I'm not an overly religious person. That said, Father Stu seemed like an interesting film. A guy who wants to find his true calling and tries several things before deciding to go into priesthood. There's probably better films of this type of genre, but this isn't too bad.
Mark Wahlberg plays Stuart Long in this true story of what Long did at points in his life. A local boxer who is forced to retire because of health issues, he wants to make a name for himself and Hollywood is where he believes he can do well for him and his mother. He tries his luck and finds himself in bad situations until catching the eye of a young lady named Carmen who goes to church every Sunday. Long decides to clean up his act and do better and believes in joining the priesthood with ups and downs along the way.
The real Stuart Long passed away back in 2014, so this is a film that knows there will not be any sort of happy ending. I don't know how to explain the movie. No matter what throughout it, Long is determined to get what he wants. Even if it sounds crazy, he knows he has a true calling. It's also redemption, especially with the rocky relationship of his father, played by Mel Gibson. So many things you can describe. And it's a passion project that Wahlberg wanted to work on, hence helping finance it according to multiple websites. Redemption and also tragedy with Long's health and past wounds that don't heal.
Outside of some pacing issues, the cinematography had a bit of a grittiness and some excellent lighting usage at points. That was used with big effort in the later part of the film. There was a little bit more of a movie score along with a few songs here and there. The only other problems would be the subject matter. It was a decent enough film. Definitely an on the fence type of choice. If you're interested, see it before it gets pulled out of theaters within a few weeks. There's far worse true story movies.
Score: 6.5 out of 10
No comments:
Post a Comment