When I saw this movie years ago in the theater, I hated it. I just watched it again (2002) and loved it. It has several laugh out loud jokes and is a running smirk movie. If you've ever had any experience with alternative meds - you'll love it to. It is so self effacing it is wonderful. Don't expect The Godfather cinema type and you won't be disappointed. It is wonderful to see Hopkins & Broderick playing it straight.

Kudos.

I've recommended this film to countless friends, and the reviews are always mixed. I lived in Battle Creek for 3 years so perhaps it just means more to me.

This film was in fact shot in NY and NC, not Battle Creek, but they still did a great job portraying the romance of the early 1900's.

The performances are top notch and the actors in this film are give their best. It's a great film, but not a critically acclaimed movie.

Dana Carey could've had more lines, but what I want to know is what happened to the character actor who played him as a child, this kid was really great and could've been huge.

The one liners in this movie are classic. It's one of those films that you think is funny, but when you recall it at a later date, its even funnier.

So get a big, buttered bowl of popcorn and enjoy it for what it is! A hilarious tale of the wacky health craze of the early 1900's.

What the crap were they thinking?!?! I just can't believe ANYONE in their right mind would want to make this movie! The story is a combination of true history and fictionalized drivel. Yes, there really was a health clinic in Michigan that really prescribed a STRICT vegetarian diet, repeated enemas and was dedicated to repressing sexual urges. BUT, to make an entire movie about this AND to try to make it a comedy??? The movie is VERY visceral and goes way over the top in showing and describing human and animal waste. Wow. It looks like movie goers could have saved money--instead of paying to see this movie, they could have gone to a sewage treatment plant or local dairy farm for a tour---or perhaps just stared into a used toilet for 118 minutes! The movie is painfully unfunny and most of the characters are awful--particularly Dana Carvey's disgusting character.