Verdict
Summary
Stylish, but completely devoid of a thematic direction that feels coherent on any level, Salvation! Have You Said Your Prayers Today? is kind of like a cross between a proof of concept and a music video, and as co-written and directed by Beth B (who was know for directing music videos like “The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight”) the movie is sloppy, poorly scripted, and very grating with unappealing characters all across the board.
Plot:
A corrupt televangelist’s life is rudely interrupted by a home invader.
Review:
After he’s fired from his factory job, cantankerous alcoholic Jerome (Viggo Mortensen) is at his wits’ end with his couch potato wife Rhonda (Exene Cervenka) who’s become addicted to the program hosted by televangelist Reverend Randall (Stephen McHattie). Jerome enlists the help of his sister-in-law (Dominique Davalos) to pose as a sexy damsel in distress to ensnare the reverend so that they can abduct and blackmail the sleazeball after catching him in the act of fornication, but their plan goes sideways. Sloppy with their methods and haphazard with their follow-through, their plan totally collapses, and the reverend escapes, but the plot thickens when he’s rescued by chance by Rhonda, who recognizes him and reinvigorates his resolve. She joins his church, and her enthusiasm for the Biblical teachings totally eclipses his own fame and celebrity when she becomes the spokesperson of the church. Her husband Jerome desperately tries to catch a bit of her fame and fortune, but by then she’s virtually a superstar in the televangelist world and there’s no turning back.
Stylish, but completely devoid of a thematic direction that feels coherent on any level, Salvation! Have You Said Your Prayers Today? is kind of like a cross between a proof of concept and a music video, and as co-written and directed by Beth B (who was know for directing music videos like “The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight”) the movie is sloppy, poorly scripted, and very grating with unappealing characters all across the board. It’s a curiosity for having a young Mortensen and his then-wife Cervenka from the rock band X in the leads, but the movie isn’t funny or ironic in any way and even at 79 minutes the film overstays its welcome. As a commentary on the televangelist movement of the ’80s it’s cliché and overly obvious, so no points there.
Kino Classics has just released a couple of movies from Beth B, including Salvation! and Two Small Bodies, and while they’re both worth checking out for archival purposes, Salvation!, which has thus far only been available in a long obscure VHS format, sees its digital debut. The film comes in the 1:85:1 aspect ratio, and comes with an interview with Beth B, plus a Q & A with Beth B, a music video, and a trailer.
