Keeping The Faith Details

[Highly rated reviewer]

Keeping the Faith

Brian (Norton) and Jake (Stiller) have been friends since they were young children. Now, in their early 30's, Brian is a priest and Jake a rabbi. Their settled lives aare thrown out of balance when Anna (Elfman), the girl both were in love with when they were 12, returns to New York for work. The three resume their friendship but things get complex when Jake and Anna start dating, without telling Brian.

Keeping The Faith seems an odd choice for Edward Norton's first film as a director. As an actor he's largely avoided genre pieces and this is very much a staple romantic comedy.

However it's a hell of a lot more fun than most mass appeal studio financed rom-com because Norton proves an adept hand with his actors and extracts fine performances from his cast.

Elfman is charming and disarming as Anna and it's very clear why Brian and Jake would be fighting over her. Stiller and Norton make for an unexpectedly well matched double act. They bounce off each other well comedically and both acquit themselves well in what you might think wouldn't be their strong suits; Norton prvoes a fine comedian and Stiller has the bulk of the few dramatic scenes.

Despite Norton's pedestrian visual direction the fizzing script pulls the film along for the bulk of its running time but, sadly, it falls apart a bit in the last act. Here by numbers rom-com scenes take over from the less familliar comic beats of the first hour and a bit of the film.

It is a shame that the last twenty minutes don't quite work, because I want to love this film, but at the end of the day it finishes up just being average.

An easy going film. Don't expect too much and it's quite enjoyable. Typical slushy American movie.