Jump to content

Father Stu

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 173.68.139.31 (talk) at 21:19, 13 September 2022 (restored important time references). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Father Stu
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRosalind Ross
Written byRosalind Ross
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJacques Jouffret
Edited byJeffrey M. Werner
Music byDickon Hinchliffe[1]
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release dates
  • April 5, 2022 (2022-04-05) (Cinemark Helena)
  • April 13, 2022 (2022-04-13) (United States)
Running time
124 minutes
CountriesUnited States
South Korea
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30–40 million[2][3]
Box office$21.6 million[4][5]

Father Stu is a 2022 biographical drama film written and directed by Rosalind Ross in her directorial debut. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, who also produces, as Stuart Long (1963–2014), a boxer-turned-Catholic priest suffering from inclusion body myositis.

Father Stu was released in the United States on April 13, 2022, during Holy Week. The film received mixed reviews from critics, and has grossed $21.6 million.

Plot

Stuart Long is an amateur boxer from Helena, Montana with a foul mouth and a troubled relationship with his mother and alcoholic father. His brother Stephen died at age six, leading to a rift in the family and causing his parents to be hostile towards religion. He moves to southern California to try to make it as an actor, and gets a job in a grocery store, reasoning that everyone shops for groceries and it will be easier to get connected in the entertainment industry. He is arrested for a DUI and attempts to steal his father's truck to make it to an audition.

While working in the store he meets a woman named Carmen, whom he tracks to a local Catholic parish, where she is a volunteer Sunday school teacher. Carmen resists his advances at first, but Stu is persistent. She tells him she would not even consider dating him unless he gets baptized. Stu agrees and begins RCIA at the parish. He is befriended by a fellow parishioner named Ham, but is looked down upon by another named Jacob. Both Ham and Jacob are headed for the seminary. Stu is baptized in the parish. He and Carmen begin dating and he later meets her parents.

Stu gets an apartment and tries to clean up his drinking, and lands an acting role on an infomercial. He faces discouragement and returns to the bar one night where a mysterious man gives him some advice and tells him not to drive home. Stu ignores the advice and drives drunk on a motorcycle, crashing into a car and being thrown off the motorcycle and run over by another car. Severely injured, he drifts in and out of consciousness and has a vision of the Blessed Mother who tells him that he cannot die in vain. After EMTs arrive, Stu is transported to the hospital, where a doctor tells Stu's mother that he is going to die. Suddenly he begins to stir in the hospital and begins making a miraculous recovery. His father visits and re-establishes contact, though their relationship is still very strained.

Carmen visits Stu as he is recovering at home and the two have sex, which she had previously said she would not do before marriage, leading to intense regret for both of them. Stu confesses the sin and begins to transform himself to be the man that Mary asked him to be. He begins feeling a call to the priesthood, and after prayer and discernment decides to pursue the seminary. He asks Carmen to come with him to a restaurant where she thinks he is going to propose to her. When he tells her of his plan, she tries to convince him not to do it, as do his mother and father, to no avail. Stu applies to the seminary and is rejected at first, but visits in person to appeal to the rector and is accepted. By this point, Ham and Jacob are also in the seminary. Ham is a reliable friend, but Jacob is something of a rival.

One day while playing basketball with fellow seminarians, Stu falls and is unable to get up on his own. He is diagnosed with inclusion body myositis, a rare muscular disease similar to Lou Gehrig's disease which has no cure and typically does not strike people as young as he is, and the prognosis is grim. Stu is angry with God but comes to understand his suffering as a gift from God which draws him closer to the suffering of Christ, and with much difficulty continues in the seminary. Carmen, now engaged to another man, visits him at the seminary and supports his vocation. After some time passes, he begins losing use of his hands. The rector tells Stu that he cannot be ordained, citing his inability to celebrate the Sacraments of the Catholic Church. Stu moves back to Montana with his parents, who care for him as his muscles continue to decay, his weight increases, and he loses the ability to live independently. His father, meanwhile, attends Alcoholics Anonymous, where he admits in group therapy that he feels partly responsible for his son's condition by his neglect and absence.

