Our Fathers (2005 TV Movie) User Reviews (13)

Plummer, Dennehy, and Cast are Superb!

[lavatch · 8/10 · 21 May 2005]

Much credit should go to David France and Thomas Michael Donnelly for the book and screenplay for "Our Fathers." The delicate subject matter of pedophilia in the Catholic church and the years of cover-up of the abuses in the hierarchy of the Boston diocese were handled with great sensitivity.

Every note of the film rang true, which was due in large part to the stellar cast. Christopher Plummer as Cardinal Law and Brian Dennehy as Father Spagnolia were both standouts. But the smaller roles were noteworthy as well, especially the adult men who were the abuse victims. The long-term effects of the abuse were vividly conveyed by those actors, who played their roles with great feeling and conviction. Ted Danson was very effective as an attorney motivated by the pursuit of justice, as opposed to greed. Even the actor who was faced with the daunting task of playing the late Pope John Paul II was highly credible. This brilliant ensemble was led skillfully under the sensitive direction of Dan Curtis.

This could have been a run-of-the-mill, lurid made-for-television film. Instead, it was an enterprise created with integrity by all of the artists involved.

Why did this happen to me?

[lastliberal · 8/10 · 27 October 2007]

It was 40 years ago when I first became disillusioned with my church. Even then I did not abandon it. I was fully involved - altar boy, seminarian, Knights of Columus - the works. It wasn't until later when the abuses by priests were disclosed, and I was doing sexual abuse investigations myself for Child Protective Services, that I finally got fed up. I sent my baptismal certificate to the military ordinate and asked to be formally excommunicated. They told me to request it in my local parish. What, from another sexually abusing priest? No, thank you. I consider myself excommunicated even if they won't give me a letter.

This film brought it all back. The only reason I do not rate it higher was the fact that there was enough information here for three films. Other than that, it was outstanding.

Ted Danson probably starred in the best role of his career, at least from my standpoint. He was great as the lawyer that took on the almighty church and brought it down. Unfortunately, the church was able to stall real reforms, and you can be sure that priests continue to abuse today.

Christopher Plummer, as Cardinal Law, was magnificent. You almost believed that he truly did not know what he was doing. Don't be fooled. He got a promotion out of the scandal he caused by hiding those pedophile priests. He is living the good life in Rome today.

Brian Dennehy was superb as Father Spags, a gay priest who spoke out against Cardinal Law and was banished because of it.

This film opened old wounds that I hoped were healed. They were opened when Cardinal Law presided at the funeral mass of Pope John II. Those who yell for Sainthood for this pope should know that he allowed Law to remain in Boston and gave him the cushy job in Rome after he was finally forced to resign. Rome knew and let it continue.

This moving was a great film that shows how absolute power corrupts.

Some very good performances but, overall, a bit of a disappointment

[GMJames · 6/10 · 31 May 2005]

"Our Fathers", which is based on the book by David France, deserves an epic-size treatment of the sexual abuse of children by some clergy members within the Boston Archdiocese and the politics within the Catholic Church on this matter.

The movie is not as powerful as it could have been. That is not to say screenwriter Thomas Michael Donnelly and veteran director Dan Curtis (Dark Shadows, The Winds of War, War and Remembrance) totally failed. The scenes of abuse were handled with great sensitivity, they were not gratuitous or exploitive.

There are some very heartbreaking moments which include Ellen Burstyn as the mother of seven children who were all abused by one priest. Burstyn only appears in the film for only a few minutes but she makes the most of her scenes. (Update: If the group that awards the Emmys wanted to nominate a short but powerful performance by Burstyn, it should have been this one not the 14 second performance in Mrs. Harris. But I digress.)

Also of note, Chris Bauer who plays Olan Horne, one of the victims. He has a scene in which he is taunted by a couple of insensitive men at a local deli. When he graphically describes to them how he was abused, I was almost in tears. Bauer was a standout.

Christopher Plummer does a good job playing Cardinal Bernard Law. It would have been very easy to play him as a caricature (which, in my opinion, is what happened with the actors who portrayed the young and adult Fr. Geoghan) and Plummer somehow gave him some sympathetic qualities which made him a bit more complex.

My main issue with the movie was the decision by the screenwriter and the director to put so much weight on the legal aspects of the case and the news media's part of reporting the story. It does not mean that those aspects of the story should be ignored. Perhaps it had more to do with the source material. Author David France covered the crisis when he was a senior editor at Newsweek.

Because of this, despite some good scenes, I thought Ted Danson performance as Mitchell Garabedian was problematic. I was unable to connect with his character because I was paying more attention to the victims and the clergy. To me, Garabedian is a secondary character who was placed in a lead role. Also, I was very unimpressed with the scenes involving the reporters at the Boston Globe. It felt like a poor imitation of "All The President's Men".

