So much average

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

The movie is wildly uneven but lively and timely - in its own surreal way

I was always very neutral about Christopher Reeve. Overall, I didn't like or dislike him as an actor. But there is one thing I never figured out, and it pops up for me anytime I re-watch one of his films: how good an actor was he? To be honest, since I begin thinking about the question with every film of his I watch, my conclusion is that he is "satisfactory" at best.Here he is "satisfactory". Perhaps a bit wooden at some points. But it's an "okay" performance. Ironically, on the other hand, I rather like quite a few of the films Geneviève Bujold appeared in at her peak, but here she seems rather wooden, as well (with the exception of the scene where she lashes out at Reeve). The two main actors both wooden? Maybe we need to blame the director.That doesn't mean this film isn't worth watching. It's a handsome production with a fairly good script...and filmed on location in Rome. And any film that tackles the politics of the Vatican is worth watching. The settings are lush (made me wish I had visited Rome) and the supporting performances (I particularly liked Frenando Rey) were solid. Great costumes and, it seems to me, attention to detail.I'm glad I watched this, but I wouldn't even think of putting it on my DVD shelf.

I loved this film. First, it showed very well the way the church managed to survive the complicated, and oft evil, manipulations of war. It did not condemn or condone, only showed the reality of the Catholic church and how it's mechanisms are very much capitalist in nature if not in scripture. It's historic value is priceless.We've seen since then how the church does act when it comes to it's own failings and inner turmoils. It's not whether you have sinned the great sin, whatever that is, or that you've been forgiven. Rather, it's does your value to the church out-way your individual corruption.Historically, Catholic priest sold forgiveness in the form of 'dispensation' to the wealthy and powerful so they could sin without facing eternal damnation. This film just modernizes it. Many novels and films since this one have shown the same point. This one is just simpler in it's presentation.

saw this as a sneak preview, and there was a lot of mumbling in full theater as reeve was cast as priest, to begin with. more mumbling ensued as film went on, then laughter, and occasional comments from crowd. loved scenes as lines of people approached the pope, and the overhead camera view was hysterical when eyes met. one comment from crowd was directed at diminuative pope character- "ET phone home". i've been looking for it on video for years for a good laugh, but couldn't even find it among reeve's credits. kudos to bujold for listing everything no matter how nasty... i don't remember anyone leaving the theater, as i've seen in some sneak previews, probably because the of the 'so bad it was good' factor.

Someone on a game show once named this as his favorite bad movie, citing that hilarious scene in the church when Genevieve Bujold, playing a tramp postulant, realizes that her boyfriend is a priest.There's nothing good to be said about this film except that it has glorious scenery. It's sad today to see Christopher Reeve healthy and walking - and wasting what little time he was going to have in rotgut like this. As someone raised in the Catholic church, I loved hearing the Latin again. Also with the recent scandals in the church that have come to light, I don't really put much past the Catholic church or the high mucky-mucks. But this movie is really ridiculous.The performances were okay, given what these poor people had to deal with. The Genevieve Bujold character is a riot; the role is a career-killer. I mean, bare breasts exposed, the woman is asking the Reeve character, "Do you think I'll make a good nun?" The Christopher Reeve character - that of a mafioso priest - is preposterous. I used to love Jason Miller. Not in this. I'm old enough to remember the old pope - were they kidding with that characterization of him? Alas, today, you really wouldn't watch this with friends for a few laughs (as one of the older posts suggests) because it's just too awful to see young, handsome Christopher Reeve. So probably the best thing some higher-up can do is take this baby out of circulation. If I'm going to watch Christopher Reeve, I'll watch him fly and remember him when he was just starting out, vital, handsome, with it all in front of him.