The parishioners from Stu and Carmen's church in California petition the Diocese of Helena to ordain Stu, to which the bishop agrees, and Stu is ordained in Montana with Carmen, Ham, and his parents in attendance. Father Stu begins ministry and quickly develops relationships with people in Montana. He is later confined to a skilled nursing facility, where he continues to minister to the people of the diocese, who flock to see him every day. Jacob visits him there and during confession admits that he never felt capable of becoming a priest and only pursued it to please his father. Father Stu assures him that there are other ways to serve God and he does not need to feel pressured to do something he isn't called to do. After the confession, Jacob thanks Father Stu and wishes him goodbye, sensing it will be the last time. Father Stu dies at the age of 50. The closing credits show real images of Stu from his childhood and turbulent young adulthood to his time in the seminary and as a priest.

Cast

Production

The film was first publicly announced in 2016, when Wahlberg revealed that he was working on a biopic about Long with screenwriter David O. Russell.[11] Wahlberg first heard about Long's story while out to dinner with two priests.[12] Wahlberg put "millions and millions of dollars" of his own money into the project, mostly due to the shoot going over schedule and the rights to music.[13][12] Ross wrote the script then signed on as director in her directorial debut.[14] Long's parents, Bill and Kathleen, were involved with the production, as were numerous bishops, priests, and laymen who knew Father Stu. Members of the Long family said the portrayal of Stu's father was overly dramatized, as he always provided for the family and was a loving father. Bill Long still supported the film, saying, "I don’t think it matters how I was portrayed, the film is about Fr. Stu. He wants people to come away from the movie with the message to: 'Have faith, hang in there, endure.'"[15]

The film was shot in Los Angeles, California in just 30 days in May 2021.[16][12] In late September 2021, some scenes were shot in and around Helena, Montana, as well as Anaconda, Montana, Butte, Montana & Phillipsburg, Montana. Wahlberg intentionally gained 30 pounds (14 kg) in six weeks to portray Long, consuming up to 7,000 calories a day.[17]

The film contains unusually strong language for a faith-based film, and Wahlberg said he was initially prevented from shooting a scene in a church because it contained vulgar language. However, Wahlberg defended the use of language as a way of emphasizing the contrast between his pre- and post-conversion lifestyles, and the film was commended by many Catholic leaders,[18] including Bishop George Leo Thomas, who ordained Father Stu, Bishop Austin Vetter, the contemporary bishop of Helena,[19] and Bishop Robert Barron.[20]

Release

Wahlberg attended an advance screening of the film at Carroll College in Helena, from which Father Stu graduated and where he later served as a campus minister.[21] The film had its world premiere at the Cinemark Theaters in Helena, Montana, on April 5, 2022.[22]

The film was released in theaters on Wednesday, April 13, 2022, the week before Easter Sunday. It was originally set to be released on Friday, April 15, 2022.[23]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, Father Stu was projected to gross around $7 million from 2,705 theaters over its five-day opening weekend.[24] The film made $2.3 million in its first two days, and went on to debut to $5.4 million in its opening weekend and $7.7 million over the five days, finishing fifth at the box office.[25][26] In its second weekend, Father Stu declined 38% to eighth place and grossed $3.3 million.[27] It made $2.2 million in its third weekend,[28] and $875,091 in its fourth,[29] before dropping out of the box office top ten in its fifth weekend with $422,143.[30]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 42% based on 118 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Mark Wahlberg is hard-working but miscast in Father Stu, an issue compounded by the way the movie fumbles its fact-based story."[31] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 40 out of 100 based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[32] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it a 91% positive score, with 76% saying they would definitely recommend it.[26]

Writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, Richard Roeper gave the film three stars out of four, saying: "Father Stu breaks no new ground in the biopic game, but it's a solid and worthy tribute to the real-life Father Stu, who continued to do the Lord's work until his death in 2014 at the age of 50."[33] Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote: "Father Stu is not your everyday Hollywood religious odyssey — it's closer to Diary of a Country Cutup. It's a surprisingly sincere movie about religious feeling, but it is also, too often, a dramatically undernourished one."[34]

