Priest (1995)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Amateur movie with Big budget

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Father Greg Pilkington (Linus Roache) is new to a Liverpool inner-city parish. He is stiff and proper. Father Matthew Thomas (Tom Wilkinson) is a flamboyant leftist man of the people. Pilkington is uncertain of the senior Father and disapproves of the housekeeper Maria Kerrigan (Cathy Tyson) as well as their relationship. Greg hears Lisa Unsworth's confession about her incestuous father which causes him a moral conflict. He is also struggling with his own homosexual feelings towards Graham (Robert Carlyle).This movie has a lot of things going on and it's trying to make a point about sex and the church. I like all the actors in this and they do an admirable job. The point could have been made better with a slim down script. Tom Wilkinson could have played a simple elder statesman. His character's sexual going-ons probably distracted the main story a bit. The incest story is quite compelling and brings out some real effecting scenes.

Priest is a touching movie that I have seen recently. In Catholic church, homosexuality is a really controversial topic and in Priest, the main character turned out to be a man who is in love with another man. This act raises a lot of negative reaction among the people who attend the church. But are they sinless enough to criticize the priest? In the Book of John in the Bible, chapter 8 verse 7, the Bible says "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." This statement really makes me think a lot so I will not try to criticize anyone without looking at my sins. Among all the people at the church, only a girl shows sympathy for him. The final scene is so marvelous and emotional when the priest holds the girl and cries with her. This is a movie that someone needs to watch more than one time!

If you are looking for a movie on the crisis in the Catholic priesthood in the late 20th century, this is it. Not related to the recent sex abuse crisis, it deals with adult sexuality and the struggle with celibacy. It also highlights two different styles of leadership among the Catholic clergy.Two priests with decidedly different approaches find themselves in the same parish in working class Liverpool. The younger priest Fr Pilkington (Linus Roache) takes the view that he is in the world but not part of it. His older counterpart Fr Thomas (Tom Wilkinson) plays fast and loose with church protocols while going to night clubs and keeping the parish housekeeper as his live-in girlfriend. Fr Pilkington breaks his own high standards by going to a gay bar where he meets a male partner for his own sexual gratification. When he returns late to the rectory, Fr. Thomas asks if he wants to talk but Pilkington disregards him. Succumbing to temptation, Fr Pilkington is unable to resist getting involved in a sexual liaison. When it becomes public, Fr Thomas becomes his ally and shows that he can befriend a man whose style is so at odds with his own. Without giving away the ending, the two priests have many heated discussions which in an odd way bring them together and leads to a dramatic showdown with their own parishioners. Tom Wilkinson is exceptional in the role of Fr Matthew Thomas; Linus Roche as Fr Pilkington walks a tightrope as a man dedicated to his faith and to his calling but cannot resist the temptation to have sex with another man. If you are interested in the priesthood and its challenges, don't miss this one.

For all those who think this film is just an anti-Church tirade - you have obviously missed something here ... it is called "humanity". The main problem of the Catholic Church today is that it is too obsessed with maintaining power and inflicting dogma - and completely forgetting the human element in its midst. The AIDS crisis would be a perfect analogy for this: which is more important, saving people's lives or NOT using a condom? Not only does the Catholic Church preach against using condoms EVEN between husband and wife if one is HIV positive - it actually disseminates lies all throughout Africa by pretending that condoms are not viable in stopping infection.That said, this film NEVER forgets the human element, even when - SPOILER - the father of the girl is explaining that it is NORMAL for a father to be sexually attracted to his daughter. His arguments, as well as many others in this film, continually point out the dilemma of allowing dogma to run our lives rather than compassion and understanding. The theory is one thing; putting it into practice is another. The most obvious problem is the one of a relatively conservative Catholic priest who, despite all his prayers and faith, still cannot stop himself from acting on his homosexual urges.Some people in other posts here just say "How absurd - he took a vow - too bad for him blah blah blah". Yes, well, that's the RULES - but what about life? The whole point of the Catholic idea of Communion is based on the idea that ALL men are sinners - and they all must be absolved of their guilt. This should also include the priests for they were men BEFORE they were priests, and sometimes hormones are stronger than any man-made law.The real problem for any person, and especially a priest, is trying to live according to Church doctrines. In one way or another - they will ALL at some point have to be hypocritical in what they say or do, because the Church demands total obedience and perfection, whereas human life is messy and complicated. I know a gay priest who HAS remained more or less celibate since his ordination... yet he still masturbates and then finds himself in the ironic position of having to tell his teenage flock that they SHOULDN'T masturbate. Well, even if he is not capable of following the teachings of the Church himself - he still feels it is his obligation to tell the kids that they must strive not to masturbate themselves. Once he has passed on the Church's teachings, he has fulfilled his job - and it is up to each individual to decide whether or not he (she) will or CAN follow the rules precisely.Which is why this film is so good. It deals with all the complications of dogma, but never forgets the human element and the complications coming out of such dogma. The actors are excellent , the script is honest and vibrant, and there is a building tension throughout the film that is beautifully handled by the director. What more can one ask for?