Father Stu

An amateur boxer finds his calling as a priest in this would-be inspirational drama based on true events. Mark Wahlberg plays no-hoper Stuart Long, who takes a liking to Teresa Ruiz's committed church worker and fakes his own faith in a bid to win her over. However, a life-threatening accident prompts a genuine religious conversion, which makes him an unconventional candidate for the cloth - but also takes marriage off the table. There's a knockabout charm to the first half of the film, and Wahlberg delivers a sincere and scrappy turn. Meanwhile, Mel Gibson is suitably gruff as his ne'er-do-well dad, a black sheep with reasons to mend his own ways. However, the film's linking of physical suffering and spiritual enlightenment proves troubling, and the story veers unconvincingly from catastrophe to triumph. Writer/director Rosalind Ross attempts to leaven the narrative's heavy religious themes with some light comedy, but the result is decidedly awkward. Still, the closing credits include footage of the real Stuart Long, which proves intriguing enough to suggest that a documentary might have made a better job of telling his remarkable story.