Keeping the Faith

I have mentioned the movie Keeping the Faith in my review of The Incredible Hulk (http://mrfilmreviewer.blogspot.com/2012/04/incredible-hulk.html) since Edward Norton also starred in this film. In fact, he also directed Keeping the Faith, which makes the whole thing a lot more interesting.

I first saw the movie back in High School, as I have mentioned, when it was shown in one of our religion classes (I went to a Catholic school). Re-watching the whole thing and looking back at it, I can understand why it was shown to us. It tackles a lot of things about religion. One, the difficulties of being a priest, the obstacles they go through, the feeling they may or may not suppress. It also presented the Jewish religion which I am not too familiar with. Inter-religion interaction, celibacy, friendships; this movie had so many themes in it but it all blended in perfectly. Nothing was out of placed, or forced. It flowed naturally and that's a clear sign the film had a clear direction.

The movie was hilarious. It reminded me why I, along with my classmates, liked this film. It was funny. Since it was released 12 years ago, the humor was a little different, and I guess it was a little refreshing to be reminded of how movies were like before. Today it's all about the effects, 3D big budget films. However, sometimes, all you need is the perfect combination of a well-thought out screenplay, a few equipment, and talented actors to produce a great film. I'm actually disappointed this movie did not do that well in the box office. It earned, but I think it should have gotten a lot more. This is quality movie!

The story revolves around friendship, the clash of religion and romance for the two religious leaders, the social norms and the restriction it imposes, and the interactions of different characters. This movie depicted a lot of scenarios that are very relevant and present today, I personally think.

I think it shows how we are being caged by the norms we have. Norms do have sense in them, and they serve as guides to how people should be. But I guess the film wanted to show that there times that the norms should guide us, and not direct us. We get caught up with a lot we-should-do-this-and-not-that that we sometimes lose the essence or the value it has. I'm not saying that religion should change. I'm just saying that religion should keep up with how fast society is changing. There things that don't and won't apply to our current society anymore, and a little change won't hurt. Maybe the film is showing us that there is nothing wrong with being a little open-minded. Again, I want to clear that I am not, in any way, attacking the Church. I'm just saying that we can all use a little thinking.

What I liked about this movie is how it chose to intertwine these two religions to create a romantic comedy film. As I have said, I don't see a lot of "rom-coms" but this one is probably one of the better ones out there. It had substance. It wasn't all about the romance, not all about the comedy, and not all about the romantic comedy. It is a romantic comedy discussing the romance side of a specific situation in a funny way.

This movie made me a fan of Edward Norton, and I continue to still be a fan of his. He's an amazing person, actor, director, and writer. He is one of the people I want to meet before I die because I really look up to him and his talent. I've also always been a fan of Ben stiller, and I personally think he's one of the best people in the comedy scene. He's funny, but he can also turn on the dramatic side and be a versatile actor. He never fails to deliver and that's an amazing characteristic. He always makes sure that he will make people laugh, or sad, or whatever he needs to do. I have to confess that this is the only Jenna Elfman movie I've seen. But this movie showcased her enough that I feel like I can make a correct judgment of her, and I have nothing but positive things to say. She was beyond phenomenal in this movie.

The title says "Keeping the Faith". I'm keeping my faith in this movie. I'm keeping my faith on the people who created this movie. I'm keeping the faith that whoever reads this will be persuaded that the movie is worth checking out. I assure you that you'll at least find it entertaining. Then again, I'm very easy to please. But go watch it.