Rating: 
Summary: Faithfully Kept Comedy...=)
Review: This was a wonderful movie, if not a tad too long. Funny, thoughtful, and at times, damn-near heartwarming. Ed Norton has always been a stellar actor, but never so warmly appealing before as he is as Father Brian Finn, an Irish Catholic Priest in Manhattan. This is also Norton's directorial debut. A good start for a great star! His best friend in the movie is Ben Stiller's character(played with humor and an affective broodiness)Rabbit Jacob Schrahmn. The 2 were childhood buddies who remained strong friends into adulthood, both pursuing careers related to their religions: Judaism and Catholicism. When their long lost friend from childhood Anna walks back into their lives they both fall for her, and this is where the movie cooks with fun, sprit, a subtle wit, and warmth of heart. There are some tense moments with confrontation, questioning of faith,and you really feel bad for Anna and for Father Brian. The only bad things I can say about this film is that it is predictable, it's a bit long for the kind of plot that it has ( a thin one) and you are never really given enough insight into Stiller's character as to why Anna falls for him as opposed the the more lovable priest. And it would have made a more interesting plot to have them in a tryst instead anyway. But all in all, there is a fun spirit to this film. IT discusses religion as if religion is an agreeable belief the world over, and we just can't agree on the structure of which to base it on. It has strong likable characters, a fair if not great soundtrack, and enjoyable dialougle. A fantabulous date flick be you Jewish, Catholic or even Atheist!
Rating: 
Summary: Frivolous Fun
Review: KEEPING THE FAITH is set in NYC where Pastor Brian(Norton), and Rabbi Jacob(Stiller) have their friendship tested when an old mutual female friend, Anna(Elfman), pays them an unexpected visit. Of course, they both fall head over heels with the successful young wall-street type and chaos ensues as the seductions and self-analyses commence.The subsequent turmoil turns in some of the best original comedy I've seen from a movie in a long time. From the Irish bar run by a Punjabi, through the "Heroes of the Torah" - the comedy is delivered thick and fast. In fact, I cannot say enough about the humor that is dished out in this movie. It is simply fun! In his directorial debut, Edward Norton does a fine job of handling some pretty outstanding talent and is able to hold his own on-screen with Stiller. Ben Stiller is true to form and provides a character of some depth while managing not to take himself too seriously - a talent that is required of the best comedy actors. Some exceptional supporting characters provide another uplift to this movie and I'll mention by name Ken Lueng who plays a karaoke salesman and Brian George - the 'Irish' bartender. I would be lying if I didn't tell you that I didn't want to watch KEEPING THE FAITH and that my wife talked me into it. So here's the tip to all the married/dating guys out there: buy this movie and watch it with the wife/girlfriend - you will earn some brownie points and have a pretty good time yourselves!
Rating: 
Summary: Few laughs in tired script about Catholics vs. Jews
Review: Being a keen fan of Ben Stiller & Edward Norton (Elfman is very over rated) several friends and I went along to see this much hyped film that provided few genuine laughs, broken up by long periods of boring dialogue and hackneyed cliches about Catholics & Jews...it was almost like watching that old 70's sitcom "Bridget loves Bernie". To be honest it become a tedious quest to see if I could stop from falling asleep from the poor quality script ! The plot devices used in this film are as old as the hills, the jokes you can see coming from a hundred miles away....and Elfman is unbelievably weak compared to Stiller & Norton. Elfman is obviously trying to expand her horizons beyond her one dimensional TV character in "Dharma & Greg"...but this effort by her falls flat on her face !! This cliche riddled movie just meandered on and on like a lost ship without a rudder for what seemed like an eternity !! A dissapointing romance that may possibly only be funny to older religious types that enjoy the old Barry Fitzgerald / Bing Crosby movies !
Rating:
Summary: Not only can Norton act but direct!
Review: After seeing the trailer for Keeping the Faith I planned to run away from ever seeing it. The trailer was packed with silly physical comedy pratfalls and nonsense - not the kind of film to see and certainly not the kind in which one would expect to find an actor like Edward Norton starring, let alone directing. But pushed by trusted friends who assured me of the film's quality, I broke down and saw Keeping the Faith. It turned out to be a bright spot in a dreary 2000 moviegoing year. Norton's film follows the simple comedic/romantic comedy scenario that three childhood friends (Norton, Stiller and Elfman) are reuniting after more than a decade apart. Of course the twist is that the boys have become a priest and a rabbi (sounds like a bad joke) and the girl became a powerful business consultant - some would say pretty, but this is Elfman generally more coltish than pretty. The three are reunited and both men find themselves attracted to Elfman (God only knows why), for Stiller it's a problem because she's not Jewish and he fears upsetting his mother and the synagogue. Norton on the other hand has to confront his vows. Naturally, as one would expect from such a movie, everything works out, people laugh, cry and it all ends wonderfully. Pretty run-of-the-mill stuff, but Norton does give it an edge. Either Norton or the scriptwriter have infused a tremendous amount of personality into the priest and rabbi characters. Of course with two talents such as Norton and Stiller it sould not be surprising these two will deliver good performances. The pratfall scenes from the trailer weigh-down the first few minutes of the film but after that, the film exhibits what good dialogue and talented actors can do. Good comedic bits and many, many sly cultural references from Tony Robbins to Rainman find their way into the film. Even Elfman is semi-interesting and almost attractive in her blah role as the love interest. At the end too, Norton's movie has actually made the audience care and suffer with the two male leads, even if we know how it will end. Good job. Hopefully next time he'll make something with a bit more punch though.
