Keeping the Faith (Jake Stiller, Jenna Elfman, Edward Norton)

(Amazon UK link)

Browsing in a local church charity shop, I spotted several DVDs that looked as if they might be worth watching. At 50 cents apiece, I decided to invest in four of them; if they turned out to be terrible, I knew I could always donate them back. One of the videos I chose was ‘Keeping the Faith’, a film made in 2000 which we had never heard of. We decided to watch it last night.

It’s billed as a romantic comedy, and in our opinion it succeeds in this aim, unlike many films of that genre. There are three main characters: Jake (Ben Stiller), Anna (Jenna Elfman) and Brian (Edward Norton). We quickly learn, via a few flashback sequences, that these three were inseparable close friends from the age of about thirteen, where they met in their high school in New York. Anna was very much the leader; she even defended them from bullies.

But a few years later her family moved away. Jake and Brian remained close buddies, but they haven’t seen Anna in a long time. They know she has gone on to become a highly successful businesswoman, a very different path from theirs. For Jake, who comes from an orthodox Jewish family, has become a Rabbi, while Brian, whose family is Roman Catholic, has become a priest. They remain close, both trying to bring their congregations into the 21st century, and planning a social bar for retired folk, offering karaoke…

In the first half of the film, the three are platonic friends, and when Anna returns to New York, Jake and Brian hope they’ll be able to continue their close relationship, while acknowledging that none of them has a lot of free time. What they’re not expecting is a gorgeous young woman whom they both find immensely attractive…

However, Brian has pledged to be celibate, and - so far - hasn’t had a problem with this. And while Jake would do better in his field if he were married, his wife needs to be Jewish. He’s forever being offered young Jewish women, daughters or granddaughters of his congregation, but none of them really seems right. A lot is made of the importance of family and friends in his culture, with Anne Bancroft excellent in her role as Jake’s mother.

We thought the film was extremely well done, with a good amount of gentle humour (some of it approaching slapstick, but with such good timing that we appreciated it very much). We particularly liked the fact that both the Jewish and Christian faiths were portrayed in positive ways. Both Brian and Jake have to examine what they believe, and consider what is most important to them - and it’s not at all obvious where the story is going.

I was a bit surprised that the film is only rated 12; while there’s almost no violence and not much bad language, there are some obviously sexual scenes, albeit without nudity or anything explicit. I don’t suppose a younger teenager would be interested in the story, but I think I’d have given it a rating of 15.

There are quite a few ‘extras’ to our DVD, including about ten deleted scenes, some of which, we felt, could have been included in the film. Seeing them really did feel like a bonus.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in a very positive film about love and faith, if you don’t mind the scenes of intimacy.

Review copyright 2023 Sue's DVD Reviews