Keeping the Faith Review
by "Alex Ioshpe" (ioshpe AT online DOT no)October 12th, 2000
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
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"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'
More on 'Keeping the Faith'...
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