It's a satirical drama set around 1990 in rural Kansas. It follows a four-day stay of a tent evangelist in a town of 22,000 after their caravan breaks down on the way to Topeka, Kansas.
Jonas Nightengale (Steve Martin) is the shyster prosperity gospel evangelist, added by his manager, Jane Larson (Debra Winger), musical director, Hoover (Meat Loaf), and other assistants who include Matt (Philip Seymour Hoffman). When one of their trucks breaks down, they set up their tent in Rustwater, Kansas, while waiting for the parts to arrive.
Local sheriff Will Braverman (Liam Neeson) is suspicious of Nightengale, especially because the area is in the midst of drought and has over 25% unemployment. The pretty waitress in the local diner that Nightengale fancies, Marva (Lolita Davidovich), is also wary because her younger brother, Boyd (Lukas Haas), was severely injured in an accident that killed their parents. When Boyd had earlier been taken to a faith healer, the preacher blamed Boyd's "lack of faith" for his failure to be cured.
The movie rushes along, allowing Braverman and Larson to develop a romance and for Nightengale to face some of the harm and chaos he has created. We see how Nightengale and Larson manipulate the crowd until Nightengale confronts a cure he cannot explain.
This is an interesting concept that doesn't work very well. The gospel music is the best part of the film. Steve Martin's lines sometimes sound authentic and other times like lousy writing. The plot is not believable, being squeezed into four days, and the ending takes a twist that doesn't fit the rest of the movie.
Jonas Nightengale (Steve Martin) is the shyster prosperity gospel evangelist, added by his manager, Jane Larson (Debra Winger), musical director, Hoover (Meat Loaf), and other assistants who include Matt (Philip Seymour Hoffman). When one of their trucks breaks down, they set up their tent in Rustwater, Kansas, while waiting for the parts to arrive.
Local sheriff Will Braverman (Liam Neeson) is suspicious of Nightengale, especially because the area is in the midst of drought and has over 25% unemployment. The pretty waitress in the local diner that Nightengale fancies, Marva (Lolita Davidovich), is also wary because her younger brother, Boyd (Lukas Haas), was severely injured in an accident that killed their parents. When Boyd had earlier been taken to a faith healer, the preacher blamed Boyd's "lack of faith" for his failure to be cured.
The movie rushes along, allowing Braverman and Larson to develop a romance and for Nightengale to face some of the harm and chaos he has created. We see how Nightengale and Larson manipulate the crowd until Nightengale confronts a cure he cannot explain.
This is an interesting concept that doesn't work very well. The gospel music is the best part of the film. Steve Martin's lines sometimes sound authentic and other times like lousy writing. The plot is not believable, being squeezed into four days, and the ending takes a twist that doesn't fit the rest of the movie.