An absolute waste of money

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

holy smoke is about a woman that gets sucked into a hindu cult and her family hires a man to break her of it. it's set in Australia. the cinematography is great and the acting is believable, but the script is not. as the story progresses, there are so many curve balls that it becomes bizarre. it became no longer enjoyable because i realized that nothing i hoped would happen actually did happen. besides the actual story line, there were many details that didn't make any sense. i must say that i watched this movie with no premise except that i like kate winslet a lot. unfortunately, i wish she hadn't taken this role because now i'll have a hard time watching her in anything else.

I'd never heard about this before the other day, really only sought it out because of Kate Winslet. She's pretty great in this, really childish and amateurish in her character's approach to life, but yes, it's all well drawn in the character (although I could see many having a problem with it). Her accent is pretty spot-on as well, great job. Keitel is solid as well, although for some reason his role or performance don't mesh as well in terms of effectiveness. Something about it prevents it from being able to accomplish what Winslet did. The film is certainly odd, an oddball mix of scenarios and story lines and certain genres. It's not bad though, but it's not all that good either. Still, worth a watch if just for Winslet, who is among our greatest actresses.

If you've ever seen the Australian soap operas, like Neighbours, then this is exactly like a long episode of Neighbours, but with Harvey Keitel and Kate Winslet.If you ever want evidence that great actors can never overcome a bad script, bad supporting cast, and bad direction, then this is it.It's obviously just a bit of fun, and not to be taken too seriously, but it just isn't funny. Unless you think someone walking into a pole is funny. Or Australians portrayed as clichéd Australians are funny. You do get to see Harvey Keitel in a dress and wearing lipstick. That's probably the highlight of the film.

Holy Smoke (1999) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Extremely bizarre story of a young woman named Ruth (Kate Winslet) who gets involved in an Indian cult, which worries her family. The family brings in a deprogrammer (Harvey Keitel) who is a specialist at breaking young woman who have fallen under the spell of cult members. I can't say this is a totally winning film but it did keep me entertained from start to finish and just when you thought it couldn't get any stranger it certainly does in its second half. This film really isn't about cults but instead the struggles between men and women. The first film has Keitel pulling his magic on Winslet who, in the second half, gets her revenge by putting her hooks into him. Whereas the first film has some sort of religious undertone the second half is a weird sexual journey, which includes Winslet in a full nudity scene, one with her kissing a woman and we even get to see Keitel in a dress walking around a desert in one boot. I'm really not sure what the film is trying to say or if its even trying to say anything at all. Campion is best known for The Piano, which also had Keitel but that film seems normal compared to this one. I've heard people call this a feminist movie, which might be correct but again the ending would lead you to believe this isn't correct. The movie is all over the map in terms of what it's trying to say and do so I guess it's going to be up to the viewer to try and make up their own mind. I'm sure many people will find the film slow and boring but the pacing is what dragged me into the movie and got me caught up with the characters. I think fans of Keitel and Winslet will be the ones walking away entertained because both give great performances and really work well together. Both are so deep into their roles that you can't help but be fascinated by each step they make and in the end they're what saves an otherwise pointless film.