Touch (1997) User Reviews

The miracle worker

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 1 September 2004]

Elmore Leonard novels tend to deal with sleazy characters operating at the fringes of society. "Touch" is a strange book in that the sleaze bags are presented in a different light. They're not the obvious con men, but they are people that are trying to take advantage of a situation that is perceived as a money producing scheme.

Paul Schrader has adapted and directed, but the essence of the book is somehow elusive by what is presented to us. Yes, we realize that Bill Hill is into making a fast buck if he can sell Juvenal as the miracle worker with supernatural powers. In fact, this theme has been done more successfully in other films.

What the director accomplishes are good performances from his cast. At times the movie feels flat and without a clear direction as where it wants to go; we don't care too much about Juvenal after he loses his 'touch' and he becomes a mere mortal.

Skeet Ulrich is excellent as Juvenal; this actor is always a welcome sight in any movie he is in. Christopher Walken turns a controlled performance as Bill Hill, the man in search of a good con that will do anything to get it done. Bridget Fonda is also low key as Lynn, the skeptical woman who sees good in Juvenal and ends up falling for him. Also very effective is Tom Arnold, the man that wants to take the church into the right path and will stop at nothing to protect his own views.

Interesting take on a number of Christian/religious topics

[michaeljhuman · 7/10 · 17 October 2012]

I liked this movie a lot, apparently putting me at odds with quite a few of the reviewers. I am not sure what they expected, which was the puzzling part of reading their reviews.

This movie covers a lot of ground which is maybe what throws people off? Some obvious highlights -

* It's a love story * It puts fanatical christians in a bad light (which they likely deserve,) but then it also seems to forgive them a bit * It shows something I think is true - even if real miracles do/will occur, many will doubt them * It makes a clear distinction between church and faith - clearly you can have faith in God (or god if you prefer) but not the church * It showcases Tom Arnold really well; an actor I feel people underrate * It questions the concept of sex as a sin - people obviously feel the need to transfer their own hangups onto other people

Walken is good, as usual. Not his best, but good. I was impressed with Skeet. He's good looking, charismatic and portrays the gentle spirit I think works for this role. Surprised I don't see him in more movies.

The girl was OK. I know her name, and want to say I have seen her in more dominate roles. She felt a bit passive or something though. Not a big deal, but I felt she could have contributed a bit more somehow.

It's not profound or anything, but it implies the asking of a lot of good questions, with perhaps some implied answers.

Just to put a good word in, an Elmore based movie I enjoyed more was Get Shorty...I give that one higher marks. And Jackie Brown is amazing. So watch all 3 of these if you are a fan, IMO :)

Schrader Entertains With Oddball Film

[CitizenCaine · 7/10 · 15 November 2009]

Writer/Director Paul Schrader continued his eclectic career with this film based on an Elmore Leonard novel about an uncharismatic healer (with stigmata) whom others wish to exploit for their own purposes. Skeet Ulrich, plays the healer Juvenal with just the right amount of curiosity, emotional detachment, and innocence. The always watchable Christopher Walken plays the scheming Bill Hill, a disgraced evangelist of the worst kind more concerned with drumming up business than saving souls. His plan is to enlist his significant other Lynn, Bridget Fonda, to infiltrate a rehabilitation clinic (where Juvenal is holed up) in order to gain Juvenal's trust before she and Hill make their exploitation pitches. The trouble is she falls in love with Juvenal, creating more than just a few problems. Meanwhile, August Murray, wonderfully played by Tom Arnold, is a religious zealot who sees through Bill's and Lynn's schemes, and he goes all out to block their attempts to exploit Juvenal while trying to get Juvenal behind his own agenda against the Catholic Church. Arnold's character is essentially the religious zealot version of Michael Douglas' character William Foster in Falling Down.

Schrader has concocted a complex comedy/drama about religion, belief, and love without being exploitative himself, which is no small feet considering the subject matter. There's a problem with the film in that it's not entirely successful with how it treats its subject. Some viewers will be put off by the comedic contrast between the Walken, Fonda, and Arnold-influenced scenes compared to Juvenal's healing scenes. It's difficult to tap an emotional response to Juvenal because viewers won't necessarily be sure of Schrader's intent. However, the performances are genuine enough, the characters are enjoyable, and the screenplay is above average with dialog that is as clever as it is humorous. Gina Gershon, Janeane Garofalo, and Lolita Davidovitch all offer great support. Viewers who are familiar with Schrader's religious background will no doubt garner some enjoyment from the film, while other viewers may have trouble with the subject matter all together. Director Paul Mazursky plays Artie. *** of 4 stars.

