Keeping The Faith @ Odeon, Ipswich STARRING: Ben Stiller, Edward Norton, Jenna Elfman VERDICT: A Romantic Comedy, that's more Romantic than Comic. A good 'Date' movie.  If you've been viewing the site for the last month and become familiar with my reviews then you may think that I'm not one for a slushy romantic film, well think again, as the Romantic Comedy, I hasten to say Comedy, is probably my fave type of film.
The 'Rom-Com' generally typifies and resembles moments in your life, like splitting up with a girlfriend or being rejected by someone you really like but they don't feel the same. Yes, these movies are the closest, yet also the furthest away from real life, as they show the true anguish and highlights of love and romance but also exaggerate and blow them out of all proportion. However at the end of the day it's great escapism when you're feeling low on a rainy day or great to go out and see (then argue the differences between men and women) on a date.
 So after all that you probably want to know what it's all about, well it all starts with a young drunken Catholic Priest (Norton) staggering into and telling the woes of his life to the bartender. We learn that the Priest's best mate is a Rabbi (Stiller) and they've been best mates since they were kids, but recently their other best mate (Elfman) from their childhood has come back to New York and guess what.....she's successful, beautiful, witty, charming and then guess what....they both begin to fall in love with her. The problem is the Priest is celibate due to his religion and she's not Jewish which holds problems for the Rabbi's big promotion.
Far Fetched......Very, but the film does actually work by being about the problems everyone comes across in dating and relationships, at any age, not about the absurd situation the characters have got themselves into. Again while the characters themselves may be a tad unrealistic the a performances by the leads are great, particularly Elfman, who's magnetic. While it's not side-splittingly funny, which was a little disappointing, as Stiller is a great comic actor, it was very touching and engaging. Definitely worth seeing if you're sick of all the blockbusters and the terrible British 'mockney' gangster films and want to see something that's feel-good and a lot of fun. If you liked this, you'll love: The Truth About Cats and Dogs There's About Mary The Wedding Singer
website: http://studios.go.com/movies/keepingthefaith/
by ChrisM
|
