Salvation Boulevard (2011)

21% of critics liked it
(33 reviews)
32% of users liked it
(875 ratings)

Salvation Boulevard is a modern comedy based on the book of the same title by Larry Beinhart about Pastor Dan Day, a charismatic evangelical preacher (Pierce Brosnan) who has captivated a small western American town with his charm - and the promise of a sweet real estate development. Carl (Greg… More Salvation Boulevard is a modern comedy based on the book of the same title by Larry Beinhart about Pastor Dan Day, a charismatic evangelical preacher (Pierce Brosnan) who has captivated a small western American town with his charm - and the promise of a sweet real estate development. Carl (Greg Kinnear) is a former follower - not of Christ, but of the Grateful Dead - who has since become "found" in Dan's Evangelical community, serving as one of the preacher's great examples of spiritual and moral transformation. But Carl's new belief system is turned upside down when he witnesses a sinful act that Pastor Dan's doughy henchman (Jim Gaffigan) aims to cover up. -- (C) IFC

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 35 min.
Directed By: George Ratliff
Written By: Douglas Stone, George Ratliff, Larry Beinhart
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Comedy

In Theaters: Jul 15, 2011 Wide
Studio: IFC Films

Critic Reviews

Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle
It's a blunderbuss satire that criminally wastes a talented cast.
Tirdad Derakhshani, Philadelphia Inquirer
It's quite funny at times and has some good performances. But it's so predictable it has no bite, either as social satire or as slapstick comedy.
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor
Salvation Boulevard has a terrific cast and not much else.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
Starts out on the right path, but loses its way early on.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
A reasonably funny religious satire that takes potshots at easy targets but is quite watchable due to the participation of two Oscar winners and two Oscar nominees.
Ian Buckwalter, NPR
Without the humor, the stereotypes that define these characters aren't satirical; they're just mean-spirited and dull.
Sarah Sluis, Film Journal International
An evangelical disciple is pulled into a comically absurd web of crime after witnessing his pastor's dark side.
Kelly Vance, East Bay Express
If only Ratliff had figured out a decent way to end it, this might have been one of the best comedies of the year.
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
In truckin' past so many fruitful oases, "Salvation Boulevard" is a bumpy road.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Salvation Boulevard wins exclusively on the strength of its cast.
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times
[An] enjoyable if simplistic black comedy loosely based on a novel by Larry Beinhart.
Ron Wilkinson, Monsters and Critics
Silly, predictable and as funny as the funny business of religion can be.
Robert Levin, Film School Rejects
The movie seems to be intoxicated by how funny it thinks it is, gleefully descending into a swell of hyperactivity, with each new scene engineered to one-up the last.
Brent Simon, Shared Darkness
A toothless satire, either unwilling or unable to commit to a darker path.
Marshall Fine, Hollywood & Fine
How movies this dreadful - with this many good people in the cast - find their way into the world is as good an argument for the existence of Satan as any other.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
long on chutzpah but short on finesse