Awkward romantic comedy about an earnest young priest
(Zachary Spicer), already undergoing a crisis of faith, who finds himself in
turmoil after a vaguely bohemian and religiously indifferent coffee house
singer (Wrenn Schmidt) appears in the confessional claiming she is terminally
ill and seeking not absolution in preparation for death but funeral arrangement
advice. The unlikely pair embarks on a friendship made tense by mutual
attraction, a relationship that eventually forces the cleric to reassess his
commitment to the church. His experienced and by-the-book pastor (Danny Glover)
tries to reinforce his sense of vocation while the mildly eccentric Franciscan
friar (John C. McGinley) who rounds out the rectory household is mostly on hand
to provide comic relief, though little of the humor works. While free of
sensationalism, writer-director Paul Shoulberg's film, inspired by his parents'
marital history, predictably portrays celibacy as a burdensome shackle and
erotic love as a necessary ingredient in self-realization. Since the background
story casts doubt on the legitimacy of the main character's call in the first
place, some Catholic viewers may be accepting of — if hardly comfortable with —
the movie's outcome.
Watch out for: Religious
themes requiring mature discernment, at least one rough and several crude and crass
terms and an obscene gesture.
Rated: A-III, adults; MPAA:
PG-13
© Arlington Catholic Herald 2017