great non-crime Elmore Leonard

[Holden_Pike · 27 September 1998]

Occasionally Elmore Leonard writes about something other than the underworld. Here his wonderful dialogue and amusing characters are centered around, not a bank robber or ex-con, but a young man who receives miraculous stigmata. The tone is stirical and the comedy is quite dark; definitely worth a look. After Get Shorty Hollywood seemed to finally get how to translate Leonard to the screen, and Touch certainly belongs in the company of Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, and Out of Sight. The cast is perfect in this one, with Skeet Ulrich and Bridget Fonda the best they've been so far, plus Christopher Walken in full glory, and Tom Arnold (yes, That Tom Arnold) just dead on as a religious zealot. This one didn't get much of a theatrical run so go find it at the video store.

failed to deliver

[casual_observer · 4/10 · 25 July 2004]

Interesting characters and a great cast, but the script really left them with nowhere to go. Bridget Fonda was lovely and I will check out her work in other films (last one of hers I saw was Doc Hollywood in 1991). Will also keep a lookout for Skeet Ulrich who brought a nice blend of charm and mystique to the role of the central character. Christopher Walken is competent as usual, but this is not the sort of part I enjoy seeing him play. Tom Arnold did a good job as the obsessed religious fanatic. I found the labeling of this movie as a comedy strange, but it is hard to say how else it should be categorized. It is definitely a subtle and wry brand of humor. I don't think I laughed aloud even once. One thought provoking thing about the movie is that it shows that people can do good things without being wholly good, and bad things without being wholly bad. That may sound obvious, but too often movie characters are one-dimensional. For example if someone is exploitive (especially in a comedy), they also turn out to be evil to the core. A better script with some added time for plot development would have made this a much more satisfying picture.

tries too hard

[petshop · 6/10 · 1 March 1999]

A comedy that tries a little too hard to be offbeat. Ulrich is Juvenile, an oblivious ex-Franciscan monk who has the power of stigmata. He can heal those he touches.

Walken is a religious profiteer who attempts to make a few bucks of Juvenile by elisting Fonda's help. The tongue-in-cheek satire does not mix well its use of slapstick, and most of the jokes end up flopping around on the floor for a few moments too long.

No one seems to be having much fun in their roles, except for Tom Arnold, who's having too much fun as the annoying christian extremist trying to bring people to the old ways of worship. His energetic idiocy succeeds all too well in annoying.

A lukewarm flick which fizzles.

[=G= · 5/10 · 5 July 2001]

"Touch" sticks Ulrich at the center as a young man with stigmata and maybe something more...healing power, the second coming, whatever. Around him are sundry characters ranging from mildly peculiar to very peculiar who want to use his questionable power to suit their own agendas. This unfortunate flick appears to be telling a story but fizzles in the end. A very unsatisfying, forgettable watch and a waste of a good cast. In short, a flop.

TOUCH

[Didier-Becu · 6/10 · 13 August 2003]

A decade ago my hero of all directors was Paul Schrader (Mishima, Blue Collar) but what the man did the last ten years is beyond my belief, too low for the usual Schraderstandards. Same here, it's a nice comedy but that's it and from this director I just wanna more! The story is about some new Christ who can evoke miracles and has the same wombs as Jesus. Perfect material for charlatan Christopher Walken who asks Bridget Fonda to convince him to work with him. Very predictable that the miracleman falls in love with Fonda and that from then his magic power falls away, not? Well that's it, that's the movie and apart from some funny shots that's just it.... Yeah very disappointed.

Not worth the time it takes to watch it

[jmissydj · 1/10 · 21 October 2001]

This was a total waste of my time. Not only did the movie lack a clear message, but the choppy nature left you guessing what the story was about. The acting wasn't convincing and the special effects were decidely poor. It's no wonder I never heard of this movie before I saw it on TV.

Stigmata boy makes it with Bridget Fonda.

