This film sat on my Netflix queue for a long time before I finally got around to watching it. Perhaps I should have waited longer. Then, perhaps, I would understand what it was all about. I know the film was supposed to be funny, but ultimately I think the joke was on me. In the film, an absurdly childish priest Father William, played by an unbelievably annoying Steve Little, is forced to take some time off by his superiors. He decides to contact his high school idol Robbie Shoemaker, played by Robert Longstreet, to take a little trip with him. Robbie agrees for no good reason. The two meander down a river on a raft purposelessly and seeming endlessly until you start praying for something, anything to happen. It does when two Japanese tourists and their black bodyguard show up. Sadly, what happens doesn't make any sense either. I have no idea what the filmmaker intended. Steve Little was simply too absurd for the film play as meaningful religious satire. I am giving the film three stars for the soundtrack. John R. Butler's sacrilegious ditty, Hand of the Almighty, is almost worth the price of admission.
The Catechism Cataclysm
2011
Comedy
The Catechism Cataclysm
2011
Comedy
47% - Critics
42% - Audience
5.6Plot summary
Thirty-something Billy Smoortser is a junior parish priest. He exasperates the senior parish priest, Father O'Herlihy, as Billy often does not display a true understanding of his job, telling stories to the parishioners that have nothing to do with religion or that have no moral teaching. It is almost like Billy is stuck mentally in his teens, displaying infantile behavior typical of a teen. When Father O'Herlihy forces Billy to take a vacation in order to focus more clearly on his mission as a priest, Billy decides to take a several hour river canoe trip with Robbie Shoemaker, who he recently reconnected with via email. Robbie was Billy's older sister Janice's boyfriend in high school, and Billy's idol at the time. In high school, Robbie was in a death metal band and a writer, the latter which not many knew about except perhaps Billy. To the best of Billy's knowledge, Robbie still plays in a death metal band and still writes. It is Robbie's stories which Billy often tells to his parishioners. Billy wants this canoe trip to recreate the memories of their teen years, Robbie the cool kid who Billy, the dork, wanted to be more like. As Billy and Robbie truly reconnect, they take divergent paths to what they need out of the trip, especially as revelations come to light. But they end up getting lost, which makes their time together life altering, that time which includes an encounter with a group of three calling themselves Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer and Jim, who Huck and Tom are taking to freedom.
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The Joke Is On The Audience
A delightfully funny flick that messes around with religion.
I just saw the movie at the SXSW film festival with my daughters. We loved it. Not only because it is delightfully weird but also because it's funny, very funny, even by "mumblecore" standards. (The director is a founding member of that movement. Google it if you've never heard of it.)
It's one of those daring little flicks that grabs religion by the balls and shakes it left and right until it pukes. And then there's the acting. Excellent, considering the uniqueness of the script and the irreverence of the subject matter. Father Billy will crack you up in just about every scene.
If you're into odd and peculiarly funny stuff, this movie is a must see. But if you're one of those folks who gets easily offended when artists mess around with religion or religious institutions, don't bother. This movie may kill you. Just consider this as a warning: The movie features a song called "God will f... you up". Now, that's irreverent. Keep an eye on this movie if it plays in a theater near you. I doubt it, but you'd never know. God works in mysterious ways. LBlancoNazoa
Pointless
I really wanted to laugh and I did at the first scene with the old lady with the gun and the narration by Father Billy telling a story to his parishioners. Unfortunately, it's all down hill from there.
The good father takes a vacation with a guy(Robbie) from his school days on a canoe down a river. Robbie had dated the priests sister many years earlier. While rafting they exchange stories which go nowhere and stop ashore to drink beer. Then two Asian women appear with a man they call Tom Sawyer and we quickly turn from comedy to science fiction. No need to give away the ending, suffice it to say that it is completely ridiculous. What could have been an interesting movie is just a waste of time.