The Profit is a film shot by Scientology critics
with Bob Minton's money. As is to be expected, the film is full of crude
anti-cult clichés and misses an opportunity to dig into the nature of
the cultic mindset by reducing this complex phenomenon to mere hypnosis
drama. Apart from being an illustration of the intellectual paucity of
critics in general, the dishonest way they dealt with
Minton's money was
central to what later led to a major split in the critical movement.
Below is one of the very few reviews the film received.
Breaking News
: On March 22, 2008, the movie was leaked on the Internet. You
can now see it on
Lronsucks Youtube webpage or "live" on
XenuTV
(March 25 update: no more. The
movie was taken down because of a DMCA notice sent by Peter Alexander)
with real time
comments (for the most part made by critics to make sure you believe
everything in it is "true"). . It is so bad someone even wondered if the
leak could have been made
by the Church of Scientology itself to discredit the critics by
releasing such a shocker.
At the beginning I found it funny
because it was just too gross, but in the long run its gets weary
because it is just too evil, too dark. Elron main motivation is money,
they recruit Tom Cruise through blackmail, etc, etc... (names are
changed).
Here is a fitting summary as found
on the net:
This movie
contained-
Satanism,
Tits,
Implied hypno-rape,
A very hot dog rape scene,
Beating a pregnant woman several times,
Throwing a woman from a car,
Tom Cruise lookalike with ghey fantasy dreams
All in all 5/10, fappable, funny but nowhere near enough explosions.
Below is the St. Petersburg Times
critique that appeared back in 2001 and which constituted this web page
for the last seven years. Having now seen the film, it fits to a T, with
quotes such:
"might
be more effective if not couched in cliches unbecoming such fertile
material"
"comes across as
farfetched rather than convincing"
"show barker who would be
twirling a mustache if he had one"
"National Enquirer-style entertainment (sexual
dysfunction! devil worship!) and not much to consider
after the show"
St. Petersburg Times,
published August 23, 2001
No love lost
The Profit (Not rated, probably R) (128
min.) -- The
long, contentious history of the Church of Scientology will
make a fascinating documentary someday. Until then, we
have Peter D. Alexander's stilted movie he inscrutably
claims isn't based on the life of Scientology founder L.
Ron Hubbard.
But anyone with the most casual knowledge
of the
church's history will find the parallels obvious.
Alexander's film centers on fictional con
artist L. Conrad
Powers (Eric Rath), leader of the Church of Scientific
Spiritualism with beliefs steeped in Powers' science fiction
novels. Members wearing military-style uniforms do
Powers' bidding, using "Mind Meters" to read
personalities and monitor behavior. The IRS and FBI
hound him, a Tom Cruise-style celebrity supports him and
Powers becomes a reclusive demagogue.
Alexander was a Scientologist for 20
years until he left the
church, obviously carrying some hard feelings with him.
His odd disclaimer notwithstanding, The Profit is
Alexander's rant against Hubbard's practices that might
be more effective if not couched in cliches unbecoming
such fertile material. Cultists may be capable of the acts
The Profit describes, but this story comes across as
farfetched rather than convincing.
Part of the fault lies in Rath's
over-the-top performance,
making Powers a medicine show barker who would be
twirling a mustache if he had one. Alexander frames him
as someone not to be taken seriously with winking
musical choices and hokey hypnotism explaining how
Powers gets inside unsuspecting minds. Everyone
succumbs, but the dynamics behind such conversions
aren't fully explored. Alexander is mad as hell and he's not
going to tell us any more.
The Profit was filmed around Tampa Bay last
year in
pulpish colors by Mark Woods with admirable costumes
and designs for Citizen Kane-style flashbacks to a
half-century ago. Rath's supporting cast performs with
that extra bit of eagerness that flattens characters by
exposing the acting tricks behind them.
Alexander's movie preaches to the choir
of Scientology
critics. The rest of us who haven't made up our minds get
some National Enquirer-style entertainment (sexual
dysfunction! devil worship!) and not much to consider
after the show.
Links:
The
Profit home page: The film tried
to build for itself a lot of publicity using alleged or real
harassment by the Church of Scientology, but when it comes to
content, it reveal itself over-simplistic, reflecting the black and
white paranoid world of anti-cultists. (March
25 update: of course the
forum has been taken down after the avalanche of bad reviews, and,
as you can see in the "latest news" section of The Profit website
(as of this date), there is no mention of the leak whatsoever).
This web site is
NOT created by a Scientologist. It is created by a Scientology EX-MEMBER
who is critical of Scientology. However, this ex-member is ALSO critical
of the anti-Scientology movement. This does not make him a
Scientologist, nor a defender of Scientology.
