Review – Into Temptation

I’m betting not many have heard of this movie. I noticed Into Temptation only because it was on the list of new movies to watch instantly online at Netflix and I thought, hey, Kristin Chenoweth as a prostitute? I’m intriqued.

The story unfolds slowly and without much going on, but it’s so interesting that I didn’t find my mind wandering. We’re introduced in the beginning to the priest of a shabby parish, going through all the priestly motions without much enthusiasm. Then he gets a visit in the confessional from a mysterious woman who confesses that she’s going to kill herself on her upcoming birthday.

Haunted by this confession, and life story that accompanied it, our friendly neighborhood priest decides that he can’t just sit by and let this woman’s life end. And so, he ventures so very innocently into the red light district, meeting all sorts of unsavories, and of course, drawing a bit of unwanted attention from nosy parishioners and concerned colleagues. The movie follows the priest as he tries to track down a woman he knows only by her unique voice and the glimpse of her mouth/neck he could see through the confessional screen.

Not much to go on, but he doesn’t give up. I won’t give away the ending, but I will say that this movie, start to finish, was full of tragedy. It’s utterly tragic to see this woman go through the process of cleaning up her life, preparing for departure, as it were. She doesn’t have much to do in the movie, nor many lines, but Kristin Chenoweth did a fabulous job at portraying the hopelessness of this woman. It was nice to see her playing something other than her usual bouncy blonde self. You could clearly see that she has said “fuck it” to life and and long since stopped caring. Jeremy Sisto played the part of our priest (with the most unflattering hair for this normally attractive man, augh) and his character was both sad and heartening to watch – sad because he seems to lack any sort of passion for his profession, not to mention the sadness of watching his seemingly fruitless search for the mystery woman; but heartening to see how he never gives up and retains his air of innocence, even in the face of hookers, pimps, muggers, and bums.

I will say this one last bit – I was almost brought to tears by a scene in the end, when a random homeless man interacts with our suicidal friend, it’s so heartbreaking to see her cling to this one interaction, probably the nicest thing to happen to her in ages.

And so, though it might be under promoted and little known (as far as I know, I’d never heard of it before it came out, but I could have had my head under a rock) I’d look for this one if you’re in the mood for something a little more weighty, along the lines of movies like Doubt or Seven Pounds.

Now, on a happier note – I was searching for a Catholic themed song to post along with today’s review, and I happened across this fabulous ditty by Bo Burnham … wonderfully nerdy kid, great comedian/performer … that has truly fantastic lyrics. I hope you all enjoy as much as I did. I enjoyed this song so much that I even ignored the shout-out to Obama there in the middle. (I really don’t like that guy.) I’ll post the lyrics below just in case, there are a few times where his rhyming gets a little to fast for the sometimes sub-par audio to handle.

Lyrics
All the seats at the Sunday masses
Filled with the mass’s massive asses
Classes pass by as fast as molasses
Ceremonial reading glasses
Read!
A little bit of Leviticus
All the kids are a little too little for this
All the parents nod in agreement
I think I can vaguely see what he meant
Its too early in the morning glory
To read another allegory story
The father reads a little bit farther
Assuring the assured that they need not bother
When God
In verse 45
Said that slaves are okay to buy
He meant that people all from the start
Each have slaves within their hearts
Things that we have sold or bought
Then are forced to pick our moral cotton
God calls us to set these free
Free our hearts from slavery
And then as God goes on to explain
The logistics of buying and selling slaves
He was fucking around

In the back I sit and I nod
To the beats that are bumping from my iPod
My god they’re starting to pray
And over the music I can hear them say
“Dear God”
“Dear Lord”
“Dear vague muscular man with a beard or a sword.”
“Dear good all seeing being
My way or the highway, Yahweh”
The blue balled anti masturbator
The great all loving faggot hater
I’d like to thank your holy might for
Making me both rich and white and
Though this is your day of rest
I come to you with one request
There’s so much pain beyond this steeple
Wars and drugs and homeless people
Sadness where there should be joy
Hate and rape and Soldier Boy
A world of darkness needs your light
So I’m sure your schedules pretty tight but
My dog just had surgery
If you could fix that first…

Deborah
Messing’s fingers in a holy place
Hail Mary full of Grace

Obama
Could you pass some hope to the pope
I know a couple dudes who want to elope
See the Church said nope so bros can’t cope
The bros can grope but the bros can’t cope
They’ve been in love and they’ve been addicted
Who said they shouldn’t?
Benedict did
Cause in the holy land of the Lord
He’s the holy landlord
And dicks are evicted
Cause you can be a benedict
If you’ve been a dick under Benedict
But you cant have benedicts
Because there’s only one Pope
With only one dick
What? Yeah
A dick on a Pope is just like a soap on a rope
Cause its pointless unless in prison
Throw up your Bibles
Christ has risen
Hallelujah now its raining men
Because the gender ratios 1 to 10
Winos at the eucharist station
Transgendered substantiation

Jesus wasn’t the Messiah
Get back on the heretic and I’m on fire
It was Oedipus those holy nights
The holy mother fucking Christ
I’m a blasphema
Post Katrina
Crusin’ the marina
On a crusade to cruise aides
And blast FEMA
You’re too late
Were fucked
We don’t need ya

(Now some of the lyrics might not make sense, not sure they were transcribed exactly right – but still, aren’t they amazingly smart lyrics? Love love.)