Customer Reviews

Keeping the Faith (Region 2)

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

'Keeping the Faith' is one of the funniest, smartest, warmest comedies of the last several years, and marks a wonderful directorial debut for costar Edward Norton. It works on many levels; as a loving look at relationships, on the common ground Judaism and Catholicism shares in compassion towards people, in embracing love, no matter what obstacles might arise...and it does all this while respecting different religions, which makes this a very unique and special film!

Norton and Ben Stiller play lifelong friends, who, as children, meet a fabulous, funny girl who they bond with. After she moves away, the two grow up, becoming a priest and a rabbi...then the girl returns, as a successful businesswoman, and the friendship is renewed...until romance enters the picture!

Each character is unique and likeable; Norton is a sweet, funny klutz, endearing in his awkwardness; Stiller is compassionate and quick-witted, dealing with his Temple's matchmaking efforts with wry humor; Jenna Elfman (who has NEVER been lovelier onscreen) is both wise and vulnerable, and totally believable as a person both guys would fall in love with.

Major issues are addressed in the film (a Priest's vow of celibacy, interfaith marriages, religious discrimination), and are dealt with and resolved in such a positive, loving manner that you wonder why these issues ever BECOME problems! All this reflects well on Edward Norton, who shows remarkable sensitivity as both a cowriter and director!

The supporting cast is marvelous; Anne Bancroft is fabulous as Stiller's mother, Eli Wallach and Ron Rifkin, as a rabbi and synagogue leader, respectively, are equally good; director Milos Forman is terrific as Father Havel, Norton's mentor. Two other supporting players should be singled out, as well; Lisa Edelstein has a GREAT slapstick scene with Stiller, as the Jewish 'Date from Hell', and Brian George is hilarious as a "Sikh/Christian with Jewish inlaws" bartender that Norton confides in.

There are a LOT of great one-liners, inspired scenes, and a resolution that is both believable and satisfying. The DVD edition offers even MORE to love; Norton's very funny and wise commentary about the making of the film, deleted scenes, and a VERY funny gag reel are special features you CAN'T find anywhere else!

This film is a MUST for your collection, a 'feel-good' movie that you can enjoy, again and again! I HIGHLY recommend it!

Edward Norton's directorial debut, "Keeping the Faith" dishes out one of those plots that only Hollywood - in its desperation to bring a fresh approach to a stale genre - would ever dare to come up with. In this love triangle with a "twist," Ben Stiller, Edward Norton and Jenna Elfman portray a trio of best friends who grew up together on the streets of New York City, but who were separated in adolescence when Anna moved away with her family to California. The unique aspect of this particular triumvirate is that, while Anna has been away on the west coast forging a lucrative career in business for herself, Brian has become a priest and Jake has become a rabbi. Now all three are in their '30 and Anna has decided to pay her "buddies" a visit - a move that sets the story up for all the interpersonal and emotional complications that are practically de rigueur for a "Jules and Jim" scenario of this sort.

Given the rather incredible nature of the premise, "Keeping the Faith" still manages to generate some interest with the uniqueness of its religious context. Like most American movies that attempt to deal with issues of spirituality and religion, "Keeping the Faith" spends most of its time batting away at the edges of the topic rather than getting right in there and really opening up the subject for us. Indeed, very few commercial American films are even willing to tackle or explore in any great depth the role that religion and spirituality play in the lives of people, so we should at least give "Keeping the Faith" credit for trying. Of course, much of the tension in the film is supposed to be generated by the fact that one point of this triangle (the priest, Brian) has pulled himself out of the equation - or has he? But if the truth be told, the love triangle, which takes center stage in the film, is actually far less interesting than the issues of faith, of tradition vs. relevance, of spiritual commitment on the part of both clergy and laypeople that the film at least sporadically addresses.

Almost inevitably, with a film this lightweight in tone, "Keeping the Faith" seems from time to time to be afflicted with a severe case of the "cutes," particularly when it succumbs to the "golly gee, people of the cloth are just regular folk like the rest of us" syndrome that seems somehow unavoidable in films like this. Thus, despite their clerical status, Jake and Brian cuss, drink alcohol, play basketball, sing karaoke etc. just to show us what regular guys they are. We've seen this sort of religious iconoclasm used for comic effect so many times before that it has long since lost the ability to amuse.

