The Apostle
1.5/4
Starring: Robert Duvall, John Beasley, Marie Richardson, Walton Goggins, Farrah Fawcett, June Carter Cash
Rated PG-13 for Thematic Elements and a Related Scene of Violence
For Robert Duvall, bringing "The Apostle" to the screen was a labor of love, if not an obsession. He wrote the screenplay, directed the film and, obviously, starred as the lead character. If that doesn't make plain enough his determination to put this story to film, he ended up funding the entire project (budgeted at $5 million) himself, although he was reimbursed by the distributors when it became a success. Unfortunately, Duvall doesn't find a way to successfully translate his passion into reality. The movie has some compelling characters and scenes of high energy, but overall it's a bore.
Sonny (Duvall) is an evangelist living in the Deep South. His love for God and gift for preaching has amassed him a sizable following of loyal parishioners. But his personal life is a mess. His wife Jessie (Fawcett) wants a divorce (presumably so she can marry her lover). Adding insult to injury, she takes away his church (how this happens isn't made clear). Tempers flare and Sonny commits an unforgivable sin. Fearing the consequences, he flees and burns all records of his past. Following God, he settles down in small-town Louisiana, where he eventually finds another church and starts to rebuild. But Sonny realizes that he can only run from his past for so long before it catches up with him.
The central problem with the film is easy to identify: Sonny is not an interesting character. For a character study, Duvall has given him surprisingly little depth. He's a charismatic preacher, but that's it. There's nothing to him other than that. I understand that his devotion to God is absolute and all-consuming, but other aspects of his personality have to be fleshed out in order for him to be a fully realized individual. As a result, Sonny is the least interesting character on screen.
Duvall gives it his all, but he's done himself a great disservice with this thin screenplay. Much more interesting are the other characters he meets on his journey to redemption. John Beasley, a character actor of some note, is in fine form as a kindly ex-preacher who gives him his old church. Marie Richardson is a scene stealer as a secretary that Sonny pursues, although her subplot is not tied up in a satisfactory way. Walton Goggins, Farrah Fawcett, and a barely recognizable Billy Bob Thornton have small roles. Country singer June Carter Cash has a cameo as Sonny's mother.
Behind the camera, Duvall doesn't have much better luck. For such a subtle movie, it sure seems to be all about the excess. Whether it's Sonny talking to God or preaching, he rarely shuts up. Even when he's away from the pulpit, he's still in preacher mode. This makes him one-dimensional and boring. His sermons have a certain amount of energy, but the run on far longer than needed to make their point. There's also a subplot with Thornton, who plays a bitter racist, that's awkwardly handled. And there's virtually no real plot.
"The Apostle" has some nice moments (such as Duvall's scenes with Richardson) and while it's a religious movie where people insert Bible verses into conversation, it's at least done with context, unlike many of today's Christian films (yes, I'm talking to you, creators of the "God's Not Dead" movies). But it's just not worth the slog that compromises the majority of the film to get to the mildly good stuff.
Starring: Robert Duvall, John Beasley, Marie Richardson, Walton Goggins, Farrah Fawcett, June Carter Cash
Rated PG-13 for Thematic Elements and a Related Scene of Violence
For Robert Duvall, bringing "The Apostle" to the screen was a labor of love, if not an obsession. He wrote the screenplay, directed the film and, obviously, starred as the lead character. If that doesn't make plain enough his determination to put this story to film, he ended up funding the entire project (budgeted at $5 million) himself, although he was reimbursed by the distributors when it became a success. Unfortunately, Duvall doesn't find a way to successfully translate his passion into reality. The movie has some compelling characters and scenes of high energy, but overall it's a bore.
Sonny (Duvall) is an evangelist living in the Deep South. His love for God and gift for preaching has amassed him a sizable following of loyal parishioners. But his personal life is a mess. His wife Jessie (Fawcett) wants a divorce (presumably so she can marry her lover). Adding insult to injury, she takes away his church (how this happens isn't made clear). Tempers flare and Sonny commits an unforgivable sin. Fearing the consequences, he flees and burns all records of his past. Following God, he settles down in small-town Louisiana, where he eventually finds another church and starts to rebuild. But Sonny realizes that he can only run from his past for so long before it catches up with him.
The central problem with the film is easy to identify: Sonny is not an interesting character. For a character study, Duvall has given him surprisingly little depth. He's a charismatic preacher, but that's it. There's nothing to him other than that. I understand that his devotion to God is absolute and all-consuming, but other aspects of his personality have to be fleshed out in order for him to be a fully realized individual. As a result, Sonny is the least interesting character on screen.
Duvall gives it his all, but he's done himself a great disservice with this thin screenplay. Much more interesting are the other characters he meets on his journey to redemption. John Beasley, a character actor of some note, is in fine form as a kindly ex-preacher who gives him his old church. Marie Richardson is a scene stealer as a secretary that Sonny pursues, although her subplot is not tied up in a satisfactory way. Walton Goggins, Farrah Fawcett, and a barely recognizable Billy Bob Thornton have small roles. Country singer June Carter Cash has a cameo as Sonny's mother.
Behind the camera, Duvall doesn't have much better luck. For such a subtle movie, it sure seems to be all about the excess. Whether it's Sonny talking to God or preaching, he rarely shuts up. Even when he's away from the pulpit, he's still in preacher mode. This makes him one-dimensional and boring. His sermons have a certain amount of energy, but the run on far longer than needed to make their point. There's also a subplot with Thornton, who plays a bitter racist, that's awkwardly handled. And there's virtually no real plot.
"The Apostle" has some nice moments (such as Duvall's scenes with Richardson) and while it's a religious movie where people insert Bible verses into conversation, it's at least done with context, unlike many of today's Christian films (yes, I'm talking to you, creators of the "God's Not Dead" movies). But it's just not worth the slog that compromises the majority of the film to get to the mildly good stuff.
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