Catholic viewers, beware. The Good Catholic is a quirky, indie flick that takes a definite viewpoint. There are three Catholic priests, Danny Glover, John C. McGinley, and the lead character Zachary Spicer. Each great friends, each at different stages in their lives, and each with a different relationship with God. Danny is the oldest; he's the sage who is the most solely devoted to God. John is "the fun one". He puts pizzazz into the choir, he loves watching football games, and he's constantly cracking jokes. But, in an emotional sermon, he educates his congregation on the true meaning of compassion: to suffer with. Even though he seems like the stereotypical "fun priest" who uses slang and listens to hip hop, he really does have a meaningful relationship with God. Zach is the problem. He's grieving the death of his father, and it's extremely clear that his grief overwhelms and distracts him. He feels pain and loss, and when a quirky, non-religious, disrespectful young woman (Wrenn Schmidt) comes into his confessional, he gets taken out of himself for a while. It's very simple, to an outside viewer.

Wrenn is a pot-stirrer who intentionally bothers him and tries to disturb his life. At first, she tells him she's dying, and when she's secured his pity, she starts seeing him socially outside the confessional. Her behavior is highly inappropriate; everybody knows that a priest has taken a vow of chastity. She seems bound and determined to poke holes in his life and make him break that vow. She invites him into her apartment, she flirts with him ("Alright, you can take me home, but no funny business," she says before he's even offered to),and she actually informs him that they're dating. They're not dating! He's a Catholic priest - even a non-Catholic viewer can see how unacceptable her actions are.

When Zach invites her to dinner with the other priests, Danny takes a very hard stance with her. I got the feeling that the audience was supposed to think he was rude, but I was completely on his side. She was horribly offensive to him, called him names, and walked out of the dinner. All he did was remind her of a priest's choices, duty, and lifestyle. How is that rude?

All in all, I understood the message of the film, but I didn't agree with it. I'm not sure how Catholic viewers will feel about it (but I'm not going to give any spoilers). Those who don't really respect the church will probably really like it; they'll probably really like Wrenn's character.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. There is quite a bit of handheld camerawork in this movie, and it will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

Zachary Spicer, Wrenn Schmidt, Danny Glover and John C.McGinley stars in this independent film feature entitled, "The Good Catholic". This movie written and directed by Paul Shoulberg how a small town Catholic priest - Father Daniel - turns upside down after he meets Jane in the confessional.

It could have been an interesting if the screenplay provided a great introspection on both the positive and the negative aspects of Father Daniel's vocation.That should have been explored especially when Father Daniel finds tests on his faith with God and his vocation being a Catholic priest especially after finding passion and love in his friendship with Jane.

Unfortunately, the screenplay was definitely lacking. It basically too one-sided.It primarily focused on what priests are lacking and the negative aspects on the vocation particularly being unable to get married,loneliness and lack of companionship. Too bad that the film does not provide the benefits of priesthood like one finds the best relationship with God through solitude and the fulfillment one obtains in being a Catholic priest.

As for the performances, I think that the cast provided interesting portrayal of their roles.I know that Glover and McGinley having seen their films in the past. As for Spicer and Schmidt,it was my first time to see them in a movie and they did well as Father Daniel and Jane respectively.

Overall,the movie needed a better screenplay to fully explore what priesthood is all about.

Movies reflect the values of the people who make them. Most of those people are Liberal or even Leftist. So you get thousands of movies per year with a Liberal or Leftist perspective. One of those perspectives is that religion sucks.

Whenever I see Danny Glover listed in the cast of anything other than Lethal Weapon, I expect some kind of touchy-feely message.

Yet I would not consider this film anti-Catholic. Our main character is very earnest in wanting to serve both God and his congregation. He just struggles with his faith, like many people.

The three-man staff of the parish is meant to represent different potential versions of priests. One is old and conservative, one is old and a bit cynical and silly, but still committed, and one is young and confused.

To their credit the film makers did not make the old conservative one out to be a bad guy. No one molests children or does immoral things.

But what disturbed me was that the spoiled, cynical slacker-woman character is portrayed as the righteous one who teaches life lessons to the out-of-touch clergy. Yet her life is a mess. That part is typical Indie glorification of melancholia.

While the dialog hinted at profundity, it never quite gets there. The Glover character does challenge the silly woman, but he is made out to look rude, while she's the hipster.

Someone should have told the main young character to loosen up, instead of just implying it. Meanwhile someone should have told the woman that trendy self-pity and dishonesty are not becoming.

The Midwest college town setting and slow pace are refreshing compared to the typical L.A., New York, Chicago, Miami redundancy. But pregnant pauses and focused shots of a contemplative face do not create depth. The dialog still has to do its job.