“Father Stu” follows the life of Father Stuart Long, a boxer-turned-priest who inspired countless people during his journey from self-destruction to redemption.
“Father Stu” is the true story of Father Stuart Long, a man who began his life as a boxer and ended it as a Catholic priest. Because movies tend to take dramatic license when dealing with true stories or real-life characters, it’s never easy to know just how many licenses were taken, but having read interviews with the film’s star and producer, Mark Wahlberg, “Father Stu,” according to Wahlberg, was made in conjunction with his family and friends and those who knew him best and is a faithful adaptation of his life.
Stuart “Stu” Long (Wahlberg) lives in Helena, Montana, a local amateur boxer known throughout his community. Having won the majority of his fights, his career is cut short when he receives a jaw injury, at which point he decides to move to Los Angeles to become an actor. Having gotten a couple of bit parts in TV and film, he meets a young Mexican woman, Carmen (Teresa Ruiz), who introduces him to Catholicism. Determined to marry her, he gets baptized in Carmen’s church and converts to Catholicism, but not long after, on his motorcycle coming home from work one evening, he is involved in a near-death motorcycle accident, which draws him closer to God.
After having a vision of the Virgin Mary, Stu searches deep within himself and realizes that he wants to be a priest, much to Carmen’s chagrin. Although shocked at his sudden about-face, she tries her best to support him in his new quest. Becoming a priest is a lot harder than he reckoned. However, things worsen when he is diagnosed with Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM), a rare inflammatory muscle disease similar to Lou Gehrig’s Disease that causes gradual muscle weakness and the wasting of both proximal and distal muscles. Concerned that he won’t be able to carry out his functions as a priest because of his diagnosis, the church reluctantly denies his ordainment, and as a result, he moves back home with his mother.
His old friend, Bishop George Thomas (Malcolm McDowell), believes that suffering is a gift in Christian life. Because our suffering is united to Christ’s and can be redemptory, it is because of Stu’s sufferings, not despite them, that he ordains him. For the next seven years, Stu became a staple in his community. With the unwavering assistance of his father, Bill (Mel Gibson), he spread his love and the word of God throughout his local parishes before passing away on Monday, June 9, 2014.
As a Catholic myself, I am always a little hesitant when a movie that deals with Catholicism is released, simply because Hollywood, for the most part, doesn’t care if they get it right or wrong; they’re typically more concerned with presenting outrageous characteristics and circumstances over honest commentary, depending on the context of the film. In this case, both Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson are Catholics, and Mr. Wahlberg also produced the movie, so my faith was restored, and rightly so. “Father Stu” tells the story of a man who believed in himself, only for him to turn his entire life around and begin to care about others in his life and God Almighty. I could relate to many of Stu’s struggles, not because it was contingent upon him being a Catholic; we all struggle daily, and everyone’s hardships are different, but some of the difficulties he contended with were very relatable, a result of him being Catholic.
I never felt like the movie shoved its narrative down its audience’s throats, something Hollywood is very good at; it sets out to tell one man’s story and articulates it from his specific point of view; nothing else matters. Whether you believe it or not is entirely up to you, but just because you may not believe it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Wahlberg immerses himself in the role altogether, starting as a chiseled, muscular boxer, devoid of fat, into a weakened, incapacitated man who could barely move and had to navigate his way using a power chair. Wahlberg gained 30lbs by drinking glasses of Olive Oil and eating 11,000 calories a day, and the finished result is mind-blowing. Wahlberg has always kept himself in prime condition, but his commitment to this role is inspiring.
Wahlberg’s weight gain is up there alongside Vincent D’Onofrio, who gained 70lbs for “Full Metal Jacket,” Christian Bale, who gained 40lbs to play Vice President Dick Cheney in “Vice,” and Robert De Niro, who gained 60lbs to play Jake LaMotta in Scorsese’s “Raging Bull.” But just because an actor gains weight for a specific role doesn’t necessarily lend the film automatic legitimacy. Without a veritable and indisputable performance, they might as well shed the weight and continue playing generic action heroes and insipid villains. Thankfully, Wahlberg gives a virtuoso performance, and throughout the film, as he slowly begins his downward spiral, gradually losing all functionality, he works hard not to become an object of sympathy; instead, he offers up his suffering as Jesus once did, and uses it as a way to help us reflect on our own imperceptible view of the world around us, and just how frail life really is.
While the narrative is principally contemplative, Wahlberg imbues a lot of genuine humor into the fray. In his first confession, the unfiltered banter between him and the priest is hilarious. Always coarse and vulgar, watching the priest listen to his confession while blessing himself and trying not to laugh inside the confessional booth brought a smile to my face. Wahlberg’s Stu doesn’t mean to embarrass or perturb; he says exactly what’s on his mind, with no regard to who’s listening. Jacki Weaver and Mel Gibson are exemplary in their respective roles as Stu’s mother and father, Bill and Kathleen, and Teresa Ruiz as Stu’s love interest Carmen brings grace and compassion to a role that could have floundered in the hands of a less capable actress.
With so many superhero movies and TV shows out there, it’s nice to see a faith-based film starring several Hollywood heavyweights with the backing of a major studio. Undoubtedly, it won’t make the kind of money “The Batman” or “Spider-Man: No Way Home” has earned, but that’s okay; there is a time and a place for everything, and while I am a big fan of Spider-Man and am eagerly awaiting the upcoming “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” “Father Stu” is a story that will inspire and motivate, and remind people of the world’s first ultimate superhero.
In Theaters Wednesday, April 13th
