| Od minute kada sam zavrsio gledanje filma "Primal Fear" na
Drugom Sarajevo film festivalu, znao sam da ce jednog dana Edward Norton postati novi
Dustin Hoffman. Zamislite moje odusevljenje kada je Norton izveo svoju Dustin "Rain
Man" Hoffman imitaciju negdje na sredini svoga rediteljskoga debija, "Keeping
the Faith". Ali ovaj mali geg samo je djelic znatno vece cjeline, filma koji nije
nimalo ambiciozan i zna svoje mjesto u istoriji kinematografije. "Keeping the
Faith" mozda nece biti medju 100 najboljih filmova 21. stoljeca, ali njegovu publiku
to nece biti briga, zato sto je prokleto smijesan. Njegova osnova su tri glavna lika, i
odnosi izmedju njih. Prva dva su svecenik (Norton) i rabin (Ben Stiller), sto je klasicni
pocetak 70% svih americkih viceva (kao kod nas, "bili Suljo i Mujo...) Ovi momci su
novi bozji poslanici, propovjednici za novi milenijum. Oni poznaju svoje svete knjige, ali
su u dodiru sa svojom kongregacijom. Obojica imaju svoje starije i mudrije poglavice
svojih plemena. Stiller ima Eli Wallacha ("ruzan" u onom poznatom
spageti-vesternu), a Norton ima nikog drugog nego Milosa Formana (koji je Nortonu bio
reditelj u filmu "People vs. Larry Flint"). Rabin Jake ima jedan problem vise
nego Otac Brian: nije ozenjen, sto znaci da cijela sinagoga zeli da mu uvali svoje kcerke,
od aerobik-nimfomanke do prelijepe novinarke ABC mreze (Rena Sofer). Svi ti zivoti ce biti
zauvijek promijenjeni kada se pojavi Jakeova i Brianova prijateljica iz djetinjstva, Anna,
koju igra prirodna sila po imenu Jenna Elfman (TV serija "Dharma and Greg", film
"EdTV"). Njih troje nisu bas prosjecan ljubavni trougao, ali film nekako nalazi
nacin da zadovolji publiku, kriticare, pricu i teologe. Naravno, ima momenata slabosti u
fabuli i nekoliko jeftinih gegova, ali najvecim dijelom filma, dijalozi imaju frenetican
ritam i djeluju iznenadjujuce savremeni. Brianov duhovni mir i Jakeova impulsivna energija
sudaraju se vise nego jednom sa Anninim business stilom zivota, ali likovi su vise nego
dopadljivi i savrseno sposobni da sami nose film. Funkcionisu savrseno zbog dobro
zamisljene podjele uloga, koja omogucava glumcima da igraju u skladu sa vlastitim
senzibilitetima i licnostima. Suptilne reference na druge filmove, kao pomenuta imitacija
Hofmana, cine cuda za komicne elemente filma. Moj omiljeni momenat je kada Brian upita
svoju crkvu da mu citiraju Sedam smrtnih grijeha. "Hajde, gledali ste film sa Bradom
Pittom prije nekoliko godina, to vam je bio najbolji prirucnik!" Norton je, naravno,
igrao uz Pitta u filmu "Fight
Club" prosle godine. Sto znaci da Norton ne nastoji da bude zvijezda, pogotovo
sto je stavio Stillerovo ime ispred svog na najavnoj spici. No, ima on vlastiti plan, a sa
njegovim talentom i duhom, trebalo bi da nestrpljivo iscekujemo njegov sljedeci potez. |
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From the minute
I finished watching the movie "Primal Fear" on Second Sarajevo Film Festival, I
knew that one day, Edward Norton is going to strike gold and become the new Dustin
Hoffman. Imagine my astonishment when he made his Dustin "Rain Man" Hoffman
impersonation somewhere midway through his directorial debut, "Keeping The
Faith". But this minor gag is a piece of a larger structure, a movie that is not at
all ambitious and knows his place in cinematic history. "Keeping the Faith" may
not end up as one of the 100 best movies of the 21st century, but its audience won't care,
because it is so darn funny. Its foundation is in the relationships between three main
characters. First two are a priest (Norton) and a rabbi (Ben Stiller), which is a classic
beginning of 70% of all American jokes. Those guys are the new messengers of God;
preachers for the new millennium. They know their holy books, but they're in touch with
their congregations. Both of them have their elders, wise chiefs of their tribes. Stiller
has Eli Wallach (the "ugly" one in the famous spaghetti-western), and Norton
none other than Milos Forman (who directed Norton in "People vs. Larry Flint".
Rabbi Jake has one problem more than Father Brian: he's single, which means that the whole
synagogue is trying to set him up with their daughters, who include the aerobic-crazed
nymphomaniac and the stunningly beautiful ABC cub-reporter (Rena Sofer). All those lives
will be changed forever when Jake's and Brian's childhood friend, Anna, played by the
force of nature that is Jenna Elfman ("Dharma and Greg" – TV,
"EdTV") enters the scene. The three of them are not your average love triangle,
but the movie somehow finds a way to satisfy the audience, the critics, the story and the
theologists. Of course, there are moments of weakness in the story and a few cheap
slapstick routines, but for the most part, the dialogues in the movie have a frenetic
pace, and are surprisingly contemporary. Brian's spiritual calmness and Jake's
impulsiveness collide more than once with Anna's yuppie lifestyle, but the characters are
more than lovable, and perfectly capable of carrying the movie. It works perfect because
of thoughtful casting, that allows all actors to act their roles out according to their
own sensibilities and personalities. Subtle references to other movies, like the said
Hofmann impersonation, work wonders for the comic elements of the movie. My personal
favorite is when Brian asks his church to quote the Seven Deadly Sins. "Come on,
there was a movie with Brad Pitt a few years ago, that was, like, the ultimate Cliff's
notes right there!" Norton, of course played alongside Pitt in "Fight Club" last year. Which means
that Norton is not trying to be a star, especially since Stiller's name appears first in
the opening credits. But, he has his own agenda, and with his talent and spirit, we have
to eagerly expect his next move. |