Keeping the Faith (2000)
There's a lot to like in actor Edward Norton's directorial debut, KEEPING THE FAITH. First, it's a solid romantic comedy, a hard genre to make. Second, it's intelligent in its treatment of religious themes, in a time in which it is rare to see the spiritual side of characters. Finally, the acting and cast are first rate. For how much more could a viewer ask?
A small frame for the story has Father Brian Finn (Norton) stagger into a bar to continue his jag of drinking. He gets the tender of the deserted bar (Brian George) interested in what seems like the most outlandish rabbi and priest joke of all time. Of course the story ends up being an account of his own life, starting with his childhood. It seems Brian and his best friend Jake met as boys, and added another best friend in the form of `Anna Banana,' a tomboy named Anna Reilly (Jenna Elfman). The only problem was that Anna broke up the young Musketeers when her father moved the family to California.
But now Anna is back as an assertive and canny corporate type; she's `like a plumber,' only she fixes leaky companies. Although she works far too many hours, she makes time to spend with her old buddies Jake and Brian. The film follows the renewal of the three-way friendship, including some hilarious bits in which Jake – a very eligible rabbi – plays the dating game with women sent his way by numerous matchmakers – everyone from a exercise-obsessed Jewess to a rising star at ABC News, Rachel Rose (Rena Sofer).
So, what's the big conflict already? Well, Jake begins seeing Anna, and the two decide to keep their passion secret – not only from Jake's congregation but also from Brian. Meanwhile, Brian experiences his own crisis, dreaming about Anna and reading signals wrong until he confesses his own love for Anna.
So the theme of love permeates the story. Often it is kept very human, especially when we see two men of God struggling to come to terms with the strictures that hamper or forbid relationships. And some of the shtick with Ben Stiller invites out-loud laughter – though it would have been nice not to have had a few of these moments spoiled by the trailer!
As boys, Jake and Brian always showed acceptance and curiosity about each other's faith. Fortunately, the film preserves the tone set by the boys: it explores many of the ideas and rituals important to Catholicism and Judaism. Often Brian visits the temple at which Jake is junior rabbi, and Jake visits the church and rectory at which Brian is associate pastor. Some of the most charming scenes outside of the triangular love plot involve ministry: for instance, Brian in the confessional (where was the reconciliation room, eh?) with an Hispanic kid whose raging hormones cause his sinful thoughts. The temple and church even get together to sponsor an interfaith community center, complete with kareoke machine. All of this niceness becomes an artifice, though, when it becomes clear that the board that runs the temple is displeased with Jake's behavior: why is he dating a shiksa when there's all these nice Jewish girls? And would a real priest, who does not drink, instantly resort to large quantities of booze, creating suddenly that trite monster, the alcoholic Irishman? Realsitic, no. Funny, yes, and largely because Stuart Blumberg's screenplay does not go out of its way to be politically correct.
Still in his twenties, Edward Norton has shown amazing versatility. Comparing Father Brian Finn with the reformed skinhead Norton played in AMERICAN HISTORY X gets a stunned reaction. Everything from the hair and eyebrows to the attitude and mannerisms is drastically different. And Norton mines the wealth of Catholic and Jewish material fairly well. Ben Stiller even gets to do a grand bit of physicality with a building security bull named T-Bone.
Stiller does a nice job of playing the modern man of religion, improvising much of his sermons, causing doctrine to be more accessible to his congregation. And the man has just about perfected his comic timing. (Why doesn't he make a movie with both his parents, by the way???) I didn't mind the way Jake dressed; his black leather jacket went well with Father Brian's Roman outfit and with the elder rabbi's garb. But Stiller's spiky hair looked a little silly sticking up around his yarmulke!
It's not hard to imagine Norton asking several of his older pals to play support. The director Milos Forman has a small role as Father Havel, the Czech refugee who's been a priest in New York since he fled his homeland in 1968. On what subject does he counsel Father Brian? Love!
The priest's counterpart is played by Eli Wallach. It's always enjoyable to see such a veteran on the screen again, with his easy manner and very recognizable voice.
Anne Bancroft plays Mrs. Shram, Jake's mother. Apparently she has disowned Jake's older brother (they've not even communicated in two years) for marrying a non-Jewish girl. Hence Jake's added anxiety over dating Anna. Bancroft is a wonderfully natural actress. A small problem that confronts her here, though, comes when she makes a sudden and uncharacteristic decision toward the end of the story.
Without a few of the suggestive love scenes between Jake and Anna, KEEPING THE FAITH would have been rated PG, instead of PG-13. Too bad. The current release RETURN TO ME is showing a refreshing `return' to more wholesome romantic comedy, and FAITH contains many of the same successful conventions. Anyway, both films are a welcome break from the excess of `R' flicks gazing down from the marquees of America's multiplexes!
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