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MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

God wanted a fighter...and he got one.

That’s the tag line on the poster for Father Stu.

I wanted a decent faith-based film for Easter weekend...and all I got was Father Stu.

That’s my capsule review of one of the worst “Christian” films of recent years. Watching this fact-based story of Stu Long, a beaten-down boxer, and his journey of redemption to the priesthood, I kept imagining the inspiring film that might have been made if only someone else decided to helm the project.

The person we meet in this movie, played by Mark Wahlberg, is an obnoxious, cocky, violent, and profane narcissist. He has a long-suffering mother (Jackie Weaver) by his side and an alcoholic, mean-spirited father (Mel Gibson) who sees Stu as a big disappointment. Stu leaves a mediocre life of boxing to pursue a career in acting. He’s not very good in either profession and resents having to work the kind of jobs that come his way. When he sees Carmen (Teresa Ruiz), a beautiful and devout Catholic woman, he decides that she’s the one for him and pursues her relentlessly, eventually following her into church and the long and winding road that leads to her door, to seminary, and the priesthood. (He will have to convert to Catholicism first.)

The film goes out of its way to not judge the reprehensible antics of people in need of salvation. But it spends too much of its story with the wayward sinners and too little time with the redeemed saints. It’s never quite clear when or how this transformation takes place. And that’s saying something, since Stu has separate visions of both Jesus and Mary.

This movie has been a (pun intended) passion project for Mark Wahlberg. He financed the film himself after he was unable to interest studios with his sales pitch. Mel Gibson decided to sign on as co-producer and Mel suggested his long-time partner Rosalind Ross to write and direct her first feature. Ross decided to keep the story entirely Stu-centric, keeping us up close and personal all the way. When everyone somehow finds a way to accommodate Stu’s upward path, it makes for a tepid tale.

Like many films based on true stories, we get end credits in which we see photos of the actual persons alongside the actors playing the parts. We also get about 30 seconds of the real Father Stu preaching a sermon. You can hear beauty and sincerity in his words and see warmth in his eyes. That’s the guy I wanted to know more about!

Too late for that. But stick around during the credits and you will get to see a terrible deleted scene. These gems are usually saved as extra features on the DVD, but it’s a streaming world, folks!

If this film were an actual church service, I would be tempted to reach into the offering plate and take back the money that I spent on my ticket.

Halo and Pitchfork Rating:

Two halos: The real Father Stu Long deserved a better movie; a scene depicting 12-Step recovery.
Four pitchforks: Constant profanity, abusive behavior, excessive drinking, racist epithets.

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