Product: Keeping the Faith (2000)
Rating: 4.0
Sweet romantic comedy, made better by its cast
What can you say about Edward Norton? Acquiring quite the cult following many people are seeking out all of his films just to watch his performance, and I am one of them. Here he acts in, directs and co-produces a movie of a kind that he's never been in before: a romantic comedy. And it fares pretty well compared to similar films. The story concerns two best friends, a rabbi and a priest, who are both in love with the same girl from their childhood. Norton's the priest, Stiller the rabbi and Elfman the girl.Of course this is the kind of predicatable stuff romantic comedies are made out of, but there is a little something else here that does make you take more notice. Of course there are the performances. Norton at first seems to be taking on a role where he takes himself less seriously, yet as the movie progresses the small intricacies of his performance become apparent, in particular his internal struggle between faith and love. Stiller is a real shock in that he not only acts out the slapstick humour with his usual aplomb but also the dramatic elements with an ease that surely cries out for some more serious roles. Elfman is also a complete joy, managing to be self-asserted, fun and vulnerable all at the same time. Having never seen Dharma and Greg I was completely unaware of what a charismatic actress she was, but judging by this film she hopefully has great things ahead of her.Another point of the movie that makes it at least stand out from the crowd somewhat is its discussion of priorities, faith, religion, work and love. Whilst obviously more pertinent to the 30-somethings that Keeping The Faith is understandably aimed at (after all, Norton is one himself), this by no way means that it is alienating to any other audience. Speeches about whether finding love or getting a good job should be your main priority may seem slightly ill-judged when coming out of the characters' mouths, they at least seem a realistic protrayal of what they are thinking, even if it doesn't sound like something they'd actually say.Before the movie descends into cliché with a last run to get the girl and a smiling photo snap, there is also a lot of light humour that is carried very deftly by Norton and Stiller. In particular, the introduction of their religions is particularly inspired, creating harmless fun from a very touchy area. Whilst this may never be a classic in its own right, this is gentle watching that is a touch above other romantic comedies simply because its characters are all too endearing and fun to make you reach for your sick buckets. Whilst it may not be entirely original, that doesn't mean that there's no originality in it, and it marks an impressive directorial debut from Norton.