I enjoy quirky independent films. While perusing Netflix streaming recently, I came upon what seemed like a fun one: SALVATION BOULEVARD.

Consider the wow! cast: Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly, Marisa Tomei, Ed Harris.

Despite that wow! cast, though, SALVATION BOULEVARD turned out to be a surprisingly meh! film. It's not horrible... but it's certainly not one I'd recommend to anyone. Which is why I'm sharing the review here and recommending you not waste 96 minutes of your time on it as Jim and I recently did.

SALVATION BOULEVARD stars Pierce Brosnan as Dan Day, a mega-church pastor, and Greg Kinnear as Carl Vandermeer, a former Deadhead who's doing his best to be the mega-church member and Dan Day worshipper his wife (Jennifer Connelly) wants him to be. All things turn all snafu-ey when the revered Dan Day accidentally shoots Peter Blaylock (Ed Harris), a speaker whose beliefs oppose Day's, and attempts to place the blame on the innocent and bumbling Deadhead Vandermeer.

 

Meh... There are some amusing parts, though shamefully few. And there are, I must forewarn you, some parts that those who faithfully support mega-churches might find rather offensive. But SALVATION BOULEVARD could have risen above those things, redeemed itself, I think, to be quirky and delightfully dark in enjoyable and chuckle-worthy ways. That didn't happen, didn't even come close.

Bottom line: There's not much in the way of redemption for SALVATION BOULEVARD (rated R for "some language, violence, drug material and brief sexual content"). It is, though, available on DVD and digitally for those who want to witness the waste of the wow! cast for themselves.

Bottom bottom line: I'm thankful I didn't pay money for this movie — in a theater or via DVD rental. I do, though, wish I could get back the 96 minutes it cost me.

Today's question:

What bad movie have you recently watched?