Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

Console best movie i've ever seen.

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

tomsview Did the makers of "The Proposition" set themselves the challenge of coming up with the record number of outrageous plot developments in a single movie? Because they just may have succeeded.Opinion about this movie falls into one of three groups. First are those that think it is a compelling, stylish drama with a fantastic cast – they love it. Second are those who believe it is an overheated piece of rubbish, and a huge waste of talent – they hate it. The third group feels that although it has a great cast and is well acted, it has a deeply flawed story. I go with the third group to a point, although I must admit, despite the craziness of the story, it kept me going until the end. The story is told in flashback by Kenneth Branagh's character Father Michael McKinnon. He tells how he arrived from England in the mid 1930's to a posting as a new priest in Boston's most affluent Catholic parish. He wants to concentrate on helping the poor, but also wants to avoid the Barrets, the richest and most influential family in the parish.Eleanor Barret, played by Madeleine Stowe, and her husband, the powerful Arthur Barret, played by William Hurt, are unable to have children due to Arthur's infertility. Eleanor is desperate to have a child, so Arthur arranges for a surrogate to perform the necessary service for Eleanor. Roger Martin a young law graduate played by Neil Patrick Harris is offered $25,000 to impregnate Eleanor. Although he is inexperienced, an added inducement is that Mrs. Barret is extremely hot. Eleanor falls pregnant, but young Roger finds that he enjoyed the work so much that he would like to continue working for free – he begins to make a pest of himself, and threatens to expose the deal, all of which leads to unexpected developments.While this unfolds, Father McKinnon, no longer able to avoid the Barret's dinner invitations, announces that he is in fact Arthur Barret's nephew. Many other revelations follow in a story that encompasses 16 years.Without spoiling the ending too much, one of the least expected developments occurs when Father McKinnon compromises his priestly vows with an affair with Eleanor. The sight of Father McKinnon in full clerical garb pashing Aunt Eleanor is far removed from Hollywood's classic depictions of priests in films such as "Going My Way" and "The Miracle of the Bells". Although not Catholic, I can't help feeling uncomfortable with the way filmmakers treat the church these days. Although many faiths have had to deal with big sexual abuse problems, I still feel an on screen affair between a priest and a married woman will offend a lot of people. Showing irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable by others is the essence of blasphemy, while picking targets that don't fight back is the essence of bullying.Too be honest, this aspect of the plot almost totally eclipses what was already an intriguing plot development involving Neil Patrick Harris's character – it's all just too much.At about the midpoint, you know you can't take this movie seriously. If at the end, it had claimed to be based on fact, I would have fallen out of my chair. But it doesn't, so it's safe enough to just lean back and take the ride, erratic and jarring as it is.

lastliberal I was looking for the Australian western of the same name and the Sundance credits writer got it wrong and roped me into this 1930s Boston Catholic melodrama. I still want to see the western, but this was not a bad misdirection.Whoever cast A History of Violence had to see this film as William Hurt plays the same character in both films - marvelously, I might add. He is a rich Catholic businessman here instead of a mobster, but the basics are the same. He wants to give his wife (Madeleine Stowe in a great performance) a child and Viagra was not yet invented, so he hires someone (Neil Patrick Harris) to do the job. His only mistake was picking a 24-year-old who couldn't just take the money and walk away. OK, so we have a moral question here, but we ignore that for the movies sake.Into his parish comes a new priest (Kenneth Branagh) and he jumps the Rabbit-Proof Fence, uses The Magic Flute, and we have an Alien Love Triangle. Didn't Richard Chamberlain do that naughty priest bit in The Thorn Birds? There is a lot of Catholic malfeasance, guilt and remorse and penance and symbolism here, but don't let that turn you off as it doesn't interfere with the story. And, no children were hurt in the making of this film.There are some fine performances and an interesting story. You should check it out.

frigginmo It is a well scripted movie. It holds your attention. It has a well laid out storyline and an excellent cast of polished actors. The characters are developed but not too deeply, keeping them all in a equilibrium. You can sympathize or identify with any or all of them. Predictability is not an issue. Some surprising twists and just the right amount of irony. Very believable and emotionally satisfying. The cinematography and original score make the movie complete. No down side to this flick and no violence, save one well deserved sock in the puss. You don't need to be Catholic or have an historical knowledge of post WWII morality. Just sit back and enjoy.

silverauk The script of Rick Ramage has so many turns and twists that the story looks like a mixture of real life and a religious novel. This gives the movie a certain quality. At the other hand one is surprised by some human reactions f.i. the reaction of William Hurt (Arthur Barett) at the end. The end is so strange. The actor Kenneth Branagh (father Michael McKinnon) gives a more value to the movie. I think that one must be a catholic to really understand the complexities of the movie involving the problem of couples not having children and the significance of marriage and above all the importance of purity for priests.