Don Verdean (2015)

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

It's so pleasurable to watch Sam Rockwell play odd, but sweet characters. He really portrays this one in a lovable, humorous and sophisticated manner. You can tell he did the spadework, and I truly enjoyed embarking on this journey with a good-hearted man who falls down a rabbit-hole and excavates a grave too deep to dig himself out. And it's nice that we're taken through a major turning point in his mediocre career -- at one point, something happens and there's no going back, and we're with him, and all unravels before his eyes and he's stuck in something he'd never expected. As often with these indie movies, the cast is structurally adequate and nicely picked. The dialogue is at times witty and at times intense in a dramatic but still lighthearted way. The sudden twist with one of the secondary characters in the movie really made the cut for me. Amy Ryan and Jemaine Clement did a stunning job. Overall, I recommend it to anybody, it's a cute and fun flick.

Having lived in an area that has experienced religious artifact fraud that led to murders I have a special appreciation for this film. It was tactfully sarcastic, so gentle in the telling but got its point across. It would offend no one but you understand. Almost like the most beloved American writer would have handled it a hundred and thirty some years ago. Mark Twain didn't care too much for religion either.This film is like a slow burning fuse. The first two thirds are mildly funny and if you saw it in a theater it would have caused you to make a few polite chuckles. But the last third, I was laughing so hard I was crying. Like a good joke, you have to set it up to make the punch line work.I saw it by myself, but hours after I saw it I would remember parts of it and start laughing all over again. My wife kept asking, "What are you laughing about?"

"The tireless efforts of Don Verdean will continue to bless millions everywhere." Biblical archaeologist Don Verdean (Rockwell) has started to fall on hard times. He used to speak to packed crowds but now the audience is dwindled. When he is approached by a local pastor wanting to inspire his congregation Don once again begins to find precious holy relics. Wanting to truly inspire Don does something that changes everything. I thought this movie was very very funny. I have loved Sam Rockwell for ever and he was a great choice for this role. The movie was written and directed by the same guy that did Napoleon Dynamite so you should expect that kind of humor going in. The dialog is as witty and ridiculous as is the events but that's what makes this movie so much fun to watch. Overall, stupid and hilarious, if you liked the humor in Napoleon Dynamite then check this one out. I really liked it. I give it a B+.

One of the worst movies I've ever seen in my life. A complete waste of time. Do yourself a favour and avoid this bomb at all costs. The acting was pathetic, the dialogue was witless and the plot, if you could call it that, just ended without an ending. You could pack this loser in dry ice and it would still stink. Just having Danny McBride and Sam Rockwell in the movie should guarantee some laughs, so one can only imagine the Herculean task of eliminating any trace of humour from this movie. Another link in the chain of horrible movies by Jared Hess. Max Verdean was easily the worst effort yet by Hess and that is no mean feat. It was nothing more than 90 minutes of my life that I'll never get back.