Rating: 
Summary: very entertaining
Review: This is a tale of three childhood friends. It's funny but not over the top. One of the friends moves away and the two boys are left to grow up. But years later, the girl comes back. Sparks fly when they both begin to fall in love with her all over again. It's great fun.
Rating:
Summary: Conflicts when worlds collide
Review: This is an interesting movie of three nice and decent people whose settled inter-relationship in one stage of life is suddenly and unexpectedly threatened in another stage. Many of us are lucky enough to make lasting friendships in school; sadly for one reason or another (relocation, different colleges, varying careers), many of these friendships fade away.This is a story of two boys and a girl whose friendship as children was as good as it could get. Now years later, the boys are into religion: one (Norton) an ordained Catholic priest working with youth, the other (Stiller) a Jewish rabbi 'auditioning' for a congregation. Meanwhile, in a nice little twist, the girl (Elfman) has become a high powered businesswoman. The movie explores what happens when they meet again. The friendship is every bit as good as it used to be ' the days seem hardly to have passed. But as adults, they have new priorities, new ambitions that complicate the picture. Happy as Norton is with his vocation, Elfman awakens questions in him (of relationships, of marriage, of sex) that he thought were settled, but in fact has no answers for. Stiller has other problems with his evident attraction to Elfman and hers' for him. A rabbi unlike a priest is free (in fact almost expected!) to marry; yet marriage to a girl who is not Jewish (she is catholic) would jeopardize his ambition to be rabbi of an influential congregation where he can make a difference. Both Norton and Stiller are simultaneously battling conservative elders to draw more youth to their respective services. Elfman herself seems to be weighing career and family options. These are no perfect cut-outs; they are basically decent people with human flaws. Faced with choices that impact their fundamental beliefs, they struggle, make mistakes, hurt themselves and each other. The ending may be predictable, but they way Norton (who also directs) gets to the end is top quality. The film is filled with vignettes of humor. It does not preach but tries to understand the terrible conflicts that arise when worlds collide. I enjoyed the movie and before I end, let me recommend the bonus scene on the DVD of Anna and the vibrating cell phone (I will not say more lest I spoil it for you) which is hilarious.
Rating:
Summary: You Gotta Have Faith
Review: If you look carefully enough at the trailer of every movie, you can pretty much tell whether or not it's a rental. I did in fact take my girlfriend at the time to see this movie, and it succeeded as both a date movie, and a trite little tale about religion in the 90's. In the latter case, the film probably works a lot better--I agree with most of the reviewers about the pairing of the Ben Stiller (Jake) and Jenna Elfman (Dhar... I mean, Anna); that there's not much onscreen chemistry between them. Elfman is the real problem--her jump from TV to the big screen just isn't convincing. That being said, there are a number of great one-liners, mostly relating to modern-day religion, and the strength of the film's first half is JUST enough to forgive the weakness of the second half. Anybody in this day and age who's had problems with his/her faith would enjoy this film for what it is. A simple, light-hearted comedy with its heart in the right place. Besides, my mum loved it.
Rating: 
Summary: hot and cool
Review: "Who is the coolest woman you have ever known?"
"That's easy: Anna Riley, in eighth grade."
Keeping the Faith is a really sweet and funny film about a rabbi, a priest, and a hot and successfull business woman who get together again for the first time since 8th grade, when they were best friends all three of them. As you can imagine, the faith issues, the friendship, and the fact that they all now have adult desires makes for a messy story, but a lot of fun. The reason I review it on this site is simple: Jenna Elfman. In short, she is not only cool, she is also HOT. The clincher is the extra scene, cut from the film but made it onto the DVD's bonuses, of Jenna (Anna) and her vibrating cell phone. I don't recall having seen a scene before that was both funny and so sexy I could hardly sleep after. Get the DVD if you can. Favorite quote: "I know what an intimate relationship you have with your cell phone, and I thought I'd get in on the action."
Rating:
Summary: Sweet romantic comedy, made better by its cast
Review: What can you say about Edward Norton? Acquiring quite the cult following many people are seeking out all of his films just to watch his performance, and I am one of them. Here he acts in, directs and co-produces a movie of a kind that he's never been in before: a romantic comedy. And it fares pretty well compared to similar films. The story concerns two best friends, a rabbi and a priest, who are both in love with the same girl from their childhood. Norton's the priest, Stiller the rabbi and Elfman the girl. Of course this is the kind of predicatable stuff romantic comedies are made out of, but there is a little something else here that does make you take more notice. Of course there are the performances. Norton at first seems to be taking on a role where he takes himself less seriously, yet as the movie progresses the small intricacies of his performance become apparent, in particular his internal struggle between faith and love. Stiller is a real shock in that he not only acts out the slapstick humour with his usual aplomb but also the dramatic elements with an ease that surely cries out for some more serious roles. Elfman is also a complete joy, managing to be self-asserted, fun and vulnerable all at the same time. Having never seen Dharma and Greg I was completely unaware of what a charismatic actress she was, but judging by this film she hopefully has great things ahead of her. Another point of the movie that makes it at least stand out from the crowd somewhat is its discussion of priorities, faith, religion, work and love. Whilst obviously more pertinent to the 30-somethings that Keeping The Faith is understandably aimed at (after all, Norton is one himself), this by no way means that it is alienating to any other audience. Speeches about whether finding love or getting a good job should be your main priority may seem slightly ill-judged when coming out of the characters' mouths, they at least seem a realistic protrayal of what they are thinking, even if it doesn't sound like something they'd actually say. Before the movie descends into cliché with a last run to get the girl and a smiling photo snap, there is also a lot of light humour that is carried very deftly by Norton and Stiller. In particular, the introduction of their religions is particularly inspired, creating harmless fun from a very touchy area. Whilst this may never be a classic in its own right, this is gentle watching that is a touch above other romantic comedies simply because its characters are all too endearing and fun to make you reach for your sick buckets. Whilst it may not be entirely original, that doesn't mean that there's no originality in it, and it marks an impressive directorial debut from Norton.
