Father Stu

This is an article ‘Father Stu’ by Marc Primo

Release date: 13 April 2022 (United States)

Director: Rosalind Ross

Language: English

Production companies: Columbia Pictures, Municipal Pictures, CJ Entertainment

Producer: Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Jordan Foss

SPOILER ALERT - Mark Wahlberg—yes, the same actor who portrayed porn star Dirk Diggler in 1997's Boogie Nights; the sex, drugs, and rock and roll-crazed Chris' Izzy' Cole in 2001's Rock Star; and the equally irreverent John Bennett who served as best bud to that foul-mouthed stuffed bear 2012 and 2015's Ted 1 & 2—has recently started a new chapter in his accomplished life. He is now a devout Roman Catholic who intends to steer his career towards more faith-based content.

As evident in one of his 2022 releases, Father Stu, which tells the story of a real-life boxer turned Catholic priest Stuart Long, Wahlberg is committed to playing more substantial roles that aim to help people. Of course, with the recent Netflix flop, Me Time, he co-starred with Kevin Hart, we know not everything he'll play will be entirely about faith.

A change of heart

In Father Stu, Wahlberg portrays the titular character who, after a near-death experience from a motorcycle crash, experiences a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The religious encounter then prompts Stu to heed his calling to be a man of the cloth, regardless of how silly the thought was at first. Long had been a troublesome, wannabe Hollywood actor before the experience, who later found himself constantly in church with the help of a love interest named Carmen (Teresa Ruiz).

As a young man growing up in Helena, Montana, Stu indicated that he is well on his way to boxing greatness. But his young life was also marred by a series of unfortunate events, including the death of his brother Stephen at age six, a career-ending injury, and DUI arrests. Stu's dysfunctional relationship with his mother Kathleen (Jackie Weaver) and estranged alcoholic father Bill (Mel Gibson) only made his challenges in facing his own struggles with faith worse.

Finding a job as a meat clerk at a local grocery store, Stu eventually meets the religious Carmen, who resisted his advances at first and said she would agree to date him if he first got baptized as a Catholic. The persistent guy that he is, Stu agrees and starts attending the church where he meets fellow parishioners, the friendly Ham (Aaron Moten), and the bitter Jacob (Cody Fern).

Just as Stu is beginning to clean up his act by getting his own apartment, his past catches up with him prompting him to indulge in alcohol at a bar where he meets a mysterious man. The man gives him unsolicited advice, then later reminds him not to drink and drive his motorbike. Irked by the intrusion, Stu ignores the warning and meets an accident that nearly costs him his life.

Along with the vision, Stu's miraculous recovery leads him to believe he was being called to join the priesthood. However, his life's challenges only piles up from there, testing his faith even further.

Long's story or about the Catholic faith?

While the film intends to tell the story of the late Father Stuart Long, elements integrated for cinematic purposes seem to cloud its main intention quite a bit. The true-to-life tale appears ideal for the big screen, especially for filmmakers looking for explicitly religious backstories like Wahlberg, who reportedly invested millions of his own money as the film's producer.

In contrast to his recent blockbuster efforts, Wahlberg gives a devoted performance in Father Stu. The somewhat close to the down-to-earth, temperamental characters that Wahlberg is used to playing in most of his films are evident here, even though his Texan accent is a touch off-kilter with his true Boston roots. Somehow, the actor manages to pull off the dedication when it comes to his character's immediate physical decline. This transformation is most evident in the film's second half when Stu develops a debilitating muscular disease after his accident, and how the actor gained 30 pounds for the role. From the get-go, Father Stu is one of Wahlberg's passion projects.

While presented as your usual feel-good redemption movie, the problem with Father Stu is how some viewers and critics may wonder if the film is more religious propaganda than biopic. The first act challenges viewers to see it as a character study of working-class Americans trying to find their place in life. We see Stu attacking a statue of Jesus at one point in the film while the story unfolds along with a Johnny Cash soundtrack. Mel Gibson's Bill also typifies the wild American dad. The character is a vile drunk and only able to seek redemption from his wrong ways when it's already too late and at his emotionally abused son's expense.

The characters are pretty one-dimensional, making Father Stu more of an invitation to examine faith rather than appreciate Stuart Long's actual road to priesthood. It's a story of multiple transformations that continues to have a ripple effect from one character to the next, which is a bit of a stretch for most viewers.

A decent watch for those seeking transformation

Rosalind Ross, a first-time writer and director appears to prefer hollow evangelism and veers to cheesy scenes and dialogues not meant for everybody. After seeing the Holy Mother and doing some rounds of the rosary, the film seems to morph into an ad for a church community.

Yes, Stu eventually discovers God, which is quite redeeming, but his tale could have had the potential to explore and align one's faith with penance and burdens rather than a less compelling path that most viewers wouldn't be able to grasp. Even Malcolm Macdowell's role as a skeptic monsignor could have offered more in terms of character building.

Nonetheless, the film makes several bold decisions. Mel Gibson as Long's scowling father, who is vocal about his disdain for the "nuts" of LA, may have the same impact on most audiences. But such faith movies require better structure to get their way out of the dragging purgatory the film puts itself in by the second act. It's definitely watchable, but you might find it a bit short in providing the redeeming qualities that we all look for in such faith-based movies.