[starfrog · 6/10 · 24 June 2000]

Apparently touched by God, a young man named Juvenal (Skeet Ulrich) experiences episodes of Stigmata (spontaneous bleeding from five wounds just like Jesus after being crucified) and is able to heal the sick. Juvenal's first reaction to this phenomena is to hide in solitude. But then he decides to go on TV and signs a book deal with the help of evangelist/con-artist Bill Hill (Christopher Walken). His holy gift also helps him bag sexy music promoter Lynn Faulkner (Bridget Fonda), who doesn't seem to mind that his powers go away after they sleep together. This all may seem far-fetched at best. But then the Lord does work in mysterious ways.

not worth your while

[gretz-569-323863 · 3/10 · 16 June 2012]

I have to admit that I couldn't finish watching this movie.

for the first half-hour or so, I was entranced. the story was fascinating: the kid from "Scream" playing a Jesus figure who can heal people! and Bridget Fonda, an actress I usually like.

unfortunately, as soon as the main characters got together, the movie went from interesting to rom-com silliness. the minute I saw them laying on the couch across from each other, tossing popcorn into each other's mouths, I knew I wasn't going to make it to the end.

now I don't know; maybe the movie has a kick-butt ending that makes it all worthwhile. but I wasn't going to waste any more of my life waiting to find out.

Underrated entry in the Elmore Leonard film canon

[SKG-2 · 8/10 · 28 February 1999]

While TOUCH may not be up to the level of GET SHORTY, OUT OF SIGHT, or JACKIE BROWN, it's not a bad little movie. Certainly it's an odd book from Leonard, as he admitted in his introduction, but it worked for me, and given Paul Schraeder's history with religious themed films(TAXI DRIVER, THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST), it seemed natural he would direct. This is not a great movie, because Schraeder doesn't go as deep as Leonard did into his characters, and some of the humor doesn't translate. But most of it does, and this avoids the heavy-handedness of most movies about angels/healers/devils. Part of that is due to Skeet Ulrich, who should avoid hearing Johnny Depp comparisons after this movie, because he shows a personality all of his own. And Bridget Fonda pairs up nicely with him. This movie even gets a good performance out of Tom Arnold. All in all, underrated and deserves checking out.

Quite A "Touch"

[jhclues · 7/10 · 1 October 2000]

A sometimes amusing but somewhat dark satire of faith, miracles, fundamentalism, and media exploitation is served up by writer/director Paul Schrader in `Touch,' adapted from the novel by Elmore Leonard. Laced with subtle humor that seems somewhat contradictory to the serious subject matter, this is a film that is quite interesting without being too compelling. After seven years in South America studying to be a monk, a young man returns to the States and the anonymity provided him by his work as a counselor at a Catholic rehab clinic. Far from your normal, would-be cleric, however, Juvenal (Skeet Ulrich) has a unique gift: he can heal people by touching them, at which time he exhibits the stigmata. It's something he cannot explain, and somehow manages to take in stride. Inevitably, word leaks out about it, and scam artist Bill Hill (Christopher Walken) is right on it when it happens. Currently an RV salesman, he is an ordained minister and former evangelist who once performed fake healings and had a huge, blue neon cross above his `church' that could be seen for miles from the interstate. And he sees great things in Juvenal's future, and a lot of money for himself. First, however, he must get close to the stigmatic, while sidestepping a friend of Juvenal's, one August Murray (Tom Arnold), a Catholic on a quest to revert the Mass to Latin and do away with guitar masses altogether. For help, Hill turns to his assistant, Lynn (Bridget Fonda), who must try to gain access to the elusive Juvenal; together, they concoct a plan to get her into the clinic, where she can make contact and put him together with Hill. To tell the tale, Schrader put together an excellent cast and seemingly has all the ingredients for a successful project; somehow though, it all comes off as fairly lackluster, but interesting nonetheless. Ulrich does a good turn as Juvenal, capturing the sincere ambiguity of the character's view of his own ability to perform miracles, and makes it convincing with his grounded approach and by underplaying rather than trying to make him into something more enigmatic than he really is. He makes it a very real study of how someone would possibly react upon being visited with the wounds of Christ. Walken does a passable job as Hill, but there's not a lot of depth to his performance, and for a character that should have been quite flamboyant, he seems rather subdued. Fonda, too, gives something of a one-note performance as Lynn, who is likable enough, but tends to come off as uninteresting. Tom Arnold comes away with the most memorable performance, playing the obsessive August in a straight forward manner that makes him convincing and humorous, while making you take pause to reflect about what kind of a guy this really is and wondering how many people like him are actually running around loose in the world today. The supporting cast includes Gina Gershon (Debra Lusanne), Conchata Ferrell, John Doe (Elwin), Janeane Garofalo (Kathy), Anthony Zerbe (Father Donahue), and Paul Mazursky (Artie). There are a lot of nice touches to this movie, and though it may not be one of Schrader's best, `Touch' is entertaining and somewhat thought provoking; one of the problems is that there are times when you don't know whether to laugh or simply ponder, which comes from the light approach to what is essentially a pretty heavy-duty subject. All in all, it's a decent movie and well worth a look; this is the kind of film that videos were made for. I rate this one 7/10.

