by Mark Deming
synopsis
Actor Edward Norton debuts as a director with this comedy-drama about love, friendship, and faith. Priest Brian Finn (Norton) and rabbi Jacob Schram (Ben Stiller) have known each other since childhood. When Anna Reilly (Jenna Elfman), whom they both knew as children, returns to New York, both men find themselves infatuated with her, sparking both rivalry and personal dilemmas: Brian has taken a vow of celibacy, and Jacob is allowed to marry only within his faith. Award-winning director Milos Forman appears in the supporting cast, alongside Anne Bancroft, Ron Rifkin, and Eli Wallach; the screenplay marks the debut of writer Stuart Blumberg, whom Norton met when they were both undergraduates at Yale.
characteristics
- Sleeper
- Priest
- Pick-Me-Ups
- Rabbi
- Religion
- Religious
- Members Of The Clergy
- Love
- Celibacy
- Catholic
- Celibate
- Faith
- Jewish
- Friend
- Belief
