Product Details

• Actors: Eddie Murphy, Jeff Goldblum, Kelly Preston, Robert Loggia, Jon Cryer
• Directors: Stephen Herek
• Writers: Tom Schulman
• Producers: J.D. Freedman, Jeffrey Chernov, Jonathan Glickman, Ray Murphy Jr., Rebekah Rudd
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Walt Disney Video
• DVD Release Date: May 18, 1999
• Run Time: 114 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0788814907
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,569 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Holy Man" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Holy Man could have been a stellar satire in the tradition of Frank Capra, George Stevens, or Preston Sturges. Instead, this well-meaning romantic comedy was bluntly written by Tom Schulman (Dead Poets Society) and broadly directed by Stephen Herek, who fared better with his 1995 drama Mr. Holland's Opus. Their good intentions shine through, however, and while it's easy to appreciate Eddie Murphy's attempt to shift his career in a more substantial direction, Holy Man delivers some pointed criticism of commercialism and its deadening effect on spiritual well-being.

Murphy plays an enlightened eccentric named "G" (for "guru" or "God"?) who rises to national celebrity when he's enlisted to host a TV shopping network. Jeff Goldblum and Kelly Preston play the show's producer and marketer, respectively, and their formulaic romance provides the movie's lackluster subplot. With skyrocketing ratings and a flurry of cameos by celebrity hucksters (Morgan Fairchild, Florence Henderson, Dan Marino, and even James Brown), G delivers preachy platitudes urging America to stop buying and embrace the finer values of life and love (a hollow message coming from Disney, the most conspicuously commercial of all major Hollywood studios). To its credit, Holy Man occasionally achieves a delicate balance of comedy and commentary, and receptive viewers will be grateful, at a time when crude comedies rule the box office, that someone bothered to try. For that reason, this flawed movie deserves to be seen. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

The always hilarious Eddie Murphy (DR. DOLITTLE) stars with Jeff Goldblum (JURASSIC PARK) and Kelly Preston (JERRY MAGUIRE) in a refreshingly funny hit that elevates shopping to a nearly religious experience! A stressed-out senior executive at the Good Buy home shopping channel, Ricky Hayman (Goldblum) is praying for a miracle that will lift the network's lousy ratings and save his job. Then, from out of nowhere, "G" (Murphy) walks into his life! An outrageous, self-styled inspirational guru with a knack for showing up where he isn't exactly wanted, "G" proceeds to wander in front of the cameras just long enough to exude the irresistible star quality that will make him the sales-boosting savior Ricky's network has been looking for! Also featuring a host of well-known celebrities in a sidesplitting series of comic infomercials -- you're bound to be another satisfied customer with nothing but praise for HOLY MAN!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A warm, loving,happy movie August 17, 1999

By A Customer

Format:VHS Tape

I absolutely LOVED this movie!!! I also can't believe the reviews of this movie on Amazon - there alot of cold-hearted cynics out there!!! This a movie where you need to suspend your disbelief (which movie isn't?). The movie isn't about Eddie Murphy's charachter at all - it's really about Jeff Goldblum's charachter (Ricky Hayman). He plays a hard bitten, whealer-dealer television sales executive at a not-so-high-rating home shopping station, who meets, firstly, a beautiful girl (played gorgeously by Kelly Preston), and secondly, a spiritual man on a pilgrimage (Eddie Murphy). Eddie's charachter , G, asks for nothing, but comes into Ricky's life and teaches him ( and the viewers of the shopping network) that there is something more important about life than shopping and acquiring material possessions, and becomes the hottest thing on T.V. I watched this movie with my family (husband and 3 children aged 9 to 6). We all thoroughly enjoyed it, and then danced around the lounge-room to the closing credit music by Stevie Wonder. A really up-lifting movie that brought joy to my heart!!!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Clever, Funny, & Deep September 26, 2005

By David Butler

Format:DVD

There's no way to put into words how it feels to come from a film having taking something special away. After having read many reviews on Holy Man, both here and elsewhere, I've come to the conclusion that this is one of those movies most people just don't get. This is indeed the age of crudity, where shock value is held in higher regard than genuinely good storytelling and uplifting characters. This film succeeds on all fronts by offering itself not just as a hilarious comedy(which it certainly is), but also as a means to convey a message that's too often ingnored and scoffed at. Let's face it, most people today are master cynics, unwilling to accept any positivity but always ready to rebuke something. It seems to me, that's why this film was not a comercial success.

Eddie Murphy has created a phenomenal character in G and plays him with enough love and abandon I found myself smiling all the way through. Forget wondering exactly who G is. If you're really spending time on that, you've failed to see the point of the story. Besides, some things are best left to the imagination. Ambiguity doesn't have to be a scary concept.

The love story between Goldblum and Preston isn't perfect, but their performances-particuarly Goldblum's-are worth seeing. All in all, my only complaint is that their aren't any special features to speak of and letterbox format stinks. Otherwise, let go of yourself and rent this wonderful film. Watch it with a close friend or a loved one. You'll be glad you did!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great Sci-Fi Movie July 13, 2005

By Manuel H. Porras Ortega

Format:DVD

I know it isn't exactly what you might expect from Eddie Murphy. And of course it is not classic Sci-Fi. Nevertheless, it deals with subjects that have been present in SF since the very beginning. Alienation of man, consumism, manipulation from the media.

I find some similarities between this movie and Truman Show, which I consider to be SF too. Not all Jim Carrey fans seem to like TS, because it's different from the kind of comedy he is known by. The same goes here to Eddie Murphy. He is not wildly funny, he is a spiritual character who gets the best from people around him.

And the character who really makes this movie, for me anyway, is Jeff Goldblum's character. It is he who goes through a transformation, and makes us think if we are going in the right direction.

I actually loved this movie, and recommend it to everybody, although you shouldn't expect an average comedy, but a deep thought-provoking movie instead.