Keeping the Faith

REVIEW
A rabbi and a priest walk into a bar. Wait, wait, this ain't no ordinary rabbi and priest joke. Thanks to a winning screenplay by Stuart Blumberg, terrific chemistry between its three leads, and an impressive directorial debut by actor Norton, Keeping the Faith takes a one-joke premise and charms in totally unexpected ways. Jake (Stiller), Brian (Norton) and Anna (Elfman) were the best of childhood friends. Then, Anna moved away, Jake became a rabbi, and Brian a priest. The latter two have remained especially close, replacing adolescent talks of sex and the world in general with adult discussions of sex and the world in general. Now a high-powered executive, Anna returns, and their friendship picks up where it left off those many years ago. But soon both men find themselves attracted to the vivacious Anna, leading to a degree of soul-searching for each of them. Norton keeps the pace even and makes sure everything is good-natured. There are plenty of genial laughs, and even when addressing serious subjects such as celibacy and question of faith, it never gets too serious. Stiller, Norton and Elfman (who makes a great big-screen leap forward) have a wonderful rapport with each other, creating warm, endearing characters who do and say funny, endearing things.