Review of We Have a Pope (2011) by William C — 18 Nov 2011

Satires about the Vatican can be tiresome. Not that there aren't many things to satirize, but fantasy (or reality) in this kind of movies are too often repeated.

But this is different. The cardinals elect a pope, but when he is supposed to bless the crowds at St. Peter's Square he has a nervous breakdown. It's kept secret and the cardinals tries the final solution: Bringing a psychoanalyst to help him. When that isn't enough, they try the analyst's wife, who lives outside, in Rome. But the pope escapes.

And it all becomes a rather touching story about a person for a couple of days learning about the life and the people he's supposed to lead and guide. Michel Piccoli makes a great performance here, while we still have our moments of laughs at the cardinals. The pope comes out of it, not as a better pope, but at least as a person.

Quite funny. Not so few thoughts.