Customer Reviews

Touch [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.0 Import - Australia ]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

It sticks in my mind and I keep thinking about it! I really like it! Most of the characters (Christopher Walken, Skeet Ulrich and Tom Arnold) are more than somewhat odd, but Bridget Fonda is delightfully sane in this great romantic comedy. Note: Skeet Ulrich heals people and gets Stigmata! Wow!

"Touch" is a funny movie with off-beat casting, such as Christopher Walken as a Televangelist and Skeet Ulrich as the recipient of Stigmata, not to mention Tom Arnold as the head of the Ultra-Conservative Catholic "Gray Army". Music by Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters makes for a great soundtrack as well. This movie provides some good laughs and is as off-beat as another film by Paul Schrader..."Get Shorty."

This is not the kind of movie which is destined to break box-office records.

I'm going to start in a pessimistic sort of way, by saying that almost every character in the film is a caricature of some sort. There's Christopher Walken as a money-vampire who looks at a miracle and starts making plans to exploit it. There's Tom Arnold, the religious fanatical - enough said. There are Gina Gershon and Janeane Garofalo in supporting roles as an incisive talk show host and a cynical newspaper reporter, respectively. And then somehow, caught in the middle of all this is a shy, confused, tender young man with the power to heal.

Juvenal (Skeet Ulrich) is not one of the booming, preaching images that many people have come to associate with saints. We don't learn how he got his powers - which makes sense, because he doesn't know either. He is not flawless; he is attracted to women and does not necessarily agree with the philosophies of the church. And rather than being a pure white winged angel with a golden touch, he bleeds profusely from the marks of the stigmata as he performs his miracles.

We meet him as a woman named Lynn (Bridget Fonda) is roped in by money-grubbing Bill Hill (Walken) to try to find out if Juvenal is for real. He sees through her straight away, remarking casually that she was going to tell him that she had a tumour in her breast. Their relationship blossoms, which angers church leader August (Tom Arnold) who would prefer Juvenal to remain pure and holy.

We could perhaps have done without some of the supporting characters. Wonderful as Gina Gershon is, especially as you watch her accent become suddenly cultured when the cameras switch on, both her and Janeane Garofalo's characters would probably not have been missed. I'm not sure whether to recommend this film or not. If you're looking for a raucous comedy or a big-action thriller, this isn't the one for you. I loved it - but rent it first, and make up your own mind.

I have been looking for this movie since I saw it on a cable channel some time ago. I was looking for a movie titled "Hands", I had no idea it was called "Touch". A perfect title for a perfect movie. I love Skeet Ulrich in all his performances. Just one date. :)~ I enjoyed the way that Skeet had to portray a "Holy" man and yet he wasn't a "Holy" man. This leads to the idea that "The Powers that Be" could use anyone at anytime. The movie offered hope and faith. This is a must see if you haven't!!

This movie was excellent. It didn't scream out the hypocrisy of the church it whispers it into submission. Skeet Ulrich plays Juvenal a young man who devoted himself to God and was gifted with the Touch to heal. He lives a sheltered life and works his gift in the humblest of ways until the media and church find out and do their best to exploit him. Juvenal's character is humble, kind, forgiving, insightful, and everything you would expect a true religious person to be. He chooses not to sell God, but to experience God which creates a yet continued misunderstanding in the church where they wish to make him fit their ideas causing him for a short time to lose the gift. This is an awesome film for anyone who loves God but hates/dislikes/pities the ignorance of the Church. Watch it, buy it, love it! Peace!

This is a GREAT movie, kind of misleading artwork though. Main character Juvenal has got the power to heal and that's more what it's about than a simple romance as the cover here seems to imply. I much prefer the Australian artwork which has a big red hand and the characters inside it. Actually the same picture is on the soundtrack CD which is also pretty good - Dave Grohl of Nirvana/Foo Fighters did the music - consider that part of the bargain. Touch has a good script, the acting is neither under nor over-done. I love most things with Christopher Walken in it; Skeet Ulrich, who I'd never seen before, puts in an excellent lead performance as does Brigitte Fonda. This is a fun, yet kind of soulful movie. Well worth checking out.

I liked this film. It's the story of a young man who has a special healing "touch" that causes stigmata, bleeding from the body where Jesus also bled from his crucifixion(hands, feet, and side). Juvenal(Skeet Ulrich)is the main character. He has no idea why this happens to him and truly wishes it wouldn't. He does like healing people, though, which toughens his dilemma. I also read the book by Elmore Leonard. What impresses me mostly about this movie is how closely Skeet Ulrich portrays the main character--right down to the clothes he wears. His softness and shyness comes to life on the screen. I want this movie on DVD and soon. FLIX has it for rental, but I want to buy it.

Incredibly underrated movie with great cast. Successful crossover of different genres: mysticism, lyric comedy, and satire. Very engaging and enjoyable.

If the eyes are the windows to the soul, well, Skeet's windows are wide open. There are so much going on behind those brown eyes, full of compassion, question, kindness, and yet defiance. Bridgett is natural, but most surprising is Tom Arnold. Funny how I've always thought he's just a bumbling idiot, but he managed to steal the show. He actually's very good, a nutty good at that. I agree with Skeet's character though, that I love God, but I don't like how the Chuch manipulates God. Highly recommend this movie to those who tend to think outside the box.