Keeping the Faith

Keeping the Faith is a comedy from 2000 with the romantic and religious traits. The main characters are Edward Norton, Ben Stiller and Jenna Elfman. Release Date for Germany was on 20 July 2000, for Switzerland on 24 August 2000.

Action

The young Catholic Priest Brian Finn tells a bartender his story. He begins, as he as a schoolboy was a close friend to both the Rabbi Jake Schram later and the tomboyish Anna Riley, before they moved to California with her family. The two men used their friendship and eventually decided both to devote their lives to their religion. They are only clumsy, then successfully: Your modern and unconventional methods are very popular in the respective municipality. This departure from tradition is, however, also viewed critically by their superiors.

Jake has a good chance of being promoted, which is but one thing in the way: He is still unmarried, which is unusual for a rabbi. The community is trying to set him up with an appropriate and of course the Jewish faith belonging to woman. Unexpectedly logs after many years Anna, the childhood friend of the two friends. The successful business woman is for a short time in New York and would like her two childhood friends meet again. The old friendship between the three flames quickly again and Anna and Brian make Jake moral support during his forced appointments with him forced upon women.

One night, Jake ends up in Anna's arms and both sleep together. Due to the complicated circumstances decide which two to an affair that they want to keep secret (even before their friend Brian ). This unit, meanwhile, even in conflict, because despite his celibacy he has fallen in love with Anna.

Anna confesses to Jake that her feelings now are strong for him and they would even turn down a promotion in San Francisco to stay with him in New York. He reacts behave. Between the two a quarrel over whether the relationship between a non-Jewish businesswoman and a rabbi can endure. Jake breaks up with her.

When Anna crying Brian asks for advice, this misinterprets the situation: He thinks she would love him too secretly and tried to kiss her. When she told him the truth, he is shocked that his friends have not told him, and he had not even noticed. Furious, he makes Jake to task and slips into self-doubt about his vocation as a priest.

After all three for a while have not spoken to each other, first locate Jake and Anna reconciliation with Brian. Despite its good advice but do not meet Jake Anna. After his mother has suffered a TIA, Jake confesses to his congregation that he has given them the woman he loves withheld because he believes no one would have an understanding of a relationship with a non- Jewish woman. However, he gets his promotion. Anna also has accepted her promotion and is about to leave the city. Brian convinces Jake finally thereof, to stand up for his love, but an overzealous security guard will not let him in Anna's office building. Before the eyes of Jake makes her colleagues from the opposite office building from a declaration of love. At the opening of a dance and karaoke room for both religious communities, they meet Brian, who has caught up again, and celebrate their happy ending: Anna admits that she does have long been Jewish convert lessons.

Background

  • The movie has devoted his dead from a brain tumor in 1997, Mother Robin Norton, the director, producer and actor Edward Norton.
  • The screenwriter and co- producer Stuart Blumberg has a cameo as an employee in Anna's team in the movie.
  • The lovers in spicy scene in the office building opposite is played by Jenna Elfman's husband Bodhi Elfman.

Criticism

  • Encyclopedia of the International film: "A theatrically successful comedy that tastefully deals with its subject, without it, however, to deepen well. The weaknesses of the film are the little elegant and congruent First Director of actor Edward Norton. "
  • Filmspiegel.de: "After extremely successful appearances as an actor in unusual roles lays Edward Norton with " Keeping the Faith " a compelling directorial debut before! . The story about the two young men, both striving for the relationship with the same woman, but they both can not have is refreshing, numerous swipes at religious absurdities very amusing, and all this at a high level. "
  • Markus Aicher writes for br -online: " What sounds like the constellation of an old-fashioned wit, a charming comedy about faith / love / hope in New York City is a reality. With his directorial debut, [ ... ] Edward Norton [ ... ] has made a slightly - winged film about the complicated love triangle between three friends. With great actors [ ... ] some nice slapstick and plenty of wit, he tells a wonderfully romantic story. "
  • Moviemaster.de: "Edward Norton's directorial debut is a winning message about friendship and love. Funny, insightful and very naturally he tells the story of the special three-way relationship. The main characters then act very believable and you take from them that they are priests with ideals and ideas or a career woman. A story as it will probably happen in real life often. At least more often than one thinks. "
2000 in film Screenplay Film score Elmer Bernstein Malcolm Campbell (film editor) Bayerischer Rundfunk Metacritic
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