tired of Tom Arnold

[SnoopyStyle · 4/10 · 1 July 2017]

Juvenal (Skeet Ulrich) is one of the staff at a rehab center. August Murray (Tom Arnold) is a religious zealot convicted for misdemeanor assault. Bill Hill (Christopher Walken) sends in alcoholic Lynn Faulkner (Bridget Fonda). She's actually undercover for his investigation of Juvenal's religious stigmata miracles. Kathy Worthington (Janeane Garofalo) is a newspaper reporter. Everybody is trying to ascertain the truth and exploit it.

This Paul Schrader film is adapted from an Elmore Leonard book. It's a meandering story with lackluster characters. Honestly, Tom Arnold probably ruins this movie for me before it starts. I can't take him seriously and it's not silly enough to be funny. Schrader's storytelling doesn't help. The other actors are perfectly fine. There is some potential with the basic material but this is not good.

A Refreshing Look at God, Faith, Love and Media

[tim.halkin · 8 February 2003]

Don't be fooled by the subject matter - an ex-monk, who can heal the sick by touching them, but suffers stigmata each time and gets caught up in a whirl of religious fanatics, big-business evangelists and ratings-hungry media - this is a sweet and touching romantic comedy!

Leave it to Paul Schrader to find a way to do some heavy soul-searching without getting heavy-handed, yet always remaining quirky as we know him from his dramas. A wonderful supporting cast (Christopher Walken, Tom Arnold, Janeane Garofalo, Lolita Davidovich and Gina Gershon) adds color and texture to the story without detracting from the quiet chemistry going on between Skeet Ulrich and Bridget Fonda. When Ulrich says without grandeur that he believes in God and miracles, you don't even think twice about it - you believe every word he says at face value. A rare performance.

Director Schrader gets the most out of great ensemble acting

[pyamada · 8/10 · 2 May 2003]

Paul Schrader can be very erratic as a director. I think Affliction is his best film, by far, and this movie and Blue Collar are his next best. That said, you cannot be immune to the basic conceit and find it provocative, much less enjoyable. If you can accept that the Skeet Ulrich character may have St. Francis like qualities, and can really heal sick and handicapped people, Touch is a wonderful film. Christopher Walken (as always) is excellent as the ambitions and unseemly tent-show preacher, hell bent on making a fortune from the "healer-man"; and the others in the cast, Bridget Fonda, Anthony Zerbe and Tom Arnold especially, are excellent, too. Arnold, in particular, brings an amazing zeal and perfect, inadvertent humour to his portrayal of a slightly militarist, born again, religious fanatic. Certainly the movie raises more questions than it answers, and it is not quite as spiritually provocative or deep as Bigas Luna's Renacer, but it is certainly well worth watching.

In lesser hands than Paul Schrader, Elmore Leonard's non-crime novel could have become an overwrought toil in the evils of America's salacious media.

[walshio · 15 December 1998]

`You are an odour in the nostrils of God,' jabbers religious zealot August Murray (Tom Arnold). He is damning sometime revivalist Bill Hill's (Christopher Walken) cynical marketing of Christ-like figure Juvenal (Skeet Ulrich essentially playing Edward Scissorhands minus the blades). Hill wearing a glitzy gold jacket and an enormous `Thank You Jesus' necklace sees a book deal and a slot on the awful Debra Lusanne Show (Gina Gershon superb at mimicking Ricki Lake with a snarl) for the innocent healer, who has stigmata on his rib cage.

In lesser hands than Paul Schrader, Elmore Leonard's non-crime novel could have become an overwrought toil in the evils of America's salacious media. However, Touch is actually a wryly amusing and unhurried look at faith and exploitation. The histrionics and belly laughs are bestowed upon the cameos, who obviously capture the best lines: `Do they make condoms that protect the soul' (Arnold) and `Controversy is the oxygen I breathe' (Gershon). Ultimately, best savoured on video. --Ben Walsh

A very interesting and effective satire.

[mhasheider · 8/10 · 25 October 2000]

Paul Schrader's "Touch" is somewhat like "Stigmata" was a few years ago and unlike "Stigmata", "Touch" is more satire instead of horror.