There should have been more stories about the adult victims and their families and how these abuses affected their lives. I wished they would have delved more into the politics of the Catholic Church and why the church failed the victims and the reactions of parishioners and how their faith was shaken by this controversy.

I also believe that if the movie was performed chronologically and not used flashbacks, it would have been even more powerful and effective. While watching "Our Fathers", I kept thinking about the landmark, two-part film "The Boys of St. Vincent" (1992 and 1993), which told the true story of the sexual abuse of children at a orphanage in Newfoundland, Canada. The orphanage was run by a religious community. The movies also showed how it affected the victims, their families and the abusers 15 years later.

Also, I found Brian Dennehy's performance as Father Dominic Spagnolia, the clergyman who publicly criticized Cardinal Law and the Boston Archdiocese's handling of the sexual abuse claims but also had skeletons in his own closet, fiercely charismatic and totally fearless. Dennehy has been one of my favorite actors and when he sinks his teeth into a role, watch out. However, I believe the story of Father Spagnolia deserves a movie of its own.

Overall, "Our Fathers" was well-intended but not totally successful.

Powerful, but....

[Panamint · 6/10 · 31 May 2005]

Yes its powerful, primarily because the acting is powerful and effective. Anyone in the cast would deserve an acting award.

There are script problems. Too many characters and too many individual stories crammed into 2 hours. Some characters have little or no character development. Big mistake to concentrate on media-circus. The media is notoriously shallow and insincere, and it contrasts sharply with the otherwise deep tone of this film. Perp walks and media rabble on the sidewalks will work fine in the Martha Stewart trial movie, but it is way overemphasized here where it seems silly and unnecessary. Probably the writers were trying to show the "American-ness" of the situation but if so they weren't very successful.

Danson is great at conveying the essence of the legal aspect. So good that we are reminded that the essence is all we need. Legal detail is great in a Courtroom Drama but that is not what we expect here. Also, you feel like some of the characters are Courtroom Drama-style "witnesses" rather than human beings. A movie with such spiritual aspects should show each character as a human being.

Gentle and dignified portrayal of the late Pope. Seems the rest of the Catholic world could not comprehend the depravity and the generally different nature of American society and of this particular monstrous problem.

Outstanding achievement

[Frank-80 · 10/10 · 23 May 2005]

If only I could write a spoiler. That would imply that the final outcome of this the greatest of all scandals to rock the Catholic Church was known. But it is not, and the filmmakers do not pretend they know. They simply present in an honest, unflinching manner, the struggles of one group of victims in one city as they emerge from their own dark closets to seek justice for the pedophilia inflicted upon them by the men they most deeply trusted, their priests. This was a venture that took great courage. These were blue collar workers who had to first buck the macho culture in which they lived to do what they believed was the right thing to do. That was not easy. They received more mockery than plaudits as they sought understanding and healing. Cardinal Bernard Law is presented in a more compassionate light than I thought he deserved. He after all could have ended it all many years ago had he acted decisively in ferreting out and removing evil men like Geoghan and Shanley. Instead, he moved them around from parish to parish, enabling them to continue their perversions on new and unsuspecting victims. The Cardinal and his lawyers were so powerful in their hierarchical world and held the media so completely under their spell, that initially a disbelieving Boston Globe reporter suggests a spin that the bishop could use to modulate his responsibility into a more acceptable justification. She was anxious to set aside honest reporting for the more important act of helping the Cardinal. I saw superb acting, brilliant direction and hard hitting dialogue, but no vengeful lashing out. This was a fair and balanced presentation, with the viewer left to ponder and decide. The film ripped a hole through the surface of this horror exposing the incredible cover-up for all to see, but still maintained its balance. It is left to others to more fully plumb the depths of this scandal. This is a must see film for all, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, as pedophilia is not the exclusive domain of the Catholic Church.

Dramatization of the recent sex abuse scandal and cover-up by the Boston Archdiocese.

[YoYoP · 7/10 · 29 May 2005]

Disturbing but well acted dramatization of this tragic true story. Christopher Plummer was extraordinary. He managed to make the character of Cardinal Law, on some level, "sympathetic" if that is possible or, at best, clueless. At the end, however, the only sympathy I felt was for those victims who to this day carry the scars.

Although the acting was great, did anyone else notice the "in your face" borrowing from a scene from "All the President's Men" when the editors and reporters from the Boston Globe were debating whether to run the story about the "coverup" of the sex abuse by the church hierarchy. I swear the script was verbatim from a similar scene in "All the President's Men" when the issue was whether to run Woodward and Bernstein's Watergate story. Did the writers of "Our Fathers" ask William Goldman, the screenplay writer for "All...." for permission to borrow so liberally from his script. I guess copying is the sincerest form of flattery.

