altereggonyc
I would rate this film a four. But I would give a zero to the people who caused it to be labeled a comedy. Yes, the premise could have been comedic. A pope in need of therapy? One thinks of movies like Analyze This with Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal. But there is little comic about the way the pope's need for therapy is handled here. A pope trying to flee his responsibilities by pretending to be someone else? Perhaps you might expect an Italian farce, a la Roberto Benigni. Again, you will be disappointed.This movie is definitely not "A story centered on the relationship between the newly elected Pope and his therapist." The Pope spends very little time with his therapist and there is no "relationship."This is a bittersweet meditation about what happens when a confused, inarticulate man, suffering from (perhaps justified) feelings of inadequacy, is given a huge responsibility. There are no laughs, and there are only a few potentially comic situations that could have been much funnier than they were. At most, you could call a three or four sentences of the dialogue "wry." The plot isn't much to speak of either. The church is treated with too much reverence, as though any sort of satire is too risky. Even devout Catholics will wonder about the missed opportunities. (A random episode of Father Brown takes more good-natured satiric risks than this whole film, and it's a detective series.)If you go in expecting a melodrama, a character study, a premise for a story without much of a story, you may enjoy the fine acting, the scenery, and the elegiac mood. If you are expecting humor, fun, satire, and the satisfaction of a story well told, you are going to be puzzled.
Chris_Pandolfi
No matter how capable we are in life, there are some responsibilities we're simply not able to assume. "We Have a Pope" tells the story of a man who comes to this realization after several days of soul searching. His name is Cardinal Melville (Michel Piccoli), who's part of a conclave gathering in Rome following the death of John Paul II. After several tedious and psychologically grueling rounds of voting, he's elected Pope by a substantial margin. His initial reaction appears to be speechless surprise. But then comes the morning he's to be introduced to the faithful, who have gathered by the thousands in St. Peter's Square; the instant the Cardinal Protodeacon exclaims, "Habemus Papam!" to the cheering masses, Melville has a screaming panic attack and retreats to an inner chamber within St. Peter's Basilica.The spokesman for the Holy See (Jerzy Stuhr), who obviously understands the importance of good PR, attempts to buy time by announcing to the press that the new pontiff needed time for prayer and reflection before taking office, and that he should be making an appearance in a few hours, at which point his name will finally be revealed. Needless to say, it doesn't go as planned. What's worse, the College of Cardinals must abide by the laws of the Church, which clearly state that, until the Pope actually appears on the balcony and addresses the people, the election is not officially over. This means that the entire conclave cannot have any contact with the outside world. This is normally an endurable event. In this case, there's no telling how long Melville will take. It could be days, weeks, perhaps even months or years.The College, desperate to bring Melville out of his depression and lethargy, make a last-resort appeal to Professor Brezzi, a psychoanalyst (Nanni Moretti, also the film's director and co-writer). Unfortunately, he's so restricted by bureaucratic rules that he cannot adequately do his job. He's forbidden to ask Melville questions regarding his past or anything even remotely related to sex. Dreams are okay, but only with extreme discretion. And he must do all this in the presence of the entire College, who must hear everything that passes between them. The kicker is that, because Brezzi has actually spoken with the pontiff, he must now remain within the Basilica, cut off from the outside world. In the meantime, the spokesman orchestrates a secretive mission to transport Melville to see Brezzi's estranged wife, also a psychoanalyst (Margherita Buy). The College will be led to believe that Melville is in room by having a similarly built guard wander through his bedroom and occasionally ruffle the curtain.At this point, the film becomes increasingly unclear in its intentions, with scenes that address the overarching issue in odd ways. Immediately after Melville sees Brezzi's wife, he gives the spokesman the slip and begins wandering the streets of Rome, desperately trying to figure it all out. We learn, albeit vaguely, of Melville's failed ambition to be an actor; we even get a few fleeting references to his mother and sister, the latter successful in becoming an actress. Meanwhile, Brezzi organizes an indoor volleyball tournament for the College, each team divided by continent. His reasons for doing this aren't made explicit. Presumably, it's to alleviate his own boredom and restlessness while at the same time providing the College with some physical activity. However, his dialogue suggests an ulterior motive, perhaps driven by his own hostile feelings. He seems resentful, for example, that he separated from his wife, who he believes was in competition with him over being the best psychoanalyst.What this has to do with Melville's crisis of conscience, I'm not exactly sure. It could be that, like Melville, Brezzi feels inadequate in his field of interest. However, his failure to diagnose and treat Melville was the result of imposed religious restrictions, not professional incompetence. Here's some food for thought: Brezzi tries, unsuccessfully, to convince the cardinals that all of Melville's depression symptoms are mentioned within the pages of the Bible – the only book they would give Brezzi access to. Meanwhile, the spokesman tries his hardest to maintain the illusion that Melville is within his room, although with each day that passes, it becomes clear that it cannot be maintained forever. What is clear is that this Melville must work through this on his own terms at his own pace.Given the fact that the plot addresses a man's reluctance to become the leader of a religious institution, and considering that both Moretti and the character he plays are both atheists, it's tempting to speculate that "We Have a Pope" is about a crisis of faith. Let me assure you that faith never once factors into the equation. It's not about belief or non-belief. Quite simply, it's about knowing your limitations, about understanding that passion and support doesn't necessarily equate to expertise. This movie could have been about being elected President, or being crowned King, or getting a job promotion; because each deals with the acquisition of power, the message would have been exactly the same. You can have a firm faith in anything and still know that you're not qualified to be a leader.-- Chris Pandolfi (www.atatheaternearyou.net)
lasttimeisaw
Saw the film in yesterday's Febiofest opening ceremony, with Nanni Moretti and Sandrine Bonnaire's presence to receive special achievement awards for their dedication of cinema. As a Cannes' underachiever last year, the film sports a vigorous comedic sugar-coat from the very beginning, after a majestically spectacular funeral of the deceased Pope and ignites by a cardinal's pratfall in the dark, then the new-elected Pope, a dark horse as none of the potential candidates are willing to take on the burden title (an unconvincing but laughable situation inside the chamber election) is not prepared for the supreme responsibility and fails to bulk himself up to soldier on his first public appearance for his election, the farce has grown out of control, exaggerated by the stunt of the eloped Pope roaming around Rome all by himself (unrecognized by the mass as no one is informed the name of the new Pope out of the Vatican), also the escaping procedure is too unpractical to exert for an octogenarian Michel Piccoli. The laughters are perpetual during the screen time, but Nanni Moretti's sarcastic lightheartedness has gradually outrun his incisive judgement, the whole buffoonery of the cardinals and regularly repeated gags are running out of vitality, culminating a quirky self- consciousness during the slow-motions of each cardinals who are competing strenuously for the international-tour of the volleyball competition set in the yard just beneath the Pope's chamber (each team is divided by regions and the intelligence quotient of all these wise men are skeptically challenged by the wide-eyed conversions. On the other hand, the Pope's route on the run also falls restrained (Mr. Piccolo's approachable performance is a pro against the odds of the priority of a ridicule keynote).The film could have got Michel Piccoli's surefire paramount accomplishment during his over 65 years acting career span, which is remorsefully undermined by the willful levity of the film and the denouement is too unorthodox to endorse even from an agnostic point-of-view.
