Synopsis
Biblical archaeologist Don Verdean is hired by a local church pastor to find faith-promoting relics in the Holy Land. But after a fruitless expedition he is forced to get creative in this comedy of faith and fraud.
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Cast
- Sam RockwellDon Verdean
- Jemaine ClementBoaz
- Amy RyanCarol
- Danny McBrideTony Lazarus
- Will FortePastor Fontaine
- Leslie BibbJoylinda Lazarus
- Steve ParkPoon-Yen
- Sky ElobarDr. Stanley
- Yaniv MoyalIsraeli Police Officer
- P.J. BoudousquéGary
Recommendations
- 70
Arizona Republic
It’s an enjoyable ride, but probably not one you need to take twice. - 70
The New York Times
Its intentions are, to some degree, corrective: It mocks some of the popular corruptions of faith so as to invite the audience to reflect upon what real faith might be. - 58
The Playlist
This is ninety minutes of comic actors having a genial go at middle-of-the-road material. It doesn’t have any guts, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t funny. - 50
The Hollywood Reporter
There’s a sense that the goings-on are more quirky than comical. - 50
Variety
The expected satire of religious gullibility and charlatanism proves toothless; worse, a cast of very funny people is given very little funny to do. - 42
The A.V. Club
Both Rockwell and Clement are back for the latest Hess production, Don Verdean, which can’t even work up enough comic energy to be considered bad. - 38
Slant Magazine
If the film is any indication, Jared and Jerusha Hess remain committed to clotting up the screen with ostensibly charming "eccentricity." - 30
Austin Chronicle
The religious charlatans who are the primary characters in Don Verdean are ripe for comic deflation, but the film’s unsteady tone has no discernible target.