Rating:
Summary: Alright film
Review: The storyline was somewhat unbelievable, but the movie was fine overall. A Jewish rabbi and a Catholic priest both have fallen in love with a childhood friend, beauty Jenna Elfman, who is in love with the rabbi. It is a story about a priest's struggling with his vocation, and coming to terms with it, as well a struggle of a rabbi looking for a Jewish wife. After the rabbi admits he has fallen in love with Elfman, she admits she's converting to the Jewish faith. The movie had some comical parts, and at the end, it makes you smile since they have overcome their conflicts.
Rating: 
Summary: Why a DVD's extra features matter
Review: KEEPING THE FAITH is a fine example of how extra features on a DVD can help change your mind about a film. When I first saw it, my immediate reaction was total disappointment. It's not that I thought the film bad, exactly. It was just that the previews had made it out to be a hilarious romantic comedy, and it wasn't exactly splittin' my sides. When you look at the deleted scenes and hear the audio commentary, it becomes clear that producer/director Ed Norton wasn't trying to make the film the studio was selling. It's not that he comes out and says, "Disney's marketing department screwed me." But you see through his dialogue with his writer that he made conscious choices away from extremely funny material. He wasn't trying to make a hilarious movie, just a good story about three friends. This is particularly evident when viewing the deleted scenes. Though completely shot and scored, Norton decides to axe what is clearly the funniest orgasm scene since Meg Ryan faked it in a restaurant. You also see how much of Ben Stiller's naturally funnier self was edited out. Why? Norton says, to the audible chagrin of his writer, that it didn't really fit in the movie he was trying to make. Whether you agree with him on this and other choices, the fact is that if the movie he was trying to make had been marketed, it would've garnered more appreciation. Still, Norton didn't quite succeed at making a solid romance, either. It's not the kind of movie you'll watch over and over again. After the engaging set up, there aren't really any plot twists, much less unexpected outcomes. It's just another romance set in New York. Lacking either remarkable comedy or profound insight, the film easily releases you from its grasp once you see it. Norton has traded the innovative promise of the plot for mere likability. I think, perhaps, that Norton was trying so hard not to cause religious offense that he winds up seeming almost gun shy of his own subject matter. Or maybe the sudden rewrite of a huge chunk of the movie days prior to filming is what tripped things up. What I really think sinks the film, though, is Norton's own character. He's just not a plausible romantic presence. At no point do you ever feel like Brian might actually GET Anna, so his entire presence is superflous to the romantic plot. Worse, the storyline depends on him going beyond being hurt by Anna's inevitable rejection, into the area of absolutely unprofessional conduct. It just doesn't make any sense what he does in the end, and yet without his action, the story can't advance. All this aside, students of film will want to look at the DVD version of this movie, just because it's a great case study of the indirect tension between studio and filmmaker, and, to a lesser extent, between director and writer. Casual viewers in search of a night of light New York romance would probably do better watching WHEN HARRY MET SALLY again.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly good
Review: Edward Norton's performance may not be the bright spot in this film, but it's not bad. Jenna Elfman and Ben Stiller are very good. This is a nicely done story and it paints a fairly true to life picture. If the film is intended to be funny, it fails for the most part but it is nevertheless very engaging and entertaining. Be sure to check out the deleted scenes on the DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Almost PERFECT!
Review: Ok, I know it is very difficult to believe that yet another romantic comedy is coming out, and that in all probability it is gonna make you sick with corney dialouge and predictable jokes and leave you wondering why these people fell for eachother in the first place. That is one thing that is GREAT about keeping the faith--you see the chemistry between all three characters (Father Brian, Rabbi Jake and Anna Riley) and dont wonder for a second what interests them in eachother. Yes its predictable and even sappy, but it is also truly charming, well written and funny. You really care about the characters and when you listen to them talk to eachother you feel as if you are really listening to old friends chat. All three actors are so perfect for their roles and Norton's first timed directing doesn't let us down. Along with the love triangle part of the story there is some really good discussions about faith, life, and forgivness. I love this movie from the opening to closing credits--see it, cuz if you wanna regain your faith (no pun intended, hehe) in romantic comedies, you will too!
Rating:
Summary: Dong Rules
Review: Not only is this movie, funny and interesting, but it features Dong the music salesman. Dong adds an entire hilarious dimension to this film. You could watch another movie, but they are terrible...
Rating:
Summary: Good God
Review: A charming light hearted look at love, religion, relationships and friendship. Definitely worth seeing if just for the "nightmare date" Stiller goes on.
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