphy deserves credit for trying something new. The magnetism that G displays comes primarily from Murphy's smirking but subdued performance as a neutered but nice guy. Aside from his on-camera antics during a 'live' taping session in the GBSN studio, Murphy never breaks character to share in the laughter. Lanky Jeff Goldblum milks soulless Ricky Hayman for everything that he can. Goldblum is one of those rare thespians who can make gabby stretches of expository dialogue sound fascinating when it is clear that all he is doing is juggling literary baloney. Kelly Preston furnishes the obligatory sex appeal. Several real-life star, such as Soupy Sales, Betty White, Florence Henderson, and James Brown, show up in celebrity cameos as sponsors for phony products. None of these fake wares elicits more than half-of-a-grin. The best scene in "Holy Man" has G zapping Morgan Fairchild while she is hooked up to a portable electronic, instant face-lifting contraption. Although Eddie Murphy saves a TV shopping network, he loses "Holy Man." Imitating the Home Shopping Network, "Holy Man" sets its satirical sights high in lambasting the bogus lords of television and consumerism. Boasting few insights and even fewer jokes, "Holy Man" lacks the conviction to entertain much less eviscerate. Nowhere as side-splitting as "The Nutty Professor," "Holy Man" makes watching QVC a real option. If you missed "Holy Man" is missed wholly nothing!

I just recently saw this movie on television. quite frankly i think everyone who gave it a low rating had the wrong impression. this was NOT meant to be a Hollywood movie. hence the theme behind it and the title being Holy man. why would you think that something with a message of love and not exploiting people and products would be made out as exactly that? And thats why its so beautiful, because they didn't make it "popular". the message however is that of true love and peace to all the earth. i think Eddie Murphy did a great job filling the role, and i think his humor and love by all races and religions makes the casting brilliant. The rest of the actors/ actresses are not of my appeal, however i believe i have a new appreciation for them. I think the whole world could benefit from a simplistic but meaningful movie like this. thats all i have to say about that.