|
Review by Susan Granger
3 stars out of 4
Cleverly timed for the Passover and Easter season, this is
an amusing comedy about "The God Squad," two pious but unconventional
young men of religion, directed by actor Edward Norton, who is usually
associated with meaty dramas like "Primal Fear," "The People vs. Larry
Flynt," "American History X" and "Fight Club." Norton also plays
Father Brian Kilkenny Finn - a Roman Catholic priest. Brian's best
friend since childhood is now a Jewish rabbi named Jake Schram, played
by Ben Stiller. They're living near one another on New York's Upper
West Side when Anna Reilly, a young woman whom they grew up with
returns to the city on business. That's Jenna Elfman of "EDTV" and
"Dharma & Greg." So, instead of one of the old jokes that begins, "A
priest and a rabbi and a woman walk into a bar and....," this plot
ignites when a priest and a rabbi both care deeply for the same
woman. And this is no ordinary woman. She's a high-powered, cell
phone-addicted workaholic who firmly believes that with her help God
could have created the world in just three days, not seven. But she's
certainly not the "nice Jewish girl" whom the synagogue elders had
envisioned for their rabbi. And what about the priest's vow of
celibacy? The supporting cast is terrific: Anne Bancroft as Jake's
mother, Eli Wallach as an open-minded rabbi, and Milos Forman as a
compassionate priest. It's just too bad that first-time director
Norton didn't call "cut" more often when actor Norton's scenes went on
too long and that Stuart Blumberg's utterly predictable script gets a
bit verbose, but on the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Keeping the
Faith" is a frothy, feel-good 7. In an age of cynicism, it's an
amiable, old-fashioned romantic comedy, a light-hearted date movie.
Copyright © 2000 Susan Granger
|
out of 4
