In order for a romantic comedy to find an audience these days, it can't be a simple boy-meets-girl story. There's got to be a 'hook'. Either the 'girl' is a world famous actress or the 'boy' is a re-animated corpse from ancient Spain who has to get married by Easter Sunday. While this plot device doesn't always work, this time the 'hook' (a rabbi and a priest chasing the same girl) is exactly what makes Keeping the Faith work, along with some help from a trio of great performances and clever, funny script.
Sometimes a movie can coast on likability alone, and this is certainly one of them. It touches on subjects like friendship, religion and commitment, but (for the most part) avoids being sappy and cliched. There are also a few surprisingly thoughtful moments amidst all the romance and giggles. (Would you give up love for your religious convictions?)
Rabbi Jake (Stiller) and Father Brian (Norton) are lifelong friends. They each have devoted congregations, proud mentors, and are even opening an inter-faith seniors' center together. (It's not nearly as corny as it sounds.) When their childhood friend Anna (Elfman) returns to New York for some business meetings, things get screwy: Jake develops feelings for her, yet still feels compelled to date exclusively Jewish woman, while Brian has mixed emotions regarding Anna and begins to question his faith (or his vow of celibacy, at least.)
Keeping the Faith does a nice balancing act between being too silly or too straight, and it shows with the cast as well. While Edward Norton is not known for comedy (and yes, I've seen Everyone Says I Love You), he handles the punchlines and the (few) slapstick scenes admirably. Conversely, Ben Stiller tones his sarcastic volatility down a few degrees and offers an excellent performance.
Almost stealing the whole show is Jenna Elfman. In her past roles, she's either been drowned out by heavy satire (EdTV) or atrocious writing (Krippendorf's Tribe). Not in this movie. While Anna is a giddy and silly 'free spirit', it's obvious she's also an intelligent and feared businesswoman. Given the light nature of the movie and her previous track record, the depth of her performance was truly surprising.
A movie always deserves some praise when it can offer its message in an intelligent (or better yet, subtle) way, and it happens a few times here. Religious stereotypes (for the most part) are wisely avoided, and the script is smart enough to ever really dig too deep into the questions of faith and religion. (This may be the first 'religious' movie in years that hasn't had someone protest it.)
Edward Norton shows a surprisingly sure hand at directing, and although he's probably not making Spielberg sweat, his debut can certainly be considered a success. New York City should get top billing, as it is photographed in a fashion that would make Woody Allen jealous.
The few 'big laugh' scenes come off particularly well, even if you've seen them all in the previews a dozen times. I doubt it's going to win any awards, but I can recommend any movie that can breathe a little life into such a tired genre.
Easily one of the best romantic comedies of the past few years, although I admit that's not saying much. It may get a little too "Aw, shucks" on occasion (the church choir pouring into the synagogue, for example), but not nearly enough to spoil a good time.
In actor Edward Norton's directorial debut Brian Norton a priest and his best friend Jake Ben Stiller a rabbi both fall in love with their long-lost c...More at Family Video
Best friends, a priest (Norton) and a rabbi (Stiller) both fall in love with the same girl (Elfman). However, neither of the men can pursue the relati...More at HotMovieSale.com
Rabbi Jacob Schram (Ben Stiller) and Father Brian Finn (Edward Norton) are dynamic and popular young men living and working on New York s Upper West S...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.