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Visitors Review

ramona q 2012-05-17 13:29:44

a refreshing movie

Keeping the Faith was so refreshing to see - great for a wide range ofaudiences. Few writers have managed to produce a non-cynical scriptinvolving religion that is actually entertaining. The performances anddirecting make a truly genuine movie. I can't recommend it enough.

2012-05-16 19:42:46

Hit the nail on the head

Keeping the Faith is a movie that takes a couple of tired, overused Hollywood chliches--the love triangle and the couple who are meant to be together but sadly pushed apart by their inability to verbalize their feelings--and makes them fresh and interesting again simply by not taking them seriously. Norton has assembled a cast (himself, Ben Stiller, and Jenna Elfman) who can take these serious subjects and waltz gracefully through them, so that a movie that could be clunky and too long becomes, instead, a delightfully funny ride through the ups and downs of the Rabbi and the Priest who both love the same woman.

gerald Booth 2012-05-14 01:36:38

fun movie

They say Faith can move mountains. They say Faith can get you through theturmoil of life. What happens though when your Faith in God runs headlonginto your Love of a woman? Can the two exist if the woman is of a differentFaith? Can it exist if you are the leader of your denomination? Ed Norton'sdirectorial debut examines this in what could be a serious movie but is avery funny romantic movie.We start with Father Brian Finn, Ed Norton, stumbling drunk and landing inan all night bar. He ends up telling the story to a world-weary bartenderwho claims to have heard it all. The bartender knew he had heard it all whenit started with, `There's this Priest and a Rabbi…' Actually the storydoesn'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 tobe around, cute but not too girlish. These three are never seen without eachother. Disaster strikes 2 years later when Anna's father is moved across thecountry to New York. The three occasionally keep in touch through lettersbut think that their partnership is over.We jump to the future where the two boys have taken interesting jobs. Itseems Brian and Jake, Ben Stiller, have always had a calling and thatcalling was to preach the word. Brian has become a Priest and Jake is now aRabbi. Both are the hottest things to hit their respective Church's and areshaking things up with contemporary ideas. They are even jokingly known inthe streets as `The God Squad.' They reach some opposition from the old-linemembers of their respective congregations however the increased numbers ateach service is hard to argue with. One fine day Brian informs Jake that their old friend, Anna is going to becoming to New York for work and wants to get together with them. Both arestunned to find their gangly tomboyish friend has grown up to be a stunningworkaholic played by Jenna Elfman.Here's where the story really gets interesting. The three friends beginpalling around again and getting to know everything about them. Anna isbasically the proto-typical 2000 woman. She is so busy working that sherarely has time to go out with men in fact as she puts it, she has arelationship with her phone. Anna is more interested in getting to knowabout the two guys. She finds it fascinating that the two men are sodedicated to their churches and attends services at both. She also isinterested in knowing how they are going to get their Catholic/JewishCommunity Center opened. However what interests her the most is the men'srelationship issues. She quizzes Brian about his faith and of course abouthis vow…the big vow…and wants to know what is going on with Jake and hiswomen. I say women because all the women at the Synagogue are desperate toget their daughters married off to the young Rabbi. This leads to a coupleof wonderful dates for Jake.Problems occur with all this time spent together though. Brian begins toquestion his vows of Celibacy more and more as he is around Anna. Even moreof a problem though occurs between Anna and Jake as they fall in love. Thiswouldn't be too much of a problem if Jake was just your normal attendee ofthe Synagogue however being a Rabbi up for his own church? Well let's justsay it isn't looked upon too well to be going out with a blonde Irish girlif you want to lead a Synagogue.Since this is a Romantic/Comedy we know how it is going to end. Thepleasure of the movie is watching how they get there. All three actorsdeliver superb performances. We knew Ed Norton was a great actor but BenStiller and Jenna Elfman more than stand with him in terms of comedic timingand drama. I was doubly impressed that Jenna, unlike some other televisionactresses, was able to successfully shed her television persona for a newgig. The dialogue was rapid fire and funny. The timing of the movie was alsowell paced. We had seen early evidence of Ed Norton's abilities when hehelped out trimming down American History X and he continues to do a greatjob with the reins fully in his hands. This was definitely worth full priceat the theater and is a great Date Movie.

