Into Temptation

Jeremy sisto is father john at saint mary's. The multi-talented kristin chenoweth is linda salerno, who comes to his church to confess. She confesses that she will kill herself on her birthday, then rushes off. So father john doesn't really have a chance to respond, or to try to stop her. So that becomes his mission. But trying to help her may be more trouble than he bargained for. Can he find her, and figure out what's going on without violating any rules of the church? It's good ! Co-stars Brian Baumgartner. Written and directed by patrick coyle. One of the three films he's directed to date.

Perhaps like you, I hesitated to watch this film because I thought it might fall into the standard clichés of a religious thriller (like a cluelessly naïve priest, a slutty prostitute, gratuitous booty shots, vapid dialogue, blatant religious or anti-religious propaganda, predictable ending, etc), so I came to IMDb to check out the reviews. As others have said, this is indeed a great movie. I was really surprised at how much substance the filmmakers packed into this 95 min film. It constantly surprised me and was never predictable while making logical sense the whole way through. And it leaves us with a powerful message we can all munch on, religious folks & atheists alike.

Through Jeremy Sisto's character, an intelligent and curious young priest, we are presented with a lot of fascinating themes. Though set amid the Catholic church, we don't get any church propaganda nor do we get church bashing. Instead the film focuses on human beings and how, regardless of god & religion, we attempt to find peace in our souls. The film never comes across as preachy, yet it shows us the value of human interactions and how our trivial actions can have enormous consequences.

Conversely, the lascivious underworld of sex & debauchery presents another venue, but the film never descends to the obvious moralizing. Again, they're all shown to be human beings with human interactions, and it's the value of these interactions that gives the world meaning.

This is a very dialogue-driven, tone-driven movie. In other words, no car chases, shootouts or big explosions. Instead the interesting characters carry the film and do so brilliantly. There's a lot of playful banter between characters, and the witty humour is what really makes this a fun film even though it makes us think.

This may sound odd, but it reminded me a lot of The Exorcist III, another excellent film that packs much more than the DVD cover implies. Both films revolve around a man whose faith is unconventional, who is trying to make sense of a bizarre mystery & how it relates to matters of the soul. And both films have some great humour despite being thrillers. Don't forget the great acting. Jeremy Sisto's quiet, inexperienced-yet-savvy character in Into Temptation is like a young George C Scott in The Exorcist III. Put your thinking cap on, see both films, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Other obscure films that this reminded me of (and which I also recommend) are "Rudy Blue" (1999), "Angela" (1995), and "The Merry Gentleman" (2008).

Into Temptation (2009)

This is a religious film, really, in street clothes. And in the end it's about how being good is really good.

It's also a lesson in how you have to bend the rules to actually do the right thing--even if you fail. And that sometimes you do the right thing and succeed--without even knowing it.

Clearly a low budget movie, and a fairly simple one, in filmmaking terms (the sets, the light, the presence of the camera, the side characterizations, and the music, all these key elements, are unremarkable). But the plot itself, with its twists, is enough to make you at least curious. Yes, you wonder why it has to go tawdry at times, why there has to be some sexed up stuff for the viewer (it doesn't advance the plot, in the one egregious case). And there is a tidy solution to the central problem that will seem cheap to nonbelievers and magical to believers.

Most of all is a great performance by the lead, the priest, played by Jeremy Sisto. I knew him best from his role as Billy in Six Feet Under, and loved him there, and he is if anything more subtle and interesting (if less outrageous) here. It's a careful, felt performance in a movie that should have supported him better. Other aspects may jump out. His ex-girlfriend, whatever her role, is utterly believable, as much as the prostitute in question is not. The other priest is a caricature who overplays his part but has some great dialog with Sisto. There is the key flashback, which adds yet another layer of meaning, of cause and effect, and though it moved me somehow, I felt manipulated by it, and it was another case where the movie showed its seams.

So it may try too hard and strain within its resources (and with the director's reach--he has one other film to his credit, and famous as the voice in a Hamburger Helper t.v. ad), but it has moments that are right on. With Sisto's help. For those inclined toward religious sentimentality.

It's hard for me to categorize this movie; it's unlike most films although it has elements of mystery, drama, comedy, tragedy and angst. The story revolves around a priest who is attempting to locate a confessor in the Minneapolis underworld while simultaneously confronting some of his personal demons but it is not nearly as trite as that sounds, the whole presentation feels remarkably unique and fresh. It does not present itself like a major studio treatment nor like the usual independent effort.

All aspects of the film's production are convincing and very assured. While most of the plot's elements have been explored elsewhere, this particular combination of excellent screenplay and considerable talent is somewhat like being exposed to an entirely new cuisine - and a welcome change that is. It is clever, poignant, buoyant, gritty and witty but it is not your normal fare.

Try it, you might like it.

The premise of the movie was interesting. Will he be able to reach her? Can he stop her? But a ton of the scenes stuck me as filler, with little dramatic import. The subplot of the priest's "temptation" turned out to be, simply, empty. His looking at the magazines had no discernible effect on him. The ex-girlfriend's approaches were easily diverted. He doesn't seem to have been "into temptation" after all. When the girlfriend apologized and talked as if she was not going to bother him any more, I wondered, "So what was all that about then?" Just a little subplot to fill the time. Was he really looking at the prostitute's cleavage or just at her necklace? The ending with the prostitute also seemed a bit of a cheat.

The conversations between the priest and his black parishioner seemed very odd, where the parishioner was playing the role of counsellor to the priest.

Two stars out of five.