Ordinary Sinner (2002)
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Theatrical Release: Feb 14, 2003 Limited
Synopsis: ORDINARY SINNER is both a thriller and a coming-of-age drama involving issues of faith, love, and bigotry in a small college town. Under mysterious circumstances, Peter (Brendan P. Hines) suffers a crisis of faith and decides to leave the seminary where he has been studying to become a... ORDINARY SINNER is both a thriller and a coming-of-age drama involving issues of faith, love, and bigotry in a small college town. Under mysterious circumstances, Peter (Brendan P. Hines) suffers a crisis of faith and decides to leave the seminary where he has been studying to become a priest. He moves onto a college campus where he begins a complex triangular relationship with his lifelong friend Alex (Kris Park) and a beautiful young co-ed named Rachel (Elizabeth Banks). He also renews his friendship with Father Ed (A. Martinez), the local parish priest who served as Peter's mentor in high school. When the campus and town experience a sudden upsurge in homophobia--prompted by a radical Christian group's promotion of violence towards homosexuals and culminating in a brutal hate crime--Father Ed takes a courageous stand and Peter is once again forced to reexamine his religious faith. [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: A Martinez, Brendan P. Hines, Kris Park, Elizabeth Banks, Peter Onorati
Screenwriter: William Mahone
Producer: Chris Bongirne, John Henry Davis, J.B. White
Composer: Brian Adler
DVD Info
Release:
Sep 23, 2003
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
This wannabe thriller fails to thrill, and its would-be gay rights message fails to stir.
While Ordinary Sinner manages to capture the sense of confusion and uncertainty a young man experiences at a crossroads in his life, it is a slack and preachy business that never comes to grips with its underlying theme of homophobia.
Plays like a glossy student film that's not quite as insightful or edgy as it thinks it is.
I enjoyed this "coming of age" film, but for all the wrong reasons.
This well-meaning if bland romantic drama plays and looks a lot like a 'special' episode of Dawson's Creek.
Mr. Davis has a lot of ideas, but when it comes to dramatizing them, he is unable to give them an engaging form.
Hiding its poverty of imagination under a layer of simpleminded social criticism, Davis's directorial debut lurches unconvincingly from self-congratulatory polemic to bereavement melodrama to Hardy Boys mystery.
Not exactly 'good' but -- like a TV movie you want to switch off but can't -- it's too involving to completely dismiss.


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