snoopy917 2012-05-13 07:53:09

Good movie, Strange Humor

I just saw Keeping the Faith tonight, and, as a Romantic Comedy fanatic, Ihad a few of comments about the movie:1. I love Ed Norton. I haven't seen a lot of movies with him, but hereally pulled off the part of the lovable priest well. I could hearmyselfwanting him to get Jenna Elfman throughout the movie, and I wanted to knowmore and more about his character than Ben Stiller's. At first I thoughtthe movie would focus more on his character, and I was a littledisappointedthat it didn't. Overall, all of the actors portrayed their parts well (Igot into the roles), and that was one of the movie's strongersuits.2. I liked the plot- even the ending. I was glad to see that thisromanticcomedy had a slightly different twist than other romantic comedies I haveseen lately. Maybe it was because I didn't find this comedy aspredictableas others. I even liked the ending because I felt it was one of the onlyways it could REALISTICALLY end. (Spoiler.) I mean, come on, I didn'tseeeither of the people in the God Squad leaving their faiths for her, and asmuch as I wanted Norton to get the girl, he didn't. It would have justbeentoo farfetched.3. The camera angles were cool. Remember the scene where Stiller andElfman are talking about how their relationship was going to work out?Theangles that the shots were taken at were different from any other shots Ihad seen. It really made the whole scene more interesting. TheCloisters,the MMOA, and the shots of NYC really brought out the beauty of the cityaswell.4. Strange Humor. My biggest complaint-and one of my only complaintsaboutthe movie-was the constant back-and-forth types of humor. At times thehumor of the film was very Leslie Neilsenesque-the incense, the sceneswithT-Bone, and the scenes in the bar. At other times, the humor was verydifferent. If Norton or the editors of the film had just decided to stickwith one type of humor, the film would have come off muchbetter.Overall, I enjoyed watching the movie. 7/10.

biker451 2012-05-06 18:04:06

Keeping the Faith is very refreshing.

"Keeping the Faith" starts strangely, changes to the story of threechildrengrowing up in New York City, then quickly turns into one of the bestwritten, and nicely directed movies that we have seen in a long time. Mostmovies are so very predictable that it is very hard for me to findsomethingoriginal to laugh at, but this one got me and after the movie my girlfriendcommented about how refreshing it was to hear me laugh at a movie. Thestory, about two boys who grow up to be a Rabbi and a Catholic Priest, andtheir old tom-boy female friend, gives us some pretty clear messages thatweneed to hear. The humor is refreshing and the acting is quite good. Thecharacter development gives us a real feeling for each of the charactersandthey all reach us equally, without one overpowering the others. I wouldhighly recommend this movie to anyone.

Thomas Bock 2012-05-06 15:00:44

Biggest disappointment since Random Hearts (Possible Spoiler)

The premise is insightful and risk-taking....Jenna Elfman displays hermarvelous talent, Edward Norton is our finest, and most intelligent youngactor. But after a marvelous first hour,the film left me feeling cheated.Guilty: I allowed my personal emotions influence me....deceit and lies havemade me suspicious of relationships, and most uncomfortable during the lasthour, the premise may have been a bit strained BUT more than anything else,I didn't feel any chemistry between Jenna and Ben Stiller. Theirinteraction seemed more about lust than love, and this tipped the scale forme.

2012-04-28 15:12:11

Surprisingly good!

Jenna Elfman is absolutely adorable in this film! Not being a fan of hers, I watched with skepticism but was completely won over within the first 20 minutes. She is superbly cast as the gregarious career-minded woman in this anticipation-wrought love triangle. Strangely enough, you really wish that both guys could win this one. Ed Norton is brilliant as the Catholic priest rethinking his vows as he considers his love for Elfman. For anyone wondering what it must be like to be celibate and strongly tempted - this must be it. As always, Ben Stiller is wonderfully sweet and funny. This is a beautiful, witty love story and a great date flick. I highly recommend - it's good, clean fun. The end is satisfying, but perhaps they SHOULD all just be friends!

rwduke 2012-04-28 03:59:28

Runs Too Long, Quite Boring

I really like Edward Norton as an actor. He has much to learn as a directorbut the movie was not a disaster. I did enjoy the story. There were justfartoo many lulls in the story and I kept losing interest. With the rightediting this could have been a better movie.

FMF 2012-04-25 14:58:14

The Melting Pot

I' m not used to watching Slapstick Movies. I also miss all the romanticComedys. But the combined types make this film extraordinarily good. Plusthe movie plays with clichés, so you think you know exactly what will be onscreen the next second (because you believe you have seen it in manymovies), but the scene turns and you see unexpected solutions.This combination of new solutions and the old genres isgreat.

comquest 2012-04-24 22:29:46

Did you hear the one about the priest and the rabbi?

