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

The song that Jonas is listening to in his car is "Paradise by the Dashboard Light", sung by Meat Loaf. Meat plays the part of the bus driver, Hoover, in the movie.

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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: A woman is like a slingshot. The greater the resistance, the further you can get with her.

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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 The Bad Boys of Saturday Night Live (1998)

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Soundtracks

"My Faith Looks Up to Thee"
by Ray Palmer and Lowell Mason
Arranged by Edwin Hawkins
Performed by The Angels of Mercy
Produced by George Duke

User Reviews

On my top five

I can't believe how many people have missed the point of this movie. This is one of those movies that you can't just turn your brain off and watch. Every scene from beginning to end is intended to make you question your own faith in God. It is filled with symbolism and should be taken at a deeper level than just a movie about a con man who uses a ruse of holiness to con people out of their money. This is about God reaching down and healing a spiritually broken man. Steve Martin gives possibly his best performance ever as Jonas Nightengale; a man who's life has been less than virtuous. The supporting characters are all excellent, and the music is amazing. But what really makes this movie are the last fifteen minuets. No movie has ever had such a powerful and uplifting ending. This movie has cemented a spot on my top five list and I strongly recommend that you see it.