Now this was a great movie about religion. I have to admit, I thought all the nominations for Netflix were a bad sign. That the company was just throwing money at the Academy to buy legitimacy. And that still might be what's happening, but they are also producing some great films. Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) is tired of seeing the constant scandals plaguing the Catholic Church. He hopes to elect Cardinal Martini (Achille Brugnini) at the Conclave after the passing of Pope John Paul II because Martini is a reformist, but the Conclave chooses Cardinal Ratzinger (Anthony Hopkins), a staunch traditionalist, instead. Bergoglio submits his resignation and is summoned to an audience with the new Pope Benedict XVI. He finds a terribly lonely, spiritually conflicted man carrying the mantle of 1.2 billion believers. What follows is probably the worst job interview of all time.
Honestly, this is a film where two old dudes talk about morality for two hours. That will not be for everyone. It is still a great movie. And surprisingly funny if you like Dad jokes. Pryce is excellent at portraying the humor and humanity of Pope Francis, but if I'm honest, I never lost sight of the fact that Hopkins was Hopkins. I kept thinking that he was going to go all Hannibal Lector and eat Pryce's face. I don't think Pryce is going to win the category. I'm pretty sure Joaquin Phoenix has it on lock, even though I personally disliked Joker. I'm still hoping Joe Pesci is going to get the Best Supporting Actor. So that leaves Best Adapted Screenplay and I think they'll give it to Little Women as a sop for not being nominated for Best Director. But we'll find out tonight.
The Two Popes is currently streaming on Netflix.
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