Seriously, folks. Keeping the Faith is a primo movie with a dynamite cast.The story revolves around three childhood 'best friends', now grown up: aCatholic priest (Edward Norton as Father Brian Finn), a rabbi (Ben Stilleras Rabbi Jacob Schram), and a savvy business woman (Jenna Elfman as AnnaReilly). The excellent cast also includes Anne Bancroft as Jacob's motherand Eli Wallach as an elder rabbi.Father Brian and Rabbi Jacob had not seen their old friend "Anna Banana"forsixteen years. But now she's back in the Big Apple as a workaholicexecutive ... and looking far more fetching than either had remembered her.Danger: romantic entanglements ahead.The storyline works well both as a romantic comedy (there are severalhilarious scenes) and as a drama (Catholic/Jewish interfaith cooperation onseveral levels adds depth and interest).On-screen chemistry among the three leading actors adds to the 'feel good'nature of the film. All are superlative in their roles. Norton alsodirected.If you're a fan of Dharma, I think you'll be impressed (as I was) withJennaElfman's ability to portray Anna without ever slipping back into her Dharmapersonna. The two women are as different as night and day, and Jenna nailsit convincingly.It's a great date flick and intelligent, too!Highly recommended.

Shiva-11 2012-04-22 18:32:27

A fresh and funny fiasco of friends

Keeping the Faith: A priest and a rabbi have been best friends sinceboyhood… No, it's not a joke, rather the story of two hip young religiousleaders referred to as "The God Squad" who are intent on opening amulti-faith center where anyone can join them in worship. Their friendshipand faiths are put to the test when a vivacious and dynamic old friend fromthe past re-enters their lives.I have never liked Ben Stiller. I'm not sure why, but whenever he'sonscreen ("Black and White" being the most recent example) I normally spendmy time shuffling uncomfortably waiting for him to leave. Which brings meto this film - I don't know if it was the writing, the subject matter or hisinteractions with the other leads, but I actually found him funny andenjoyed his performance. Maybe it was meant as an epiphany… Norton meanwhile does double duty as actor/director proving that he isn't aone trick pony limited to playing the serious straight guy. His understatedportrayal of a priest in love (and hence crisis - the two going hand inhand) feels genuine and is simultaneously funny and tragic. I like him evenmore than before.Finally, Elfman does a passable job as the workaholic-businesswoman-love-interest(in a role that could not possibly be more different than her TV character,which makes it all the more enjoyable). A novel romantic comedy that makes for a good night out.

FelixtheCat 2012-04-22 11:13:14

Have ya heard this one? A priest and a rabbi...

Okay, here's how it goes, a priest and a rabbi are friends, and they areboth in love with their mutual childhood friend, Jenna Elfman (lookingrather fetching). Edward Norton, in his directorial debut, and Ben Stillerplay the two holy men respectively. Each of them thinks that he is the onethat Elfman likes and both are forced to question their faith and religioustraditions because of it. The film is overlong and uneven, but has enoughtruly funny moments dispersed throughout the first hour that the film isentertaining. The comedy is toned down at that point and most of theremaining attempts at humor towards the end are cliched ones that arealready worn thin in other films. The cast is charming though, and themovie is certainly pleasant enough.

Ginger87 2012-04-20 11:23:47

I Lost My Faith In This Movie In About 10 Minutes

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*When I first saw commercials for this movie it looked funny and I wanted tosee it. So about a week after it came out I decided to check it out since Ilike comedies. Unfortunately I was wrong. This movie was boring,predictable, stupid, and unfunny.(Aren't comedies suppose to be funny) Theplot was just dumb! My sister agreed with me, but my friend likedit."Keeping the Faith" is the kind of movie that I should have known would bestupid. I don't know why I spent my time seeing it. I advise everyone tostay away from it and watch something else. I give this movie 4/10stars.

