God's Fool

I read some scathing reviews before watching this movie myself (including all of the 1 star ratings here), so I went in with low expectations. The movie isn't *that* bad. The opening scene of St. Francis is probably the weakest part of the movie, but this is only a few minutes out of the whole. I liked the idea of setting this movie in present day New York City as opposed to trying to do a reenactment of St. Francis' life. I thought modern part of the movie was well produced (considering it didn't have a Hollywood budget). Ultimately, how one feels about this movie will likely have more to do with how much one resonates with the message than the technical details of the film. The message is thus: to truly follow Christ and find fulfillment in life, one must renounce wealth and obey the teachings of Jesus. Through the movie, a young man is poised to inherit his father's business and wealth. But he doesn't see any meaning in it. He encounters a Franciscan priest who befriends him and teaches him about the Franciscan way. The young man is pulled between these two calls: to live a "normal" life, enjoying his family's wealth and prestige, or severing these ties in order to identify with and serve "the least of these".

After seeing the trailer for this movie, I came in with low expectations. But my delight, the overall movie seems to be pretty okay. The storyline kept me engaged, and the acting was pretty solid. Still, I definitely could've gone without the first part about the Francis of Assisi. I actually fast forwarded through that part because it was kinda weird and boring.

Skip to the modern day New York City and the story of the rich, African-American son who, although rich, still feels unfilled and empty. The playout of his struggle between an inner, spiritual calling and riches was very compelling. Overall, I really liked the movie, but they could have left out the first part about the saint.

I really enjoyed this film. It took a while to get past the low budget and at times not great cinematography. But nonetheless it was a solid film. I wish it had a budget to match the story. The use of a modern story to retell the story of St. Francis was endearing. I would have loved to have seen this movie come alive with a budget that could have allowed the actors to breathe a bit without stepping out of the proverbial frame. The lead actors in the second half of the film did a good job carrying the story, and making me look past the camera. But you can tell this was a white man writing a story about black folks. Little things in the script were definitely not things black people say, they are things white people think black people say. Just having an advisor whose own story was close to the bones of this film would have done wonders for the authenticity and flow of the dialogue. But I am guessing that multiple passes on the script were made harder by the budget constraints of this film. All in all a good film. But you have to force yourself to get past the cinematography to see the story.