Where the film does excel, though, is in its exploration of the issue (faced by many churches and synagogues, no doubt) of whether tradition alone can sustain a viable congregation or whether unorthodox methods may be needed to reach and retain a more "entertainment-oriented" generation of worshippers. Many times in the film, I found myself wishing that the story would concentrate less on the rigmarole surrounding the love triangle itself and more on issues like these. However, even within the confines of the romantic nature of the story, the filmmakers do manage to touch, if only superficially, on the issues of Catholic priest celibacy and interfaith marriages.

Stiller, Norton and Elfman give generally naturalistic performances, though none of them are forced to stretch their talents too much in these roles. Interestingly, famed director Milos Forman shows up as a wise old priest who sets Brian straight on the thorny issue of celibacy.

"Keeping The Faith" probably would have been a better film had it dealt with the same issues in a less frivolous and trivial context than is provided for them here. Still, we should, I suppose, be thankful that any American film is willing to acknowledge religion and spirituality as part of our lives at all. "Keeping the Faith" is, therefore, well worth checking out.

This is a movie about a priest named Brian Finn (Edward Norton) and a rabbi named Jake Schram (Ben Stiller) in New York City. They're young, popular, down to earth, and are totally committed to their respective religions. Before that, when they were kids, there was this girl--a totally cool chick just like them, down to earth and decent. The three of them were like peas and carrots together but she had to move away, upsetting at first, but ultimately making Brian and Jake best friends by themselves. They're adults now, and she comes back to NYC to visit for business, and things get VERY interesting. If you've ever had the whole "is [s]he Jewish?" dilemna, you'll love this movie. Even if you haven't, this romantic comedy breaks all cliches and tells a most unique story. Ben Stiller and Edward Norton, if you're reading this, keep doing these kinds of movies! Pop some popcorn, invite your boyfriend or girlfriend over, and put on this movie! You'll love it.

I have a bone to pick with just about every movie critic in the known universe. Each and every one of them acts shocked and dismayed when a romantic comedy turns out to be *gasp!* predictible, and then they feel the need to make snide comments about the acting, the plot, the storyline...

What gets lost in all this is the fact that many highly intelligent people enjoy watching these movies because they are FUN. Even if I know (or think I know) how a movie will turn out in the end, I can still have FUN while I'm getting there. You know what fun is, right? It's that thing where you're happy and not uptight--you remove the stick from your butt for awhile and just ENJOY yourself. What a concept. And I was in the mood to enjoy myself one night, didn't want to think too deeply, so I decided to rent "Keeping The Faith."

Wow. I have to state here that I'm pretty wary of movies that portray "religious" people of any kind, because I'm sick and tired of stereotypes. Let me assure my fellow "religious" people: this movie doesn't wuss out. The catholic Priest isn't an uptight jerk, and he isn't a total saint. He's *shock" Edward Norton: a NICE GUY who feels called to his work and wants to make a difference. The Rabbi isn't some wise old guy who's used as a plot device to deliver either crucial advice or comic relief. Instead, he's Ben Stiller--a pretty nice younger guy who's torn between pleasing others and doing what's right for himself. The priest and the rabbi have been friends since childhood. When another childhood friend comes back into their lives after years of separation, they both fall in love with her. Oops.

The Priest doubts his calling when he struggles with his love for a woman who happens to be in love with his best friend, and the Rabbi alternates between struggling to make faith seem real to the people in his congregation and lashing out/ hurting his friends/ being a total jerk. Surprise! These are real people. They're not always nice. Their faith isn't a crutch, it isn't a band aid, it isn't an insult to the audience. It's a real and living thing that they struggle to understand as they try to pass it on to others.

The Rabbi falls in love with a woman who doesn't share his faith. Oh no! What will people think? What should he do? Jenna Elfman's speech to him about how she admires his faith and she's trying to understand it even though it's not easy for her is one of the most touching moments in a movie chock full of touching moments. Maybe that's why the critics didn't like this movie. Critics seem to hate touching moments. Touching moments happen all the time in real life, that's why they're predictable.

