[WE HAVE A POPE
opens in Cleveland on Friday April 20 th exclusively at the Cedar Lee
Theatre.]
Review
by Bob Ignizio
There's
an old saying, often attributed to Otto Von Bismarck but evidently
originating with John Saxe:
“Laws
are like sausages — it is best not to see them being made.” The
same thing might well apply to the process of picking a Pope, which
is probably why it usually happens behind closed doors in a secretive
conclave. WE HAVE A POPE
(Habemus Papam)
pulls back the curtain to reveal a fictionalized account of the
process, aiming for lightweight laughs by showing what might happen
were things to go awry.
Cardinal
Melville (Michel Piccoli) is nowhere close to being a frontrunner for
the papacy when the current Pope departs this mortal coil, but after
several inconclusive votes, he somehow winds up with the job. You
might think than anyone who had devoted his life to service in The
Church for as long as Melville has would be thrilled with such a turn
of events, but as the private prayers of the other Cardinals we're
privy to attest, he's far from the only one who has no desire to take
on such a weighty role.
The
new pope tries to speak to the masses of the faithful waiting to meet
the new representative of God on earth, but is unable to. A
psychiatrist (Nanni Moretti, the writer/director of the film) is
called in to help, to no avail. He suggests that his ex-wife, also a
psychiatrist, might be better suited to the task, but after seeing
her the Pope escapes from his handlers to try and work things out on
his own. Will he accept his responsibility, and how long can the
Church wait for him to decide?
As
far as a premise for a comedy goes, it's not a bad one, and there are
certainly some scenes here that elicit smiles and even a few
chuckles. The performances are good and Moretti's direction is
capable, but ultimately it feels like the movie lacks the courage to
really shake things up like it seems to be saying it wants to. It's a
pleasant enough ride, but it feels anticlimactic when it reaches its
destination. 2 1/2 out of 4 stars.
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