Louis Aubinard (Bob Hoskins) is having a crisis. He’s a photographer who specializes in religious scenes. Needing to find someone to portray Jesus for an upcoming shoot, he finds a man (Jeff Goldblum) who looks the part perfectly. Louis’ friend asks him for a favor, and Louis finds himself recording the soundtrack to a porn movie with a beautiful girl named Sybil (Natasha Richardson). A strange triangle of coincidence and possible spiritual intervention unwinds from there.
I can’t really go into to much detail beyond that basic setup. The title, believe it or not, does mean something to this movie’s plot. And that should give you some idea of the odd twists and turns this movie takes on its path from beginning to end. This is a strange movie, to say the least.
Hoskins, who’s played some wildly diverse characters in his career, including Super Mario in Super Mario Brothers and J. Edgar Hoover in Nixon, is excellent as the slightly nerdy photographer. Natasha Richardson, who appeared in Nell and The Handmaid’s Tale, is fine as the love interest. But it is Jeff Goldblum who really shines in this film. His portrayal of the character known only as The Pianist is one of the funniest of his career. It ranks alongside his work in The Tall Guy as some of his weirdest work ever.
It’s unfortunate that this film got somewhat buried when it was released in 1992. (According to the Internet Movie Database, it made less than $200,000 during its theatrical release.) Although its got a somewhat odd sense of humor, it’s a very funny film that deserves to be seen, especially if you’re a fan of Jeff Goldblum.
3.0 out of 5.0 stars
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