Now here's a movie where the problem is in the wrong way that people look at it, and receive it.

It's about the condition of truthfulness in our contemporary materialistic world, showing that the truthful man isn't the one who doesn't lie at all, because that's hard to happen, but he's the one who lies less than the others.

I liked selecting the field of advertisement to make the whole movie in it. This world of unceasing commercials was an epitome of the world that we live of shiny seductive fibs, where everything is a commodity that has to be sold anyway, anyhow, with or without credibility; which can be sold also accompanied by any bad commodity. This environment created the perfect irony with the main issue.

But I liked more and more the confidential talk between the lead / the manager of the advertising channel and god in the bathroom. It became the only place where he can be alone with his conscience, away from all the people's dirt; or the bigger bathroom; which can't have a way to empty all of its uncountable lies. It's one sharp, so sarcastic, paradox that introduces the toilet as less filthy than that huge liar world around. So when toilets become the only holy place in our world, then what kind of "filthy" world we live indeed?! This summarizes the serious character of this movie which was wrongly understood as yet another comedy for (Eddie Murphy) while it's wholly not.

It's a movie that asks what's holy nowadays. And according to its nice story, there is surely no 100 % holy men at all. Only holy thoughts. The greatest of them all is being truthful. That's holy enough.. just if you can do it.

On the face of it, this romantic comedy is nothing special.

But for some reason, I'm just really pleased by this film. There is a thematic cleverness tying together all the humor, and the inevitable and obvious conclusion ends up being sweet and engaging anyhow.

I hate films that get melodramatic and sappy -- Holy Man skirted the edges but didn't fall into that trap. There aren't snappy comebacks and put downs like in Beverly Hills Cop, but there is some deep thinking. I wouldn't be surprised if for the right people this movie really meant something to their lives. Sort of like, but not as good as Groundhog Day.

Who should see this film:

-- romantic comedy lovers (and drag your spouse along)

-- generic comedy likers who can live without high action if there's a little philosophy

-- if you're not "in with the young crowd" and think Eddy Murphy flicks are too silly and "hip", this one is different

I'll give this one a 7 out of 10.

Maybe I'm a little off kilter, but I liked "Holy Man." It is an oft-told tale of shunning materialism for deeper more fulfilling things such as love, sharing, and nature.

Eddie Murphy plays G, a spiritual man in simple garb who was performing a pedal pilgrimage through America when he happened upon Ricky (Jeff Goldblum) and Kate (Kelly Preston). Ricky and Kate are two execs for the struggling Good Buy Shopping Network (a fictitious QVC). When Ricky gives G shelter for a spell he decides to use G on the GBSN to help sales. The ploy works fabulously, but is it the right thing to do?

"Holy Man" isn't going to have you falling over with laughter as you'd expect with Eddie Murphy. In fact, I would normally expect non-stop laughs with Murphy and Goldblum together, but this is not that kind of movie. It is more of a sensitive piece aimed at touching people's hearts. I can see by the ratings that it didn't quite do that. I didn't find it particularly moving myself, but I found it enjoyable for being simple and uncomplicated.