2012-04-20 04:50:53

Beautiful mix of Romance, Comedy & Drama

Most of the time when a movie is released as a Romance Dramedy (Drama&Comedy) it only focuses on one aspect. There are millions of examples,especially the teen flicks. Never before has a movie taken all three intoaccount and explicitly handled them all.Norton as a director on this film is exceptional, but as one of thelead roles leaves a little to be desired. The chemistry between hischaracter and Stiller's was far from believable, as it was for him andAnnaBanana. Norton and Stiller did not work on this movie, and bothperformancesleft me unsatisfied.The script of this movie, was by far one of the better ones I've seenin a while. The comedy was well placed, and not forced at all. Stiller'sblockbuster Something About Mary, had jokes written in, but they weren'tvery well placed, and I caught myself laughing just because the rest oftheaudience was. Not true in this movie at all. I laughed at some of the moreintelligent jokes that the rest of the people in the theatre didn't catch,especially about religion.The way this script deals with religion is definitely what the twolargest faiths of the world needed. It gives a new spin on faith, andaboutGod. It presents the hypothesis that you can have fun while you worship.Oneof the greatest moments was when Stiller (the rabbi) brings in the HarlemGospel Choir to sing one of the songs during the jewishservice.All in all it was a great movie with a horrible cast, excluding theactress who played Anna. 8/10

nsp007 2012-04-17 09:39:53

Better upon each viewing...

The number one example, I can think of, of a movie so disappointinglymediocre at first, which becomes better and better upon each successiveviewing. Norton and Stiller are both solid, and the movie makes youthink for a few moments that Ed Norton might not be the utter assholewe all think he is. A solid supporting cast including Anne Bancroft,Ron Rifkin, Milos Foreman all aide the movie, but Jenna Elfman provesto be the crux of the film. Often she is annoyingly hyper, but in thismovie, each viewing makes her more and more lovable. Watch it once,you'll think I'm an idiot. Watch it twice, you'll probably still thinkI'm an idiot. But by the third time (including partial, TV, viewings),you'll see the way.

2012-04-16 16:22:49

LAUGHTER DOES GOOD LIKE A MEDICINE

"Keeping the Faith" is one of the most stellar movies I have seen in a long time, tying together laughter, love and people of faith. The actors pull you into their childhood, and draws you into that piece of time in your own life. As one learns as they live longer, our lives may change logistically and personally, yet somehow, some relations will remain, when stemmed from childhood/neighborhood seasons. Irony of life is, this dynamic makes for strange relationships. You are guaranteed to laugh and be charmed in your heart as these actors so refresheningly bring people of different faiths into the common denominator of love and life.

Beass 2012-04-14 02:28:11

THIS is a good movie !

A very funny feel-good movie !There are some excellent scenes and characters in this movie. I particularlyliked the "Irish" bartender and the "Asian" karaoke-salesman ! You'll knowwhat I mean. :-))The scenes where the boys are rookie-priest and -rabbi are hilarious withoutbeing stupid !! :-))Some of the spoken lines are excellent too ! E.g. "...the pressure from thefamilies is unbelievable. It's like the Kosher-Nostra !":-))Edward Norton's "Rain Man" impersonation is brilliant and very funny ! :-) A must see !Ben Stiller, Jenna Elfman, Edward Norton and the others are all great. Thecredits at the end are good too.Go and see this film -NOW ! :-))

2012-04-13 08:43:27

A feel good movie.

This movie always makes me feel damn good. It's about a priest (Norton) and a rabbi (Stiller) that fall in love with the same girl. Norton and Stiller are best friends, share everything with each other, but is their friendship good enough to overcome this situation? Well, watch it. I ain't gonna give ya the answer. he he!

Embley 2012-04-06 06:57:48

not bad - a few laughs

i thought the all the actors were great, but overall i thought the scriptwas a bit weak and it really hurt the picture. it had its moments, ilaughed a few times. but there were too many annoying cliches or awkwardsilly moments to enjoy the film. and i didn't like the look of the picture- it was very bland - but i guess that is okay for a generic comedy. benstiller, jenna elfman, edward norton and anne bancroft were great. especially stiller, who was the source of most jokes.definitely a wait for video movie.

jim-595 2012-04-05 15:43:04

Funny if you're Catholic, hilarious if you're Jewish

This is another in a short list of films I would not have seen unless mywife dragged me to it, and I actually enjoyed. I figured, "Yeah, priest,rabbi, Dharma... whatever." But it was actually *good*.What impressed me most was the lack of schmaltz and cheap laughs that Ikeptwaiting for. It deals with issues in a genuine way, and doesn't resort toeasy Hollywood solutions to problems.It also has a good share of laughs, with the majority of them dealing withlife as a rabbi: what you're mother expects of you, what the churcheldersexpect, and what your congregation expects. These subjects are treatedhumorously, but with serious undertones so it doesn't seemcheesy.We get see a little of what the priesthood is like, through the eyes ofEdward Norton's character (great directing job too, Ed!). Some goodlaughsthere, too.And of course there's Jenna, who looks great and does a finejob.So take your poor mother out for dinner and a movie. What could ithurt?