Don't listen to the negative reviews

Better Late Then Never

An Exercise In Nonsense

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

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.

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.

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.

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.