Pastor Shepherd

Raised by evangelists, I normally don't find films about religion funny at all. Between flashbacks of my baptism in the Atlantic Ocean and post-traumatic stress from having to memorize all the books of the Bible (forwards and backwards --- that's right Revelation to Genesis and everything in between -- 66 in all, if memory serves) I normally run faster than Lot's family from Sodom and Gomorrah at the mention of anything with the word "Pastor" attached.

Soooo, I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself happily locked into my seat for the duration of Edwin Marshall's "Pastor Shepherd." As an industry veteran, my normally jaded filter was wiped clean by the naiveté with which our hero approached life. Not since "Forrest Gump" has a character's purity of spirit so captivated an audience. His journey as he cares for his prescription drug and televangelist-addicted mother, applies himself diligently to his dare we say... morbid? profession, and struggles to communicate with those in his small world, has us cheering for this unlikely hero. "Pastor Shepherd" hearkens us back to a time when innocence was cool. And I think that's pretty darn neat.

This film is sure to become the next great cult classic. It's the kind of movie you want to share with friends and watch over and over again. I haven't laughed that hard in a movie in a long time! If you've ever watched late night televangelists and laughed out loud, then this is the movie for you! But there's so much more to it than a simple satire of televangelism. I was surprised at the heartwarming story that made you come to love Pastor Sheperd!

Wow!! What a great character! Pastor Sheperd is reminiscent of a classic SNL character, however I enjoyed this movie far more than any movie spawned from an SNL character I've ever seen! The comedic timing is brilliant!

And then there's Danny Trejo, "the world's greatest bad-ass", playing the warm and friendly neighbor. How can you miss out on that!

It was a pleasant surprise to watch a movie that was that funny and yet was so clean. It seems like comedies today are in a contest to see who can be the most vulgar. Movies like Pastor Sheperd and Napoleon Dynamite have proved that that isn't necessary.

Its well cast, well written and perfectly executed!!

I watched this movie based on the reviews I've seen here. Unfortunately, I am now completely convinced that my personal tastes are a literal light year and a fathom away from the tastes of other viewers.

This movie was just painful. The story moves on at a torturous pace, and is filled with dialog that is funny at first, but gets old very quickly. The characters are absolutely just bizarre, and a few of them make no sense at all. The protagonist, Mr. Shepherd, has the intelligence of a "dumb and dumber" type hero, and much of the film centers around him describing the world from his point of view. In light of that, I highly suggest you remove your brain before watching. Perhaps leave it in a jar by your bed. You know, someplace you won't lose it, and won't feel guilty for not having it on you for the evening.

Danny Trejo is as good as he can be with what he was given, but that's still no reason to put his face on the cover with a baseball bat. It's very misleading, because this movie is not about him.

I'm rating this movie at a 5. It was not the worst movie I've ever seen and did have one or two good moments. The best parts are the over-generalizations of the TV evangelists who are used-car-salesman type preachers. Fun to watch, but still just a play on a stereotype. Not very original. Production value was quite good, it was only difficult to watch because of it's content, not because of it's plot cohesion or filming.

All in all, I did not enjoy it. But to each their own, apparently some others did.

The movie does have a bit of an underdog, independent movie feel. But it never really captures too much on it. The main actor is doing a very fine job indeed and never really fails in portraying an awkward character, that should be more despicable than likable. Which makes it almost too hard to believe so many people actually invest (trust) him to do anything (and it proves more often than not they shouldn't have).

Comedy is a broad word/term and not every movie that sets out to make one really does succeed satisfyingly in trying. And while I do admire anyone trying to make something worthwhile and fun to watch, I do hope that people will focus on more than a few cheap jokes in general (and when some of them fail to deliver it gets worse). Story is as simple as our hero is simple minded. You might find it's little created world a bit more appealing than others, generally speaking this could have used a bit more "spark"

Good character development with lots of laughs. Plot keeps you guessing. Dewey was a hoot. Maria Elena is a up and coming actress that stole the show. As for Pastor Shepherd, what can I say. I am a big fan of his website and you tube episodes. He does not disappoint in the movie. I laughed so hard when they had to take Pastor Shepherd's mom to the hospital in a ATV. I still can't believe they were able to get a couch in a hearse. Not all laughs, there were some tender moments too. Pastor Shepherd also takes aim at the television evangelists that fleece homebound persons who can't attend church. The movie handles the subject with respect and does not demean the industry as a whole. The movie did a good job getting the point across. Good movie! Can't wait for the sequel.