The film is based on the novel by Elmore Leonard about a former monk, Juvenal (Skeet Ulrich), who has the chance to heal people that have some untreatable health problems with his hands. At the same time that, Juvenal suffers from stigmata, as Christ did on the cross. When the word about Juvenal becomes public, Bill Hill (Christopher Walken) and his assistant, Lynn (Bridget Fonda) are out to exploit him while August Murray (Tom Arnold), a jealous religious zealot who is out to prevent Hill and Lynn from using Juvenal.

Schrader, who wrote and directed the movie gives it a very appealing up to point and stops. Ulrich and Fonda do bring a nice chemistry on the screen, which helps the film in a way. The performances by Ulrich, Walken, and Fonda are very good, but Tom Arnold is hilarious in his scene-stealing role.

I thought "Touch" could have been a better satire film, but it does have an interesting way of presenting it.

I enjoyed this film on it's own merits.

[Kathing · 9 August 1999]

I did not start watching this movie as an Elmor Leonard novelization come to film. In fact I wasn't aware that it was a Leonard novel until I just accessed this page. This said, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I originally checked it out of the video store because of Christopher Walken's involvement, plus I had seen an interview with Bridget Fonda on the making of the movie, and found the concept to be intriguing. I found the characters, acting and direction on target for the subject matter, the way that recent journalistic direction and everyday cynicism would effect the life of a person with real God-given talents. The experiences that Juvenal goes through are realistic, as are his reactions. Definitely grist for reflection, and I'm an atheist. All in all, don't go into this movie expecting it to be something it's not, and you won't be

Ouch!

[jost-1 · 6 October 2003]

I don't know Paul Schrader's work or reputation, nor that Elmore guy who wrote the book, just was lookin' for a decent movie to pass the time. This wasn't it, though there were moments of promise including arty credits, intensely colored rooms and a few good "throw away" lines (not to mention that Bridget Fonda did get naked and looked pretty good in clothes anyway). But the story just didn't hold together, the actors were just "acting" someone needed to direct, edit, pace, something! Had to be written by a perceptive ex-Catholic with a few axes to grind, but even that angle didn't work. Doomed to the dust bin of moviedom, I'm afraid.

This was weird

[vchimpanzee · 20 April 2006]

Elwin Worrel abuses his blind wife Virginia when he gets drunk. Bill Hill and Juvenal are present after one of his episodes, and when Juvenal puts his hands on Virginia, HALLELUJAH! She can SEE! Bill, who once had a church in Georgia with a 100-foot-cross and a blue neon sign saying "Jesus Saves", decides to take advantage of the situation. Lynn, who manages a rock band, goes undercover at the alcohol treatment center where Juvenal works. She discovers that he was a monk (born Charlie Lawson) and that he bleeds from where Jesus bled.

Standing in the way of possible success for Bill is August, a maniac who belongs to an organization seeking to return traditional Catholic mass.

This was a very strange movie, and not one that really appealed to me. It seemed to be a comedy, but a very dark one. What stood out the most for me was Tom Arnold, who often showed he had a career only because of who his wife was, but also had his good moments. In the courtroom near the start of the movie, he was very funny as he acted like he had the right to behave any way he wanted regardless of how the judge felt--his faith justified whatever he felt he needed to do. Arnold was quite convincing and respectful reading scripture (we heard him while seeing something else) and while leading a mass in place of Father Nestor, who was on one of his frequent bathroom breaks. His character had a strong faith and wouldn't back down, though he occasionally cursed and in other ways showed he wasn't "that" type of Christian. But he didn't show a positive image of Christianity; he felt using violence was justified. Hill also didn't show Christianity positively, but he was more of a joke.

Skeet Ulrich did a good job as Juvenal, but that character didn't appeal to me. Certainly the blood didn't.

There are certainly people who would like this kind of film, but I rarely found it funny.

I'm warning you.

[evelyn-5 · 18 November 1998]

I did not enjoy this movie. I read the book a while ago, and, although I can't remember exactly how I felt about it, I must have liked it somewhat, or I would not have rented this film. I rented it mostly to see Christopher Walken and Janeane Garofalo, but even they couldn't save this. It's quite boring, and it seems like a lot of the actors can't convey the story realistically. I really wanted to like this movie, but it was impossible.

mixed results

[indy-39 · 5 June 1999]

Schraeder slumming in Tarentino territory with mixed results. Story provides an interesting contrast to Schraeder's usual redemption driven protagonists.Strictly to fill out the lower portion of the director's resume. No fierceness, no edge.