Paradise (2004)

Televangelist Bobby Paradise "saw God" in some space debris when he was returning to Earth as an astronaut. Or at least he was convinced he did by his wife, a Cape Canaveral groupie at the ... See full summary »

Director:

Frank Pierson

Writers:

Norman Steinberg, Richard Christian Matheson

Stars:

David Strathairn, Barbara Hershey, Kirk Acevedo

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Strathairn	...	Reverend Bobby Paradise
Barbara Hershey	...	Elizabeth Paradise
Kirk Acevedo	...	Manny Marquez
Anita Barone	...	Sammi
Vivienne Benesch	...	Alison Paradise
Patrick John Flueger	...	Luke Paradise (as Patrick Flueger)
James Le Gros	...	Matthew Paradise (as James LeGros)
Kiersten Warren	...	Grace Paradise
Elaine Stritch	...	Isabella
James Gammon	...	Old cowboy
Rick Hoffman	...	Clark Cavanaugh
Shea Whigham	...	Jeremiah Alcott
Richard T. Jones	...	Senator Michael Linney
Haley Fife	...	Susanna
Maxx Payne	...	XL

Storyline

Televangelist Bobby Paradise "saw God" in some space debris when he was returning to Earth as an astronaut. Or at least he was convinced he did by his wife, a Cape Canaveral groupie at the time Bobby was with NASA. Now they have built up an extensive TV empire. When their proposal to merge with a somewhat tarnished mogul is investigated by the government, skeletons in the Paradise closet come to light and the family either rallies behind or disparages the enterprise.

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Plot Keywords:

underwater scene | televangelist | astronaut | rock 'n' roll | flashback | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some sexual content and brief drug use

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006)

User Reviews

The Corruption Within: Televangelism Scrutinized

Frank Pierson continues to create films that are controversial and thought-provoking ('Soldier's Girl', 'Dirty Pictures', 'Truman', 'Conspiracy', 'Citizen Cohn', etc). In PARADISE he examines the workings of a 'showbiz evangelist' family and in doing so opens doors and windows to inspect not only the backstage shennaigans that are gaining more media coverage of late, but also the the very important family values and human frailties that make people support this brand of 'religion'.

With a blistering screenplay by Norman Steinberg and Richard Christian Matheson. PARADISE relates the story of one Bobby Paradise (David Strathairn), a past astronaut who apparently believes he spoke with God upon re-entry into earth's atmosphere while crashing into the Indian Ocean, and has been driven to tell his story and spread the gospel with his wife Elizabeth (Barbara Hershey), his lawyer daughter (Vivienne Benesch) who has a penchant for shady behavior and who is having an affair with a boxer (Kirk Acevedo), his business manager son Matthew (James LeGros) and wife, and his alcoholic mother Isabella (Elaine Strich).

Bobby is haunted by his own demons and feels he is at the breaking point, but his wife and family encourage him to continue is financially successful business (palatial mansion, jets, money to burn and to keep everyone out of trouble, etc). But the media begins to pry and slowly we watch the family power tend to disintegrate as we discover Bobby has a son newly released from a prison term (apparently for justifiable homicide), the boxer's wife and child are 'bought out' so that the daughter can marry, etc.

The film works well primarily because of the quality of performances by Strathairn, Hershey, Strich, and all of the cast. Just when the story appears to be going over the top, the understated characters of Bobby and Elizabeth keep it grounded in reality and the possibility that this sort of family CAN exist. Too many questions are left unanswered, as though this movie for Showtime was being considered as a series for TV, but for a dissection of TV Evangelism it is a tasty investigation.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2004 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1