Rating:
Summary: Delving Deeper
Review: I have a bone to pick with just about every movie critic in the known universe. Each and every one of them acts shocked and dismayed when a romantic comedy turns out to be *gasp!* predictible, and then they feel the need to make snide comments about the acting, the plot, the storyline... What gets lost in all this is the fact that many highly intelligent people enjoy watching these movies because they are FUN. Even if I know (or think I know) how a movie will turn out in the end, I can still have FUN while I'm getting there. You know what fun is, right? It's that thing where you're happy and not uptight--you remove the stick from your butt for awhile and just ENJOY yourself. What a concept. And I was in the mood to enjoy myself one night, didn't want to think too deeply, so I decided to rent "Keeping The Faith." Wow. I have to state here that I'm pretty wary of movies that portray "religious" people of any kind, because I'm sick and tired of stereotypes. Let me assure my fellow "religious" people: this movie doesn't wuss out. The catholic Priest isn't an uptight jerk, and he isn't a total saint. He's *shock" Edward Norton: a NICE GUY who feels called to his work and wants to make a difference. The Rabbi isn't some wise old guy who's used as a plot device to deliver either crucial advice or comic relief. Instead, he's Ben Stiller--a pretty nice younger guy who's torn between pleasing others and doing what's right for himself. The priest and the rabbi have been friends since childhood. When another childhood friend comes back into their lives after years of separation, they both fall in love with her. Oops. The Priest doubts his calling when he struggles with his love for a woman who happens to be in love with his best friend, and the Rabbi alternates between struggling to make faith seem real to the people in his congregation and lashing out/ hurting his friends/ being a total jerk. Surprise! These are real people. They're not always nice. Their faith isn't a crutch, it isn't a band aid, it isn't an insult to the audience. It's a real and living thing that they struggle to understand as they try to pass it on to others. The Rabbi falls in love with a woman who doesn't share his faith. Oh no! What will people think? What should he do? Jenna Elfman's speech to him about how she admires his faith and she's trying to understand it even though it's not easy for her is one of the most touching moments in a movie chock full of touching moments. Maybe that's why the critics didn't like this movie. Critics seem to hate touching moments. Touching moments happen all the time in real life, that's why they're predictable. I expected to have fun with this movie, and I did--rolling with laughter more than once. But I was also enlightened and rewarded with a film that allowed me to think a little deeper about everything I hold dear. While the priest and the rabbi never walk into a bar together, the movie still manages to be funny. And the love story is everything love stories should be: sappy, sweet, and ultimately satisfying. As an added bonus, you can ponder some deeper questions of faith and savor the unexpected delight of seeing true friendship realistically portrayed. Relax, take a deep breath, remove the stick from your butt, and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Movie
Review: A really sweet and wonderful film. I enjoyed it all the way through.
Rating: 
Summary: Have you heard the one about .....
Review: Have you heard the one about the priest, the rabbi, and the business executive? No, well watch this movie then.
This film was just not what I thought it would be. Perhaps I expect better out of two guys who have made much better pictures. Stiller has a had a hit or two. Although I think he's much better as a member of the supporting cast (if you don't agree watch Happy Gilmore and then check out Zoolander). And just about everything Edward Norton does is good. But this movie just lacked chemistry and any sense of real movement.
Rating:
Summary: Have you heard the one about .....
Review: Have you heard the one about the priest, the rabbi, and the business executive? No, well watch this movie then.
This film was just not what I expected. Perhaps I excpect better out of two guys who have made much better pictures. Stiller has a had a hit or two, although I think he's much better as a member of the supporting cast. And just about everything Edward Norton does is good. But this movie just lacked chemistry and any sense of real movement.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly pleasant sleeper
Review: My wife and I had never heard of this one, until it appeared on Pay Per View television. Now I've seen it three times, including this past weekend with my parents. There's a slight slowdown for perhaps the third fifth of the movie, but the rest is really quite charming. The writing is witty, the acting is comfortable, and the direction and editing are both quite smart.
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