Review of The Holy Child (2001) by Mark A — 13 Apr 2010

A largely unfunny story of a celebrity priest confronted by the fruit of a brief liaison from fifteen years before. Father Marc (Lambert Wilson) plays the priest who has made a name for himself advocating celibacy prior to marriage and his handsome good looks make him the object of a few young ladies' affections.

The humor is subtle. Unfortunately it is so subtle that this viewer found little to tickle the funny bone. A lot of "wink, wink, nudge, nudge" but few real sparks made the experience less than satisfying.

Diane Dassigny was especially cute as the teenager, Marie, who had a crush on the good Pere. In its favor, the film did present some theological issues in a very sympathetic light, and dared to confront some of the hypocrisy in the Church without rancor.

So, a mixed bag that tried too hard to be funny while presenting some serious subject matter earns this a mere three stars. A comedy should produce more than just one good laugh.