I didn’t expect to go to the movies this week, but time allowed and I’ve been really wanting to see this one!
Father Stu (in theaters)
Marky Mark has done it again, folks. Who would’ve thought way back in 1991-1992 that the shirtless guy from Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch would end up being an incredibly successful actor worth upwards of $300 million?! This guy has done SO MANY really great movies! “Boogie Nights,” “Three Kings,” “Shooter,” “The Departed,” “The Lovely Bones,” “The Other Guys,” “The Fighter,” “Patriots Day,” “Uncharted,” and now “Father Stu.” I also just learned he’ll be playing Steve Austin in a brand-new big screen version of “The Six Billion Dollar Man.” That one is in pre-production right now and will likely release in either 2023 or 2024.
In case you’re not familiar with “Father Stu,” it follows the life of Father Stuart Long, a boxer-turned-priest who inspired countless people during his journey from self-destruction to redemption. This is a project that Wahlberg believed so strongly in that he personally funded the project after being turned down by several studios. There’s so much that I want to tell you about this movie, but I don’t want to spoil it. I usually save this stuff for the end of the review, but I really want you to go see this movie. Honestly, I think it’s important…and I don’t say that about very many movies or TV shows.
There are great lessons in this movie about believing in yourself and never giving up on your dreams/goals. There are great lessons about believing in others and how it’s never too late to find your purpose in life as long as you’re still alive.
The tagline of the movie is “God wanted a fighter…and He found one.” That is spot on! This is another one that you really have to dig to find a negative review on. As I’ve stated before, I always read other Consumer Reviews on movies, and this one has reviews like, “Wonderful!”, “An absolute home run,” “I’m not a religious person, and I loved this,” and “Wahlberg MUST get Oscar nods for his role as Father Stu!” I 100% agree with this last one. Wahlberg has been nominated for two Oscars in his career- one for Best Supporting Actor for “The Departed” back in 2007, and one for Best Picture as a Producer of “The Fighter” in 2011. He has not yet picked up an Oscar for Actor in a Leading Role, but this SHOULD be the year.
This movie has an excellent supporting cast as well including Mel Gibson (Lethal Weapon series, Fat Man) who plays Stu’s father, Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook, The Disaster Artist) who plays Stu’s mother, Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Star Trek: Generations), and Teresa Ruiz (Narcos: Mexico, The Marksman) who plays Stu’s love interest, Carmen, and the reason Stu went to church in the first place. She gives a great performance in this movie!
So, “Watch This with Chris” still has no sponsor and so I’m not tied to promoting any one theater. I do love shopping/supporting local, and so I do go to Tinseltown a lot, but I have to make sure you know that on Tuesdays, at The Movie Tavern, tickets are $5 AND you get a free popcorn if you’re a member of their rewards program (which is free to join.) That’s a pretty good deal. Yes? $5 for the ticket and free popcorn?! Yes please!
“Father Stu” is rated R for language throughout the movie and I’m going to give this one what is probably one of my highest scores- a 4.9//5. On the one hand, I considered giving it a perfect 5/5, but that type of score is pretty much reserved for epic “classics” like “Dumb and Dumber” or “Die Hard.” I’m sure you understand.
Anyway, seriously, go see this movie!!! You WILL NOT regret it!
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