Holy Smoke! (1999)

45% of critics liked it
(80 reviews)
45% of users liked it
(7,505 ratings)

It's said that sex and religion are two subjects that no one can discuss without arguing; writer/director Jane Campion tackles both head-on in this satiric comedy drama. On a trip to India, Australian Ruth (Kate Winslet) has a spiritual awakening and embraces the teachings of a guru named Baba. Back… More It's said that sex and religion are two subjects that no one can discuss without arguing; writer/director Jane Campion tackles both head-on in this satiric comedy drama. On a trip to India, Australian Ruth (Kate Winslet) has a spiritual awakening and embraces the teachings of a guru named Baba. Back home in Sydney, Ruth's mother and father (Julie Hamilton and Tim Robertson) are appalled to learn that their daughter now answers to the name Nazni and has no intention of returning. Mother visits her daughter in India in hopes of convincing her to come home, but it's not until she suffers a life-threatening asthma attack that Ruth agrees to return for a visit. Mother pretends to arrange a meeting with Ruth's father, who has been ill, and this trick lands Ruth in the clutches of P.J. Waters (Harvey Keitel), an American exit counselor who deprograms members of religious cults. Waters begins to loosen Ruth's belief in Baba's teachings, but P.J. finds himself sexually attracted to Ruth, and in time she allows him to seduce her. Ruth soon turns the tables on P.J., as she discovers that sex allows her to make mincemeat of his long-held beliefs as a macho, misogynist male. Jane's sister Anna Campion, herself a director, co-authored the screenplay; Pam Grier appears in a supporting role as P.J.'s partner and girlfriend. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 54 min.
Directed By: Jane Campion
Written By: Jane Campion, Anna Campion
Genres: Drama, Romance, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 14, 2000 Wide
On DVD: Dec 4, 2001
Studio: Miramax Films

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
All sorts of questions go unanswered, and there's little of the density found in Campion's early work; this is mainly smoke, not fire.
David Rooney, Variety
Original in every sense, this often difficult film about family, relationships, sexual politics, spiritual questing, faith and obsession further explores the director's abiding fascinations in excitingly unconventional terms.
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
Ms. Winslet is, by contrast, champagne and caviar for moviegoing grown-ups with good taste.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
At once hilarious and serious, cruel and tender, and bristling with vitality, Holy Smoke is the right movie for the millennium, envisioning new possibilities in the way people view and relate to one another.
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
Nice try, but there's not a laugh in sight.
(CNN.com) Paul Clinton, CNN.com
This script -- to be kind -- is uneven at best and completely illogical at its worst.
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
A profoundly generous treatise on how men and women misunderstand and torment one another.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
Jane Campion is busily dismantling gender myths that few people take seriously any more.
Derek Adams, Time Out
It's brave, adventurous, refreshingly frank -- qualities also marking the performances, particularly those of the leads.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
It's too bad that such an artist of such obvious ambition and power seems inclined to dismiss the greater part of humanity...
Trevor Lewis, Empire Magazine
Behind the philosophical smoke burns a genuine comedic fire.
Ron Wells, Film Threat
Filmmaker Jane Campion has displayed genius, passion, insight, and self-indulgence in her work. Now, she reveals a sense of humor.
Margaret A. McGurk, Cincinnati Enquirer
[A] blithering mess of a story.
Wade Major, Boxoffice Magazine
Aside from improved audio and video mastering, the film features no extras whatsoever -- not even a trailer.
Paula Nechak, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
A funny, insightful film whose feminist undertones don't overwhelm the story and characters.
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix
Not to beat a metaphor to death, but since hitting a high note with The Piano, Jane Campion's career has gone off-key.
Chuck Rudolph, Matinee Magazine
The film's only moments of electricity come in its first ten minutes, as its two stars are introduced to strains of Neil Diamond's "Holly Holy" and "I Am, I Said."
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
A shattering and intense drama dealing with spirituality and sexual politics.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies
[Keitel and Winslet] don't have much to work with.

Read all 19 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Dean M

Unsustained comedy drama with Kate Winslet and Harvey Keitel in the Australian outback.
Leigh R

Odd, but good.
Mark A

Holy Smoke is right! Kate Winslet definitely sets the screen on fire, literally and figuratively, in this one as Ruth Barron, a young, idealistic woman, whose parents (Julie Hamilton, Tim Robertson) become concerned when she joins a commune of like-minded seekers in India, under the… More
Holy Smoke is right! Kate Winslet definitely sets the screen on fire, literally and figuratively, in this one as Ruth Barron, a young, idealistic woman, whose parents (Julie Hamilton, Tim Robertson) become concerned when she joins a commune of like-minded seekers in India, under the sway of a charismatic guru. Tricked into returning to her native Australia, she is ambushed by her family and whisked away to a secluded hut for deprogramming by a highly successful American deprogrammer, PJ Waters (Harvey Keitel). What takes place in this desolate location is outside the bounds of any reputable therapy. This is a game (or is it) of cat and mouse and the power shifts back and forth quite precipitously and nearly devastatingly. Excellent performance by the leads, and convincing character development by the supporting cast propel this compelling tale. Surprisingly light moments of wry humor keep this from becoming too unrelentingly dark but without causing it to descend into parody. The control of the plot by Jane Campion feels sure-handed and exhibits a director firmly confident in her craft. The scenery is beautifully desolate and the cinematography is striking. Only a slight letdown at the end detracts from the overall impact.
Mike T

Although this movie lacks in coherent ideas, it managed to keep me interested the whole way through. It touches on concept after concept, but never settles on a particular intention, or, for that matter, a particular genre. Being a fan of both Kate Winslet and Harvey Keitel, I was… More
Although this movie lacks in coherent ideas, it managed to keep me interested the whole way through. It touches on concept after concept, but never settles on a particular intention, or, for that matter, a particular genre. Being a fan of both Kate Winslet and Harvey Keitel, I was interested in seeing this to watch them act together. Their work here is not disappointing. Both actors deliver fearless, intently psychological performances that prevent this film from being a total disaster. The sexual relationship between their characters is unpleasantly explored and often quite perverse, but they are talented enough to make it work better than it probably should.
Christopher B

Great, underrated comedy from Campion. Keitel is amazing as the cool cult deprogrammer who by the end is the most pathetic fool in the world. A really fun and funny film.
Ashton R

Okay, first off, Harvey Keitel is fearless. Seeing him in this movie just makes me respect him even more for what he'll go through for a role. But even with that said the movie was sub par; it had a great idea, and could have done a lot with it, but unfortunately it came up… More
Okay, first off, Harvey Keitel is fearless. Seeing him in this movie just makes me respect him even more for what he'll go through for a role. But even with that said the movie was sub par; it had a great idea, and could have done a lot with it, but unfortunately it came up rather short and wasn't that inspiring or philosophical (which I thought it was going to be). The first half was fairly decent, but the second half just got weird and was slightly uncomfortable to watch. It also ended rather ubruptly and with hardly anything resolved. Winslet was great, Keitel was. . . interesting, but it's not really a movie I'd want to watch more than once or twice.