Father. Son. Mark Wahlberg. A triple everyone that has ever watched the Marky Mark Workout Video will be clear on and aware of it. Wahlberg has suffered a handful of poor films and odd public outcries yet his star still shines. Another in a setlist of features this year hoping to wax religious sentimentalities to make up for whatever poor box office or personal misgivings are on offer, Father Stu is to Wahlberg what Padre Pio is to Shai LaBeouf. Wahlberg teams with Mel Gibson, Jacki Weaver and Malcolm McDowell in a feature that collects forgotten remnants of film and allows them to star in a faith-based cliché that errs on the side of violence.
Monumentally strong in the leading role, Wahlberg plays up the boxer-turned-priest portrayal of Stuart Long extremely well. It is a role well-suited to him, providing him with the chance to strip his shirt off and punch people as well as yell at people in faith-based arguments. Weaver provides a nice supporting role in those early moments that must channel the fear and love a family has for their struggling loved one. Rosalind Ross directs with palpable acceptance of the ropey story which utilises the usual strengths and weaknesses found in those that seek faith. Ross’ direction is fine. It has the camera pointed at all the right places and the performers say all the right lines. If we are to praise the bare minimum, then there we are. There is little emotional flow to the shot choreography, and little in the way of real genuine spurs despite the passion project mentality found within this piece.
This is the Wahlberg show. Two hours of the man trying to stretch his artistic passions as a serious actor. The real tragedy is that Father Stu is an excellent example of how great a performance Wahlberg can offer. Through the recent barrage of video game adaptations, cartoon cameos and awful action flicks comes the feature that should, ideally, cement Wahlberg as a serious actor. Father Stu does not manage that though because it is rather placid. Such an intense and unique story does deserve the adaptation process, and while Gibson, Wahlberg and Weaver make up a tense and interesting family unit, there needs to be more than just performance for Father Stu to hang their hat on. It is a feature of temptation without anything all that tempting for the audience.
A clear passion project for Wahlberg that enlists the names of heavy hitters of Hollywood, Father Stu will struggle to shake its obvious collisions with the low-budget, faith-based genre. Great performances steer this piece away from anything obviously disastrous, but Father Stu could have had a bit more faith in its script. It is briefly reminiscent of Bleed for This, the Miles Teller-starring boxing biopic and Adam’s Apples, the reformation of bad men under the eyes of God. Interesting caricatures can only take audiences so far, but Father Stu can take them close enough to the truth Wahlberg is getting at to make for a vaguely enjoyable piece that reaps its rewards.
