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 | fraud | waitress | truck | sheriff | 

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Taglines:

Real miracles, sensibly priced.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 December 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

En toute bonne foi

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

The movie was adapted into a Broadway musical in 2012. Featuring music by Alan Menken, it ran only 19 performances (plus 25 previews).

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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

Jonas: Look, I run a show here. It's a lot of smoke and noise and it's strictly for the suckers. I've been pulling one kind of scam or another since I was your age, and if there's one thing I know it's how to spot the genuine article because that's what you've got to watch out for. Not the cops, you can always get around the cops. But the one thing you can never, ever get around is the genuine article, and you, kid, are the genuine article.

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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: The Best of David Spade (2005)

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Soundtracks

Yakety Yak
by Jerry Leiber (as Jerry Lieber) and Mike Stoller

User Reviews

Great movie! Finally available on DVD

This is a fantastic movie, and proof that Steve Martin is more than just a comedian. The movie is well done, with solid character development and great direction. The production really captures the essence of the midwest setting. The gospel music - a joint effort between George Duke and Edwin Hawkins - is also great. The story itself is very thought-provoking and emotional. Contrary to what another reviewer said here, the ending is great and was the perfect climax to a thoughtful story. (How the other reviewer considered the ending to be pointless is beyond me. Oh well, pearls before swine and all that.) Excellent movie!