THE TWO POPES
Papal attraction…
Hopkins and Pryce in an ecclesiastical acting duel.
While The Two Popes doesn’t scream out for a cinema debut ahead of its Netflix launch, its production values do benefit from that expanded scope. Ultimately, though, it’s a film that makes the Papacy feel more human, as this pair of pontiffs are presented as somewhat doddery bumblers.
The real selling point is the odd-couple bromance between Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins) and the future Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce), aka Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Based on a true story (and screenwriter Anthony McCarten’s own play), the film imagines the meeting between the two men towards the end of Benedict’s reign, as Jorge’s considering hanging up his cassock.
Hopkins and Pryce make for an often hysterically funny duo. Whether they’re listening to the Beatles, eating pizza or trying to book flights online, they generate no shortage of laughs. Of course, they also capably handle the gentle drama of wrestling with the demands of faith, and their often conflicting worldviews.
It’s unexpected territory for director Fernando Meirelles (City Of God, The Constant Gardener), but he handles the material with a light touch, and his DNA is more evident in Bergoglio’s politically charged flashback scenes (where he’s played by Juan Minujín). But for all the context these scenes provide it always feels a shame to cut away from the two older men.
If you’re after an excoriating expose of the Catholic church and its failings, look elsewhere. This only scratches the surface. But if you want some delightful company, an interesting insight into the Vatican’s customs, and a considered grapple with spirituality, The Two Popes doesn’t disappoint. Matt Maytum