The Good Catholic

No matter what you might think this is about from the title, you're wrong. IOW, don't not see the film because of it. It's neither a polemic mocking religious faith, nor does it say anything about religion except maybe why don't we all just sit down and start over. All four primary characters are superbly cast, including Danny Glover who is about 3 steps above anything I've ever seen him in before. The subject matter is handled respectfully, albeit with liberal amounts of humor which zeros in on the fact that most religions take themselves way to seriously--which the production company apparently takes to heart, naming itself Pigasus (sic) Pictures.

This is about as perfect as you can expect an independent film to be. It's only flaw is there being too much lipstick on Daniel--which is so obvious, I wondered if they just wanted to give the audience something to criticize. Needless to say, there's no actual action for the action junkies, but the dialogue and the subject matter are outstanding--and at times, profound. This is my second "10" of the year, (18th all time), the first being only a week ago, so I was wondering if coming out of the summer movie drought has something to do with it.

It' doesn't'.

THE GOOD CATHOLIC finds a decent young man trying to follow a path set out for him by his father, that of a Catholic priest. We can sense from the first scene his restlessness in the confines of this dogma-bound and tightly constricted role. He yearns for meaning in life and thought to satisfy that yearning in the priesthood but finds himself embracing phantoms until an edgy and clever young woman enters his life. She claims to be dying but touches him with her spark of individuality and suddenly he understands his life can be more than a period of long waiting for the end, more than fear of hell and hope of heaven. The movie evokes very powerfully the deep yearning of youth for a lifetime story of love and meaning, for experiencing something intense and alive before it's too late, the awful fear that youth has that it will never be young.

Catholic viewers, beware. The Good Catholic is a quirky, indie flick that takes a definite viewpoint. There are three Catholic priests, Danny Glover, John C. McGinley, and the lead character Zachary Spicer. Each great friends, each at different stages in their lives, and each with a different relationship with God. Danny is the oldest; he's the sage who is the most solely devoted to God. John is "the fun one". He puts pizzazz into the choir, he loves watching football games, and he's constantly cracking jokes. But, in an emotional sermon, he educates his congregation on the true meaning of compassion: to suffer with. Even though he seems like the stereotypical "fun priest" who uses slang and listens to hip hop, he really does have a meaningful relationship with God. Zach is the problem. He's grieving the death of his father, and it's extremely clear that his grief overwhelms and distracts him. He feels pain and loss, and when a quirky, non-religious, disrespectful young woman (Wrenn Schmidt) comes into his confessional, he gets taken out of himself for a while. It's very simple, to an outside viewer.

Wrenn is a pot-stirrer who intentionally bothers him and tries to disturb his life. At first, she tells him she's dying, and when she's secured his pity, she starts seeing him socially outside the confessional. Her behavior is highly inappropriate; everybody knows that a priest has taken a vow of chastity. She seems bound and determined to poke holes in his life and make him break that vow. She invites him into her apartment, she flirts with him ("Alright, you can take me home, but no funny business," she says before he's even offered to), and she actually informs him that they're dating. They're not dating! He's a Catholic priest - even a non-Catholic viewer can see how unacceptable her actions are.

When Zach invites her to dinner with the other priests, Danny takes a very hard stance with her. I got the feeling that the audience was supposed to think he was rude, but I was completely on his side. She was horribly offensive to him, called him names, and walked out of the dinner. All he did was remind her of a priest's choices, duty, and lifestyle. How is that rude?

All in all, I understood the message of the film, but I didn't agree with it. I'm not sure how Catholic viewers will feel about it (but I'm not going to give any spoilers). Those who don't really respect the church will probably really like it; they'll probably really like Wrenn's character.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. There is quite a bit of handheld camerawork in this movie, and it will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

A lot to think about, that's what this film gives you;there will be laughs,and also tense and sad moments;my friends and I had an interesting discussion after watching it, but most of all :no one liked the end ... frustrating ...you see, there's a lot of stories with 'open ends',and most of the times it works; as for this one, we all wanted to see EVERYTHING on the screen,without having to decipher anything at all.Wren Schmidt is lovely here;Glover:finest work ever;Mcginley, hilarious as usual but also moving(must see);Spicer was a revelation to us: very good acting.Don't miss this film!

Enjoyed the development of the relationship between faith and love in a story with interesting, well developed characters. Funny and sad issues that adults can relate to presented in a compelling and entertaining story. Well worth seeing with friends and discussing after. The filming and photography struck me as excellent. Set in small town America, the story presents challenges and moral issues faced by everyone.