Movie review of Keeping The Faith

(Reviewer gives it a B)<br>Starring Ben Stiller, Edward Norton and Jenna Elfman. Directed by Mr. Norton.<br>Rated PG-13 (language, sex, mild violence). In wide release. 129 min. <br><br>A priest and a

Monday, April 17th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Reviewer gives it a B)
Starring Ben Stiller, Edward Norton and Jenna Elfman. Directed by Mr. Norton.
Rated PG-13 (language, sex, mild violence). In wide release. 129 min.

A priest and a rabbi walk into a bar. Wearing leather jackets and sunglasses, they call themselves the "God Squad," and they're on a mission to show New York City their "Old World God with a New Age twist" â€“ that is, until a girl gets in the way.

There's not really a punchline to this joke. Instead there's "Keeping the Faith," a romantic comedy with two hours of smart gags, charming laughs and the refreshing twist of a semi-religious framework.

Jake and Brian are best friends with tomboy Anna, a cross between "Johnny Quest and Jodie Foster in Foxes." Their perfect little eighth-grade world is shattered when Anna moves to California.

They get on with their lives, or God takes over their lives, as Jake grows up to be Rabbi Jacob Schram (Ben Stiller) and Brian is ordained Father Brian Finn (Edward Norton). Anna (Jenna Elfman) re-enters their lives as a cell phone-attached business woman who claims to work harder than God, saying "If He'd hired me, He would've made the world by Thursday."

Their happy reunion sails smoothly until Jake and Anna have a fling and decide not to tell Brian, who inevitably falls in love with Anna himself. As if this triangle weren't problematic enough, throw in the fact that Catholic priests tend to be celibate, and Jake has a pushy mother (played fiercely by the classic Anne Bancroft) who's already disowned one son because he didn't marry a nice Jewish girl.

Romance in "Keeping the Faith" would probably survive without the onslaught of love-versus-faith rhetoric that slows down the film's last half. But the ongoing religious and pop culture jokes are brilliantly executed by Mr. Norton and Mr. Stiller without resorting to slandering stereotypes.

A teenager's voice changing while singing Hebrew hymns and a foul-mouthed kid in a confessional are about as crass as it gets. It's hard to believe, but the priest-and-a-rabbi-walk-into-a-bar gag lasts throughout the film without grating too bad. Credit Mr. Stiller and Mr. Norton for maintaining their appeal as men of God even when they let the occasional four-letter word slip.

However, Mr. Stiller makes for a questionably smarmy romantic running a little short on chemistry with Ms. Elfman. He's nicely balanced by Mr. Norton (once again sounding like he has a cold), who carries a much more endearing charm. Mr. Norton directed the film and is aloof enough not to upstage Mr. Stiller.

Surprisingly, Ms. Elfman clocks in more screen time as a fresh-faced character than she does channeling her Dharma character. But the Dharma-isms are still there, not that Anna is a great character stretch for Ms. Elfman.

"Keeping the Faith" proves to be a smart directorial debut by Mr. Norton that pokes a little fun at religion and love without offending too many people. He shouldn't worry about burning in hell for blasphemy.