Habemus Papam

We have a Pope, or Habemus Papem, starts with the death of the Pope and the funeral procession at the Vatican. The scenery is spectacular with Cardinals from all over the world reciting prayers. The story then switches to the voting for the new Pontiff. The election of the new Vicar of Christ, played brilliantly by Michel Piccoli, is a very interesting concept.

Piccoli has severe doubts as to his ability to lead the Catholic Church and refuses to accept his fellow Cardinals decision appointing him to be in charge of the great bureaucracy of Rome.

The best psychiatrist in Italy is brought in to help the newly elected Pope deal with his anxiety. He leaves the Vatican for a few days to travel incognito and find himself among the common people. I won't continue so as not to spoil the rest of the film except to say that it remains interesting throughout. It never becomes preachy and the cast is excellent, led by Michel Piccoli.

This film is mildly recommended.

In one of my all-time favorite romantic comedies, Billy Wilder's enchanting Roman Holiday, a princess, with an aversion to her royal responsibilities and its added pressure of pomp and circumstance that comes with it, flees her guardians to escape to a simpler commoner's life in Rome. Complications ( and love ) ensue. In Nanni Moretti's engaging We Have a Pope, the job description might have changed slightly, but the same intensity and stress of duty and honor remains. And while the main character is never in search of love, complications begin to pile up.

The pope has died and a new successor must be elected. After multiple voting, the conclave of cardinals decide that Cardinal Melville would be the best candidate to fill that void. The crowds form outside the Vatican awaiting their decision, all eyes focused on that central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and its new pontiff. Yet inside, it is another story entirely as the newly anointed and appointed leader refuses to take on that role. A psychotherapist is brought in to convince Cardinal Melville that this big white whale of a job belongs to him. So what does the cardinal do? He escapes, seeking la dolce vita that others have.

Now Moretti's basic idea is an intriguing one, that one man who so many look to for spiritual guidance is himself in search of that elusive goal and is in the midst of his own personal crisis of faith. Morretti serves his story well as a director, setting up his characters, all of whom are held captive in their grandiose surroundings and involving the movie audience with the regal pageantry and splendor.

But as screenwriter, his script loses its focus with some subplots and actions that never quite gel. Just as his character becomes lost, so does his film. Scenes involving his interactions and experiences with the common folk fall flat and don't seem to resolve the complex issue or provide any insight for this troubled soul's introspection. As the film progresses, the remaining cardinals become more one-dimensional and their behavior, while slightly amusing, become easy folly as they play volleyball in their fancy silk trappings, merely decoration rather than real people. ( Only Renato Scarpi as Cardinal Gregori provides any depth to his character. ) Plus, the role of the psychologist ( also played by Moretti ) becomes a mere afterthought, never really building any relationship with his patient. And, those annoying Leaps of Logic comes to the forefront during his respite allowing him his "Roman Holiday", though those everyday "economic" expenses are not explained in the least ( free hotel room, food, theater ticket, bus transportation, etc.).

The film detours to an unsatisfying and unexpected conclusion that basically negates everything before it. As Cardinal Melville grapples with the anxiety of becoming one of the world's most exalted religious leader, Moretti too never comes to terms with his initial fascinating premise and his film's plot structure.

Fortunately, the talented French actor, Michel Piccoli gives a wonderfully subtle performance as Il papa. His nuanced facial expressions and sad soulful eyes convey the character's humility, fear, and wisdom beyond his years. It is superb acting that nearly makes up for some of the film's missteps along the way.

While many of the compelling elements are up there on the screen for a fine film, We Have a Pope simply needed to have a better script ( and ending ) to achieve a level of success. Still, Moretti does stay true to his vision and never becomes sentimental or mawkish. In We Have a Pope, while the job may remain unfilled, the moviegoer in us all regretfully remains unfulfilled as well. GRADE: B-

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This movie will make you feel weird. The setting is highly unusual and plot unexpected. You'll feel confused, even perplexed by the whole situation. However, that is exactly the point - this movie perfectly portrays what anxiety and depression feel like. Confusion, the need to be alone and the feeling of powerlessness are all typical for sufferers and are key elements of this wonderfully weird movie. I definitely recommend this movie for a nice, slow-paced and thought provoking afternoon.

