Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23270 in VHS
• Released on: 1999-10-05
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 96 minutes

Amazon.com
Writer-director Paul Schrader is best known for dark examinations of the human soul; he wrote Taxi Driver and wrote and directed such austere character studies as Mishima and Affliction. So it's not surprising that when he made a comedy it turned out to be a little off kilter. What may catch fans off guard is the sweetness and gentle rhythms of Touch, adapted from Elmore Leonard's novel about an unassuming faith healer. Down-on-his-luck evangelist Bill Hill (Christopher Walken) discovers Juvenal (Skeet Ulrich), a former monk with a gift. Hill swiftly enrolls his former assistant Lynn (Bridget Fonda) to get close to Juvenal and discover if his healing touch is for real. After witnessing Juvenal's power--and the stigmata that accompanies it--Lynn feels drawn to and frightened of the low-key healer, who slowly courts her as he in turn is wooed by Hill and a number of other religious and media vultures, culminating in a confrontation on a talk show hosted by Gina Gershon (Showgirls). Touch features quirky cameos by Janeane Garofalo, John Doe, and Lolita Davidovich, but the real juice of the movie comes from the likeable, assured, and surprisingly subtle performances of Ulrich and Fonda; their chemistry gives them both a relaxed sexiness that some of their other movies lack. Despite being a bit miscast, Walken comes up with some surprising and very funny moments of mischief. The movie also gets a boost from a crackling soundtrack by Dave Grohl of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

Some good laughs...and Christopher Walken!
"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."

I would recommend it highly!
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!

Touched by Touch
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!