Norton hardly revolutionizes the romantic triangle formula, but he does nudge it in the direction of something intelligent.
Keeping the Faith (2000)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:113
Fresh:77
Rotten:36
Average Rating:6.2/10
Consensus: Norton's steady hand delivers a comedy filled with clever humor and enlightened performances.
Runtime: 2 hrs 9 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: In actor Edward Norton's directorial debut, Brian (Norton), a priest, and his best friend, Jake (Ben Stiller), a rabbi, both fall in love with their long-lost childhood friend, Anna (Jenna Elfman),... In actor Edward Norton's directorial debut, Brian (Norton), a priest, and his best friend, Jake (Ben Stiller), a rabbi, both fall in love with their long-lost childhood friend, Anna (Jenna Elfman), who has returned to Manhattan to pursue her hectic business career. However, Brian has taken a vow of celibacy, and Jake is constantly being set up by Jewish mothers in his temple. The workaholic Anna isn't Jewish, but this doesn't stop her from returning Jake's affection and beginning a relationship that they hide from Brian. As their relationship progresses, complications arise, leading Jake, Brian, and Anna to deal with questions of both religious and romantic faith. As Rabbi Jake, Stiller once again displays his excellent comic timing, and his scenes with Elfman, Norton, and Anne Bancroft (as Jake's traditional Jewish mother) carry KEEPING THE FAITH. Set in lushly filmed New York City, Norton's film exhudes an innocent charm that's sure to please audiences of all denominations. [More]
Starring: Ben Stiller, Jenna Elfman, Edward Norton, Anne Bancroft
Starring: Ben Stiller, Jenna Elfman, Edward Norton, Anne Bancroft, Milos Forman, Eli Wallach, Ron Rifkin, Rena Sofer, Holland Taylor, Ken Leung, Kryss Anderson
Director: Edward Norton
Director: Edward Norton
Screenwriter: Stuart Blumberg
Producer: Edward Norton, Howard W. "Hawk" Koch, Stuart Blumberg
Composer: Elmer Bernstein
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Release:
Oct 17, 2000
Reviews for Keeping the Faith
A high-spirited, feel-good film which avoids the sophomoric predictability.
A smart and good-natured picture, conscientious without pretension, a good mixture of romance, buddy movie, and verbal and thematic humour. Trust me.
Norton delivers a generally polished, agreeable film with winning characters and several comic sequences.
It is also two-hours-plus in length. Not until the movie nears that 'plus' portion, unfortunately, does it find some semblance of a stride.
a cheerful, endearing ode to friendship and the magic of Manhattan. An admirer of Woody Allen, Norton has made his own 'Annie Hall' here, and if the homage isn't the equal of the original, so what? It's entertaining nevertheless.
The characters are religious leaders mostly to take advantage of the comic possibilities of the confessional and the circumcision.
Rarely does the material rise to meet the level of competence exhibited by its very talented cast, which tries in vain to make the film better.
Emotions of friendship, infatuation and love bound off the screen with such potency and authenticity that you can't help but think, 'Yes, yes, exactly, I have been there, I have felt that, that is life!'
An amusing, charming and occasionally hilarious look at life, love, and religion in New York's Upper West Side.
Keeping the Faith lies somewhere in between the hyperreal absurdity of NYPD Blue and the boutique-chic, antiseptic Manhattan of Friends.
Should find a goodly number of believers within the date-movie congregation.
Norton's first film is crisp, confident, and considerably more entertaining than it has any right to be.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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