This is a movie about an elderly man who has been chosen to be the next Pope. But, beware: the operative word in the previous sentence is "man", not "Pope", because the story is not about the challenges of being (or becoming) Pope: the story is about the struggles of being human. That's the reason why each and every one of us should be able to easily follow and enjoy this funny, educated movie. Taking for granted that all the viewers will be men (and women) themselves, it will be easy for everybody to get in touch with the doubts, the fears and the memories that the main character has to confront after he is called to take on himself one of the greatest responsibilities that the world has to offer.

Of course a lot of risks were involved in dealing with such issues as faith and self confidence using such an unusual and peculiar subject. But, just like a slim young acrobat on a flying trapeze daring to attempt a difficult exercise, the movie achieves the result of telling this strange story with grace, with humor, with kindness, and with a respect for the themes involved that, I think, the faithful part of the audience should be able to appreciate even more than those among us who wouldn't define themselves religious, or catholic.

Furthermore, I can't resist to notice how funny it is that a movie realized by an openly atheist author depicts catholic hierarchy with such a sympathetic view – with tones much more friendly, I would say, than the ones of many mainstream blockbusters we have seen in recent years. So, go watch this movie with confidence (it's an entertaining, interesting work of fiction), and trust (it's soft-spoken, and respectful): you could take even your kids along – and, go figure, even your confessor!

Moretti is an interesting director and his documentaries and movies (like "The Son's Room") shows us why. But what in the name of the Holy Spirit is he trying to tell us here? To get a foothold inside the Vatican, the nucleus of one of the great (well, at least by numbers) religions in the world, is a daunting task. It becomes clear that the director had been more interested in the the mindset of the man who's to be the next pope, than in any political or human machinations of the electors. We know our popes of the past - Peter O'Toole's or John Goodman's pope are a delight - but any effort to get into the inner workings of the Vatican has eluded us: Preminger's "The Cardinal" and Anderson's "The Shoes of the Fisherman" just scratch the surface and are too reverential, so Fellini still steals the show with his delightful religious fashion show in "Roma".

And that for a job description to head a congregation of over a billion, elected by a college of a mere hundred or so cardinals. Stuff for either historical pageantry (we all love our Borgias) or an insight into the mindset of electors or popes-to-be, about why a job can make or break a man, or how the past does influence your future. Instead we're offered the choice of an ass between two bales.

Is it is meant to be a farce? Then the bunch of actors hired to play a bunch of totally idiotic cardinals playing volley-ball in the aftermath of the conclave are right fitting in. But because of that it is very difficult to sympathize with the turmoils of a Pope-to-be with those allusions to All the world's a stage, the heavy references to Chekhov and all that. I mean, who wants to be a pope over this lot of twittering morons? And Piccoli is certainly not a fool, but a tormented soul who seems to have lost his confidence and the past. How does that fit in with farce? With a bunch of blabbering idiots playing pinocchio or volley-ball and a man in crisis? So, is it then meant to be a probing insight into the soul of a man who's thrown into this world as the next Pontiff? Is this a probe into the turmoils of a Pope-to-be? After all, apart from power-hungry popes in fiction, it is indeed an almost inhumane job. Then the bunch of actors hired to play a bunch of totally idiotic cardinals inside the conclave or playing volley-ball in the aftermath are totally unbelievable. They deny us any symphatising with the main character as we're lead to believe that some of the most powerful men in the world are blabbering idiots playing pinocchio. Alas, the director, playing the part of an atheistic psycho-analist, fits right in with this cardinal bunch.

The director should have known that the real world is barging in with almost every frame, with a church and its board of managers wading through a lot of controversial items. As a viewer you can't exclude that: we don't live in a vacuum. Moreover, the allusions to John XXII, Paul VI and John-Paul I are drawn with heavy strokes indeed.

So, we're stuck between two bales of hay. Bad choice. The director couldn't make an artistic choice and left us with no choice at all. In the end we can understand the Pope's decision, but not because we care for him or his struggle, but who in his or her right mind would govern a church with a council of idiots? Mmm… that may be the point the director is making?