DIRECTED BY: Edward Norton WRITTEN BY: Stuart Blumberg CAST: Edward Norton, Ben Stiller, Jenna Elfman, Milos Forman, Eli Wallach, Anne Bancroft
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and language Runtime: USA:128
"Faith is a hunch that there is something bigger"
RATING: 9/10
OK, listen to this. The priest and a rabbi go to a bar…Heard this one? Well, here comes a story that you've never heard before. In his directorial debut, actor/director/producer Edward Norton combines all those "So, there's a Rabbi and a Priest…" jokes together in a magnificent spiritual comedy that is probably the first great comedy of this century.
The film opens with the lights of New York on a warm summer night. Father Brian, drunk and depressed is confiding to the kind-hearted bartender. At this point we know that something has happened and Brian tells the story of complications and events, both amusing and sad. He begins his story many years ago - at the beginning of the lifelong friendship between him, Jake Shram (Ben Stiller) and Anna (Jenna Elfman). It was the best time of his life. But all good things have to end and Anna moved to L.A. by the end of the eight grade. Many years have passed and their friendship stayed the same, though Brian has become a Catholic priest and Jake a rabbi. All around Manhattan, these hipsters of the cloth are known, according to Finn's narration, as the "God Squad," serving up "Old World gods with a New Age spin." Everything's holy-rolling along until the unanticipated return of Anna (Jenna Elfman), she is now a successful business woman. The two clerics experience a feeling of deja-vu and gradually fall in love with Anna all over again. But this time there are complications. Brian is caught in the strict laws of the Catholic Church, while Jake is pursued by the 'Kosher Nostra', where every Jewish mother is introducing him to her every unmarried daughter. And even Anna starts to doubt herself and her life. She is now a high-powered, West Coast corporate executive -- a goal she has been pursuing all her life. And when she finally got everything she searched for, she is feeling a mysterious loss. Maybe she was pursuing the wrong things? Maybe she missed the most important element in her life? And so what is right? Religion or love? What is happiness? And what's more important?
Even though this film lacks explosions, gunfights and even aliens, I can't imagine anyone (except maybe 'Battlefield Earth'-fanatics) who wouldn't like this film. There is no concrete story. The film is completely driven by characters as they wrestle with their own demons and questions of faith. The characters that inhabit Norton's film are deeply human and therefore -- deeply flawed. They've all come to certain conclusions about themselves, and each other, that this daffy flick challenges in an amusing way. Most of the time the film feels like a Woody Allen movie, without hysterics. It is the same comic style and incredible New York locations. In fact the town itself is one of the main characters in this film. Its multicultural environment serves as a background, reflecting the main characters' emotions, feelings and mood - shifting from lifeless gray to magically sparkling lights. Norton doesn't manufacture comedy through jokes, nor is the drama progressed by plot contrivances; this is a character-driven story that evolves from the carefully drawn people that inhabit it. And though it wrestles around with some heavy issues, romantic, religious and ethnic themes, it is very successful. It's funny, without constantly resorting to physical humor (like 'Whole Nine Yards'). It's clever, without pushing and lecturing the audience (like '28 Days'). It's light, without feeling unrealistic. It's romantic, without floating in the sky (like 'The Wedding Singer'). In fact Norton has created a magical blend - beautifully controlled and elegantly presented. He approaches every aspect - each scene, character and theme - with honesty and authenticity. You laugh because it's candid, you catch a lump in your throat because it connects, and you're moved because the emotions are undeniably real. Nothing ever feels constructed, every single moment rings true, and you find yourself identifying with everyone and nearly everything that occurs, or at least with the emotions behind them. Norton keeps everything pure, and the end result like life. It is a rare comedy, more sophisticated than most, it is filled with surprising depth and substantial charm, that you can rarely observe in motion pictures now adays.
'Keeping the Faith' features great casting, which is likewise unusual for romantic comedies. Norton looks great in a role that is completely different from what he has done before. He has dyed his hair blond to add Brian a more traditional "holy-look", and the way he portrays him truly provoke emotions. Ben Stiller proves himself as a solid actor and a performer capable of delivering complex roles. He finds a balance between the comic and dramatic, while never becoming unreal. As for Elfman, she is doing exactly what she is supposed to do: look ravishing. Though there are times when her uncontrolled energy transforms into a more complex emotions, but those times are rare. There are some very interesting and amusing cameo performances, provided by Anne Bankroft, Jakes strong mother, Eli Wallach as Jakes religious supervisor and Milos Forman as Brian's mentor and friend.
The film is an incredible achievement. It projects warmth and emotions that few comedies have before. At the same time, Norton manages to canalize his story into something intelligent. There are many things that this film chews on. It is about temptation and religious conviction (a conversation between Anna and Brian, about sex, is a splendid example of this). It is about the difference between faith and religion, about what's important and about keeping the faith in our modern, constantly changing world. But mostly it is a film about real friendship and pure love. Jake's and Brian's devotion for each other surpass everything - religion, politics and even religious convictions. That is the movies heart and soul, and that's what makes the film an incredibly pleasant experience. It' not masterpiece, don't get me wrong. But not everyone can make 'Being John Malcovich' or 'American Beauty' as their first film. Even David Fincher ('Fight Club') started with 'Alien 3', which though wasn't a great film, somewhat introduced the audience to the new director. I think that 'Keeping the Faith' does exactly that, and I believe that 'we ain't seen nothing yet'.
And though ending rather traditionally, 'Keeping the Faith' is really a great film. I really felt that I've gained something after walking out of the theatre. I felt..well, good. And I think that it was the point. After leaving the theatre, I've promised myself that I will stand first in line for Norton's hopeful comeback.
- "There is a reason that pandas don't mate in captivity!" - Jake Schram in 'Keeping the Faith'
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