I had never heard of Father Stu, a boxer turned baptised Catholic turned priest, though obviously as soon as I saw this trailer, and discovered the film is based on a true story, I googled and now I know a lot about Father Stu.
That wouldn’t necessarily stop me watching the film — I’ve seen Titanic about 50 times and each rewatch I have an inkling that boat will sink — but the “finding God” genre just isn’t really my thing (I prefer the “Mistaking finding God” genre, otherwise known as Monty Python’s Life of Brian). I do like the idea of a guy getting baptised because he fancies someone though, and the trailer is promising.
Here’s the synopsis:
When an injury ends his amateur boxing career, Stuart Long (Mark Wahlberg) moves to L.A. dreaming of stardom. While scraping by as a supermarket clerk, he meets Carmen, a Catholic Sunday school teacher who seems immune to his bad-boy charm. Determined to win her over, the longtime agnostic starts going to church to impress her. But surviving a terrible motorcycle accident leaves him wondering if he can use his second chance to help others find their way, leading to the surprising realisation that he is meant to be a Catholic priest. Despite a devastating health crisis and the skepticism of Church officials and his estranged parents, Stu pursues his vocation with courage and compassion, inspiring not only those closest to him but countless others along the way.
Watch the trailer now:
You can decide for yourselves when the film hits UK cinemas on 13 May. Co-starring with Wahlberg are Mel Gibson, Jacki Weaver and Teresa Ruiz. Rosalind Ross is the writer and director.