Review

An insipid, empty, preachy comedy, Holy Man is an overlong parable almost saved by Murphy's endearing performance. Goldblum plays a desperate TV exec at a Home Shopping-like network whose ratings and sales are in the basement. After accidentally hitting an enigmatic, beatific man (Murphy) with his car, Goldblum puts this "holy man" on the air with spectacular results. Heavy-handed network satire mixed with trendy, New Age "messages" provide the non-material for Murphy to work with, yet the comic still delivers a thoughtful, change-of-pace performance. Goldblum, however, is at his most jittery -- possibly to give the unfocused direction an energetic point of view. It doesn't help.