References

  1. ^ "Dickon Hinchliffe Scoring Rosalind Ross' 'Father Stu'". Film Music Reporter. February 11, 2022.
  2. ^ "Mark Wahlberg Spent 'Millions and Millions' of His Own Money to Fund New Film: 'Betting on Myself'". variety.com. April 13, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  3. ^ "Is Father Stu Hit Or Flop? Unexpected Box Office Result of Mark Wahlberg's 'Father Stu'". thefilmik.com. April 18, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  4. ^ "Father Stu". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  5. ^ "Father Stu". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  6. ^ Ortega Law, Jeannie (March 27, 2021). "Mark Wahlberg to produce, star in faith-based film 'Stu'". The Christian Post. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  7. ^ Welsh, Daniel (May 4, 2021). "Mark Wahlberg Shows Off Body Transformation After Deliberately Gaining Weight For Film Role". HuffPost. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  8. ^ Ross, Martha (July 14, 2021). "Trump-saluting Mel Gibson is far from canceled: 7 movies coming, maybe 'Lethal Weapon 5'". The Mercury News. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  9. ^ Campbell, Scott (April 10, 2021). "Mark Wahlberg Reveals He's Putting on 30 Pounds for Upcoming 'Father Stu' Biopic". Collider. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  10. ^ Sharf, Zack (July 16, 2021). "Mark Wahlberg Transformed for New Film by Eating 11,000 Calories a Day for Two Weeks". IndieWire. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  11. ^ Stefansky, Emma (September 21, 2016). "Mark Wahlberg Is Back with David O. Russell for a Father Stu Movie". ScreenCrush. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c "Mark Wahlberg Talks 'Father Stu' With Raymond Arroyo". NCR.
  13. ^ "Mark Wahlberg spent 'millions' of his own money to make 'Father Stu'". Insider.
  14. ^ Kit, Borys (March 18, 2021). "Mark Wahlberg, Mel Gibson Reteam for Story of Boxer-Turned-Priest Stuart Long (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  15. ^ 14 Fascinating facts about the real-life Fr. Stu Long that you need to know
  16. ^ Fuge, Jon (May 24, 2021). "Mark Wahlberg Is Almost Unrecognizable After Weight Gain in First Father Stu Set Photos". MovieWeb. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  17. ^ "Mark Wahlberg looks completely transformed in photo from new movie". TODAY.com.
  18. ^ The surprise behind Fr. Stu’s swearing
  19. ^ Sony Pictures to Release Biopic on Father Stuart Long
  20. ^ Providence and Vocation in “Father Stu”
  21. ^ Mark Wahlberg visits Helena for screening of 'Father Stu'
  22. ^ "Montana premiere of 'Father Stu' with Mark Wahlberg and Director Rosalind Ross". KTVH. April 5, 2022.
  23. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 25, 2022). "Sony Pictures Moves Mark Wahlberg Pic Father Stu To Wednesday Before Easter – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  24. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (April 13, 2022). "Box Office: 'Fantastic Beasts 3' Aims for $40 Million Domestic Debut". Variety. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  25. ^ Brett Lang (April 15, 2022). "Box Office: 'Fantastic Beasts 3' Opens to $6 Million in Thursday Previews". Variety. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  26. ^ a b Anthony D'Alessandro (April 18, 2022). "'Dumbledore' Opens To $43M U.S., Lowest In 'Harry Potter' Franchise; What Now For The J.K. Rowling IP? – Sunday AM Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  27. ^ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 16". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  28. ^ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 17". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  29. ^ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 18". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  30. ^ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 19". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  31. ^ "Father Stu (2022)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  32. ^ "Father Stu Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  33. ^ Roeper, Richard (April 12, 2022). "'Father Stu': Warmhearted priest biopic stars two men who know about seeking redemption". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  34. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (April 12, 2022). "'Father Stu' Review: As a Boxer-Turned-Priest, Mark Wahlberg Finds the Faith in a Sometimes Awkward True Story". Variety. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  • Official website Edit this at Wikidata
  • Father Stu at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  • ‹The template AllMovie title is being considered for deletion.› Father Stu at AllMovie Edit this at Wikidata
  • Father Stu at History vs. Hollywood
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Father_Stu&oldid=1110146607"