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 Keeping
The Faith
 
I thought
I had died and gone to heaven when I saw the casting for Keeping
The Faith. Thank you lord all mighty. Shalom to all. Genius
Thespian man Edward "Don't call me Eddie" Norton and
that hirsute clever bantering little Ben Stiller in the same film...
ad to this the female equivalent of Brad Pitt,-Jenna Elfman-whom
would be my type if I went gay. Man was I ready to stampede the
third row center seat.
However, like
last years prequel to Star Wars, I was let down slowly
but sorely.
See the films
a tad long...like Green Mile long. But why? Ben's cute
little head tilts and Edward's smirking cutey boy smile began
to wear thin as nature called (loudly ) for me inquiring about
the extra large Starbuck's Iced Flavor de Jour I'd enjoyed earlier-if
you know what I mean. At one point there's a break up between
-let's just say the "lovers." Filmatically two weeks
was to have had passed. Well, dear readers it felt like we were
there for every minute of every second of the two weeks. I was
fidgety- not good.
The story
is clever. A light comedy about two close friends who grow up
in two very different religions. One believes in Jesus and the
Catholic version of faith. The other prefers to think of him as
a nice Jewish carpenter who made people feel good about themselves,
but not the son of God. One is Edwardthe other Stiller-'nough
said as to who's whom?
As young boys
they meet a Tatum O'neal in The Bad News Bears type girl,
Anna Riley (Jenna Elfman). They all grow up and story begins.
Catholic boy has become a priest, Jewish boy an Orthodox Rabbi.
Young Anna a workaholic ready for a love connection...which one
will it be? How to chose? Jesus, I ask you? 
I wanted so
hard to love this. I laughed a few times and felt for the characters.
Apparently Norton doesn't want to be type cast and is (similar
to his friend Kevin Spacey ) testing different diverse characters.
He excelled as a white supremacist in American History X,
rocked as a lunatic masochist in Fight Club, was pleasantly
perfect as lizard scum boy in Rounders (which I actually
liked-unlike most folks) and here Nortie handles comedy admirably.
But, Ben Stiller ( a razor sharp comic) should have told his talented
costar and director part of the art of comedy is editing. Knowing
when the punch line is entered and the next scene begins. If he
could have taken about 35-45 minutes out, I really think this
would have been an exceptional romantic comedy. As it is now,
it's winded and grows tiresome.
Why Edward?
Why?
Snack Recommendation:
Manishevitz wine and Communion wafers
Starring:
Edward Norton. Ben Stiller, Jenna Elfman and Anne Bancroft.
Directed
by: Edward Norton
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