Leap of Faith (1992)

Fake faith healer Jonas Nightingale is stranded in a small town where he finds he can't fool all of the people all of the time.

Director:

Richard Pearce

Writer:

Janus Cercone

Stars:

Steve Martin, Debra Winger, Lolita Davidovich

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve Martin	...	Jonas Nightengale
Debra Winger	...	Jane Larson
Lolita Davidovich	...	Marva
Liam Neeson	...	Sheriff Will Braverman
Lukas Haas	...	Boyd
Meat Loaf	...	Hoover
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Matt
M.C. Gainey	...	Tiny
LaChanze	...	Georgette
Delores Hall	...	Ornella
John Toles-Bey	...	Titus
Albertina Walker	...	Lucille
Ricky Dillard	...	Ricky
Vince Davis	...	Roger
Troy Evans	...	Officer Lowell Dade

Storyline

Jonas is a fraudulent faith healer, who uses all the tricks in the book to con the people attending his shows. Jonas and his team of helpers, including Jane who is in need of some romance, travel the country stopping at big towns and cities to put on their show. When one of the trucks breaks down in a small town, Jonas is quick to accept the challenge of making money in this town. His other goal is to seduce Marva, a waitress in the town, but she's a hard nut to crack, as is Will, the local sheriff who's determined to expose Jonas as a fraud.

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Plot Keywords:

faith | faith healer | waitress | truck | sheriff | 

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Taglines:

Are you ready for a miracle?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 December 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Schein-Heilige

Filming Locations:

Building One, Studios at Las Colinas - 6301 North O'Connor Road, Irving, Texas, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$23,369,283 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min 95 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jonas's "mind-reading" trick, wherein he receives intimate details about his marks via a small radio, loosely follows the exploits of televangelist Peter Popoff, who performed a very similar trick with his wife at the microphone. Popoff's career took a nosedive when he was publicly "outed" on the Johnny Carson show by professional magician and skeptic James Randi, who had managed to smuggle a radio scanner into one of Popoff's revival meetings.

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Goofs

During the first "healing" sequence, Jonas addresses the woman who needs a job. Meanwhile, his assistants ready another audience member, a blonde woman in a blue dress, at the opposite side of the stage. However, in the next shot, the blonde woman has been replaced by the "gambling man" who Jonas picked out of the audience earlier.

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Quotes

Marva: I believe in life- what it does to you, and what you do back.

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Crazy Credits

During the closing credits, the 'Angels of Mercy' singers are shown singing to a tent full of people (including some of the cast members).

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Jim Carrey/Soundgarden (1996)

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Soundtracks

"Pass Me Not"
by Fanny Crosby (as Fanny J. Crosby) and Howard Doane (as W.H. Doane)
Arranged and Performed by Lyle Lovett and George Duke
Produced by George Duke and Lyle Lovett
Lyle Lovett performs courtesy of Curb/MCA Records
George Duke performs courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.

User Reviews

An underrated gem of the 90s

I read some comments that thought this film might offend Christians. Nonsense. I think you just might have to be a Christian to appreciate the humor in this film. Steve did his homework in making this film which explores the seedy world of traveling charlatans masquerading as evangelists. It is a more serious film than some of Martin's other efforts, but I found it very funny as I have attended many Church services that were near identical to the ones portrayed in the film. If you have stayed away from this film because you are a Christian, I say give it a look. I don't think it will offend you that much and you will enjoy the outcome.