I expected to have fun with this movie, and I did--rolling with laughter more than once. But I was also enlightened and rewarded with a film that allowed me to think a little deeper about everything I hold dear.

While the priest and the rabbi never walk into a bar together, the movie still manages to be funny. And the love story is everything love stories should be: sappy, sweet, and ultimately satisfying. As an added bonus, you can ponder some deeper questions of faith and savor the unexpected delight of seeing true friendship realistically portrayed. Relax, take a deep breath, remove the stick from your butt, and enjoy.

They say Faith can move mountains. They say Faith can get you through the turmoil of life. What happens though when your Faith in God runs headlong into your Love of a woman? Can the two exist if the woman is of a different Faith? Can it exist if you are the leader of your denomination? Ed Norton's directorial debut examines this in what could be a serious movie but is a very funny romantic movie.
We start with Father Brian Finn, Ed Norton, stumbling drunk and landing in an all night bar. He ends up telling the story to a world-weary bartender who claims to have heard it all. The bartender knew he had heard it all when it started with, "There's this Priest and a Rabbi..." Actually the story doesn't start there though.
Approximately 16 years early Brian Finn and Jacob Schram, two best friends, met their soul mate Anna Riley. She was the kind of girl all boys wanted to be around, cute but not too girlish. These three are never seen without each other. Disaster strikes 2 years later when Anna's father is moved across the country to New York. The three occasionally keep in touch through letters but think that their partnership is over.
We jump to the future where the two boys have taken interesting jobs. It seems Brian and Jake, Ben Stiller, have always had a calling and that calling was to preach the word. Brian has become a Priest and Jake is now a Rabbi. Both are the hottest things to hit their respective Church's and are shaking things up with contemporary ideas. They are even jokingly known in the streets as "The God Squad." They reach some opposition from the old-line members of their respective congregations however the increased numbers at each service is hard to argue with.
One fine day Brian informs Jake that their old friend, Anna is going to be coming to New York for work and wants to get together with them. Both are stunned to find their gangly tomboyish friend has grown up to be a stunning workaholic played by Jenna Elfman.
Here's where the story really gets interesting. The three friends begin palling around again and getting to know everything about them. Anna is basically the proto-typical 2000 woman. She is so busy working that she rarely has time to go out with men in fact as she puts it, she has a relationship with her phone. Anna is more interested in getting to know about the two guys. She finds it fascinating that the two men are so dedicated to their churches and attends services at both. She also is interested in knowing how they are going to get their Catholic/Jewish Community Center opened. However what interests her the most is the men's relationship issues. She quizzes Brian about his faith and of course about his vow...the big vow...and wants to know what is going on with Jake and his women. I say women because all the women at the Synagogue are desperate to get their daughters married off to the young Rabbi. This leads to a couple of wonderful dates for Jake.
Problems occur with all this time spent together though. Brian begins to question his vows of Celibacy more and more as he is around Anna. Even more of a problem though occurs between Anna and Jake as they fall in love. This wouldn't be too much of a problem if Jake was just your normal attendee of the Synagogue however being a Rabbi up for his own church? Well let's just say it isn't looked upon too well to be going out with a blonde Irish girl if you want to lead a Synagogue.
Since this is a Romantic/Comedy we know how it is going to end. The pleasure of the movie is watching how they get there. All three actors deliver superb performances. We knew Ed Norton was a great actor but Ben Stiller and Jenna Elfman more than stand with him in terms of comedic timing and drama. I was doubly impressed that Jenna, unlike some other television actresses, was able to successfully shed her television persona for a new gig.
The dialogue was rapid fire and funny. The timing of the movie was also well paced. We had seen early evidence of Ed Norton's abilities when he helped out trimming down American History X and he continues to do a great job with the reins fully in his hands. This was definitely worth full price at the theater and is a great Date Movie.

"Keeping the Faith" is funny, poignant and shows quite clearly that no matter what your faith is, Guilt is universal and all mothers can lay it on you, whatever you believe. While the ending was predictable, it was still very much worth watching.

