Reform 'First Reformed'

"If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all." It's a lesson that we were all taught as kids. It's not advice that should be heeded when it comes to movie critics though, so if you came here expecting another glowing review of A24's latest release, First Reformed, then maybe now is the time to stop reading. Also, there will be spoilers. Not that the movie doesn't spoil itself by being a conflicted mess.

The best thing that can be said about this film is that Ethan Hawke is still as sexy as ever. His performance is supposed to hold the movie together, but at some point, he seems just to be reading off of the script in the hopes that something will make sense. It doesn't happen, but the effort is admirable. Amanda Seyfried's performance is the one to watch here. While she will probably take a critical drubbing from the Mama Mia sequel that is set to come out, here she proves that she deserves to the "It" girl title she has carried since the first Mama Mia movie. Yet even she seems to be playing the character page by page and hoping for the best.

The movie opens with Hawke's Reverend Toller writing in a journal and letting us know that this is something he will be doing for an entire year. It's a great set up and offers an intriguing look into a man of the cloth. It could have been a great character piece and a showy vehicle for someone of Ethan Hawke's stature. We are quickly introduced to Seyfried's Mary and Philip Ettinger's Michael, a married couple who are having some relationship issues. So far I'm in. It's intriguing and could go many different places. And it does, just not in the right way.

Toller's first meeting with Michael gives a glimpse into what will become the central issue of the movie: Environmental concerns. The conversation between the men is interesting and leads us to believe that the film will deal with a Pastor who is having conflicted feelings about his faith. That's a movie that should be made. Alas, they go into the environmental concerns, and it misses.

There is a clumsy subplot of the Pastor being ill. The diagnosis never comes in, but we are led to believe that it might be cancer and a drinking problem for some reason. It was as if screenwriter/director Paul Schrader thought to himself, let's be edgy and have the Toller also drink while being sick. That'll play well. And with most critics it is. Not with me.

Schrader might be a talented screenwriter and/or director, but he should have been both here. The shots are gorgeous. Some images will haunt well after the movie is over. Toller discovering Michael's dead body in the woods is one of the most shocking pieces of cinema that has been seen in quite some time. Hawke wrapping barbed wire around his body is not one that can quickly be forgotten either. However, images don't make a movie.

While the images are Gucci clothes, the body of the movie (the script) is not comfortable with something quite so fancy. First Reformed as it stands wants to be everything to everyone. It panders to liberals whose cause du jour is global warming. It tries to bring the Conservatives over to the cause by spouting bible verses and beating people over the head with the message. If that were the only problem with the movie, this would be far kinder. The cancer story sticks out as Oscar bait material for Hawke, but it never develops into anything more than a way for another Pastor to try and discredit/get rid of Toller. The same thing goes with the drinking problem.

Maybe the alcoholism could be blamed for the awkward love story between Toller and Mary. Make no mistake, someone needs to write a real love story for Hawke and Seyfried, their chemistry is off the charts. The issue here again falls to the story. Mary is having "nonsex" with the alcoholic pastor who counseled her husband to suicide, days after the tragic event. There's no real buildup to this either, other than Mary using a memory of her husband to entice Toller to do this with her. As for Toller, he shows no romantic interest in Mary or any other woman. He yells at a lady who he appeared friendly with because he felt like she was nagging him and wanting more than he was willing to give. Guess that's only the case unless her husband just committed suicide. Weird kink but to each their own.

The (non) climax of the movie finds Toller contemplating blowing up his church. This could have been exciting had the journaling device continued, and we had an inside track into his thoughts. Instead, it's a come out of nowhere twist that seems designed to shock and start a conversation. Mission accomplished, even if it's not the talk that Schrader wanted people to have.

The conversation that followed was a spirited debate about whether screenwriters should direct their own work. Using First Reformed as the example, the answer is a resounding no. A movie doesn't have the right to be this bad without showing us Ethan Hawke's butt.