KEEPING THE FAITH *** (out of four stars) A review by Jamey Hughton
Starring-Ben Stiller, Edward Norton, Jenna Elfman, Eli Wallach, Anne Bancroft, Milos Forman and Ron Rifkin Director-Edward Norton Canadian Rating-PG Released by Touchstone Pictures - 04/00
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You've probably heard the one about the priest and the rabbi, but never with the same dosage of featherweight charm that is sprinkled over `Keeping the Faith'. It's a fluffy comedy, thoroughly glazed with a sense of innocuous innocence and good cheer, regarding two moral topics -- love and religion -- and how a romantic triangle causes the two to collide head-on.
As youngsters, Brian Finn, Jacob Schramm and Anna Reilly were an inseparable trio. While their friendship progressed, Anna always had the compassion to shower them both with the same love and support, so neither would feel excluded. But tragedy soon struck, as Anna was forced to move away. Now adults, Brian (Edward Norton) and Jacob (Ben Stiller) hold similar but contrastive jobs. The likable and kind-hearted Father Brian is a Catholic Priest, while the spry and outgoing Jacob acts as a Jewish Rabbi. On the basketball court, they refer to themselves as `The God Squad'. In the relationship field, Brian abides by his Catholic principle of celibacy, but Jacob has reached the point where finding a Jewish bride is practically mandatory. Everything changes when Anna (Jenna Elfman) returns to New York to visit her childhood chums. Now a workaholic, she devotes endless hours per week to her business, but does find spare time to reminisce with Brian and Jacob - both ecstatic about seeing their elementary school sweetheart once again. With these oddball ingredients tossed into one cocktail, there's bound to be some awkward romance between our three central characters. Predicting the outcome is not entirely difficult, but `Keeping the Faith' is open, entertaining and refreshingly relaxed as it travels en route from Point A to Point B.
Edward Norton has emerged as one of the finest, most flexibly versatile actors in Hollywood - a success story sparked by his critically lauded debut in the 1996 thriller `Primal Fear'. After shockingly bitter roles in `American History X' and, most recently, David Fincher's vicious `Fight Club', a quaint romantic comedy might seem like a peculiar choice. Not in the least. Norton slips into the director's chair for the first time with `Keeping the Faith', and here his incisive, resourceful approach helps add additional craft to a surprisingly perceptive screenplay by Stuart Blumberg. Weighing every aspect, it is unanimously an impressive directorial debut. In addition, Norton pushes all the right buttons with the sheepish sweetheart Brian, generating a thoroughly likable screen presence. Stiller (the zipper guy from `There's Something About Mary') is firm and funny, boasting a fully-ripened comic maturity. Elfman's perky repetition can grow tiresome (such is occasionally the case on TV's `Dharma and Greg'), but she seems perfectly rambunctious here. The remaining cast members offer fine support, from Anne Bancroft as Jacob's animated Jewish mom to Milos Forman as an elderly priest quick to contribute intelligent advice.
`Keeping the Faith' is the perfect date flick... though perfection is not a word to associate with the film in general. There is turbulence during the process of lift-off, as numerous failed attempts at establishing the situation cloud the projected comedy ahead. Once the film does settle in, it is often funny and always cheerful. Stiller, Norton and Elfman have created three enormously lovable personalities. We enjoy their interaction, understand their various dilemmas and feel humbled to realize everything rings perfectly true. This is excluding the ending, which is acceptable and all, but seems to lack the charm and spontaneity of the preceding romantic entanglements. Nonetheless, a narrowly mishandled finale certainly won't wipe the smile off your face, nor anyone else's in the audience. `Keeping the Faith' is a highly enjoyable romantic comedy, although one that is more observant while surveying the questions of love rather than religion. Aww, what the hell. The quality is not quite heaven-sent, but this little charmer could revive our `Faith' in a potentially tired filmmaking genre.
(C) 2000, Jamey Hughton
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