KEEPING THE FAITH is a fine example of how extra features on a DVD can help change your mind about a film. When I first saw it, my immediate reaction was total disappointment. It's not that I thought the film bad, exactly. It was just that the previews had made it out to be a hilarious romantic comedy, and it wasn't exactly splittin' my sides.

When you look at the deleted scenes and hear the audio commentary, it becomes clear that producer/director Ed Norton wasn't trying to make the film the studio was selling. It's not that he comes out and says, "Disney's marketing department screwed me." But you see through his dialogue with his writer that he made conscious choices away from extremely funny material. He wasn't trying to make a hilarious movie, just a good story about three friends.

This is particularly evident when viewing the deleted scenes. Though completely shot and scored, Norton decides to axe what is clearly the funniest orgasm scene since Meg Ryan faked it in a restaurant. You also see how much of Ben Stiller's naturally funnier self was edited out. Why? Norton says, to the audible chagrin of his writer, that it didn't really fit in the movie he was trying to make.

Whether you agree with him on this and other choices, the fact is that if the movie he was trying to make had been marketed, it would've garnered more appreciation.

Still, Norton didn't quite succeed at making a solid romance, either. It's not the kind of movie you'll watch over and over again. After the engaging set up, there aren't really any plot twists, much less unexpected outcomes. It's just another romance set in New York. Lacking either remarkable comedy or profound insight, the film easily releases you from its grasp once you see it. Norton has traded the innovative promise of the plot for mere likability. I think, perhaps, that Norton was trying so hard not to cause religious offense that he winds up seeming almost gun shy of his own subject matter. Or maybe the sudden rewrite of a huge chunk of the movie days prior to filming is what tripped things up.

What I really think sinks the film, though, is Norton's own character. He's just not a plausible romantic presence. At no point do you ever feel like Brian might actually GET Anna, so his entire presence is superflous to the romantic plot. Worse, the storyline depends on him going beyond being hurt by Anna's inevitable rejection, into the area of absolutely unprofessional conduct. It just doesn't make any sense what he does in the end, and yet without his action, the story can't advance.

All this aside, students of film will want to look at the DVD version of this movie, just because it's a great case study of the indirect tension between studio and filmmaker, and, to a lesser extent, between director and writer. Casual viewers in search of a night of light New York romance would probably do better watching WHEN HARRY MET SALLY again.

Okay, so you get an Irish Catholic Priest and a Jewish Rabbi who had a tom-boy friend when they were kids and you have a great idea for a movie.

Who thinks of these things anyway??

Stiller and Norton, although not looking like they would be friends, do a great job of acting like it. Their characters come together well, especially after Anna (Jenna Elfman) returns to NY for a career move after being away since she was young girl.

The flash back and then forward sequence is excellent. You almost forget where the movie started because there are so many cute twists to the movie.

There is also a lesson in the movie, one of love and compromise and you get a sense of the challenges people face when they make life choices as far as career, marriage and family issues.

This is a fun movie, good for the DVD library. The language is a little harsh in places, yet, it is an okay film.

Based on my perusal of others' reviews of this movie, it seems that some people were expecting something monumental and profound, and hence were disappointed. I don't know why they had such lofty expectations; "Keeping the Faith" is just one of many in the 'romantic comedy' genre. Given this however, it's for the most part an enjoyable movie, if not entirely believable. Heck; reality itself is unbelievable half the time, so just suspend the tendency to hyperevaluate if you'd like to appreciate this one.

This is my first introduction to Edward Norton, and I think he was a stand-out, both as actor and first-time director. The DVD includes some deleted scenes, a few of which I'm very thankful WERE deleted. The movie could have benefited from some further editing as well, but at least the worst bits were scrapped. Ben Stiller and Jenna Elfman don't have that much 'chemistry', and efforts to force the fit would not have served the story well.

There are several veteran actors among the supporting players, Ann Bancroft and Eli Wallach among them, giving "Keeping the Faith" a bit of a boost. Also enjoyable are the glimpses of the three leads' characters (Norton, Stiller, Elfman) as adolescent friends. If you'd just like to have a few laughs at the follies of human beings and the nature of their relationships, "Keeping the Faith" is well worth the time investment.

I find this movie to be very funny and lighthearted. Simply put its entertaining and thats what a comedy should be.