Monsters among us

[jotix100 · 10/10 · 22 May 2005]

Showtime ought to be congratulated for its courage in bringing "Our Fathers" to the television screen as a film. Dan Curtis, the director, gives us a first rate account about this sad chapter of abuse to young children by Catholic priests. Those same priests were supposed to have been examples and role models for young children, but in violating that trust, these men committed crimes one never suspected them capable of doing. The book by David France, "Our Fathers: The Secret Life of the Catholic Church in an Age of Scandal", gets an amazing screen treatment by Thomas Michael Donnelly.

The books emphasizes the role of Cardinal Bernard Law in the whole affair. This sinister figure, who was able to get away with murder by resigning his post as the head of the Boston Diocese, is still not admitting his role in the cover up, even after everything is well known and documented.

Father John Geoghan, the monster priest arrested and convicted of several sexual molestation charges, is one of the most repugnant figures involved in the scandal. We watch as this man is ordained with tears in his eyes in the early 60s. Father John is seen as a holy man who is quite charming hiding behind a facade of being good to the children. Parents love him because what they see a role model for their boys to follow.

The film concentrates on Angelo DiFranco's story. Angelo is seen putting his own fist through a mirror in rage. This young man and his lawyer, Mitchell Garabedian, are instrumental into putting the lawyer in contact with Mary Ryan, a woman whose seven boys are sexually abused by father Geoghan. Mrs. Ryan is asked to keep quiet.

The other priest in the story, Father Joseph Birmingham, is also responsible for abuses to other children. Another accuser, Olan Horne, brings it to the attention of Cardinal Law, who is arrogant and indignant about the accusations. Cardinal Law makes a point to tell Olan that Christ hasn't done anything wrong, if anything, he was the one instrumental in his failure as the man who could have solved the problem, but didn't. In the end we watch Cardinal Bernard Law with tears in his eyes as he resigns. Unfortunately, much too late!

The performances are first rate. Christopher Plummer as the sinister cardinal does an excellent performance. Chris Bauer and Daniel Baldwin, two talented young actors, are seen as Olan Horne and Angelo DiFranco, respectively. Ted Danson, as the lawyer is not as effective, maybe because we don't see him as Mr. Garabedian at all. Brian Dennehy is good as Father Spagnolia. Ellen Burstyn is a great Mary Ryan, full of rage and bitter for what the evil priest did to her sons. Steve Shaw plays the evil Father Geoghan.

The tragedy that was done to innocent children by these heartless men will stay in the victim's memories forever. More than likely, these monster priests were abused themselves as children, and now they feel it's their turn to keep the practice going.

An Outstanding Effort on Such A Controversial Film!!

[michaelzstuff · 10/10 · 22 May 2005]

My congratulations to Ted Danson, Christopher Plummer, Brian Dennehy, David France and Thomas Michael Donnelly and Dan Curtis for their brave efforts in tackling such a controversial subject. Ten years ago, this film would have never been released.

It was so disturbing to watch that I was up all night thinking how excruciatingly painful it was for the parents and the victims.

It took many brave souls to take on the Catholic Church on such a horrifying subject as the pedophilia that occurred by the very same Priests to which we entrusted our children. Not to mention the years of cover-up by the Boston diocese!

And yet, this cast and crew somehow managed to have this unspeakable subject matter come across so compellingly and tastefully that they deserve a 10 for their efforts. This is truly an award-winning effort. I can almost guarantee that this will be a critically acclaimed film.

Our Fathers-An Excellent Depiction of Sin ****

[edwagreen · 9/10 · 24 August 2006]

Our Fathers is a terrific movie made by Showtime depicting the Boston scandal involving pedophile priests and their effects on the children they abused so many years ago.

With an outstanding cast, the film brilliantly shows the impact on the lives of those abused and focuses on the church, in not the best of terms.

An all-star cast is headed by Ted Danson portraying the lawyer for the abused. Christopher Plummer, as Cardinal Bernard Law, and Brian Dennehy, as an accused priest-abuser turn in masterful Emmy nominated performances in supporting roles. They are just terrific but will probably cancel one another out on the Aug. 27th awards show.

Ellen Burstyn, who is at her best when she is miserable, appears in one scene as the mother of several of the victims.

The film goes all out in showing the culpability of higher ups in a major cover-up of the priest-abuse scandal. We probably haven't seen such an cover-up since Watergate.

Danson appears in the opening scene and acts as he did but in a non-comical way as TV's Becker.

The language is salty and surprising given the nature of the Catholic church. Four letter words are prevalent and unfortunately appropriate as the story goes on.

Plummer is just fabulous as Law, a guilt-ridden priest who is ready to sacrifice anyone to save his own neck. Equally good is Dennehy, who seems to be able to beat an abuse charge until his homosexuality is revealed.

Sin was never better than this.

Not Catholic bashing

[cups429 · 7 June 2005]

I have seen this movie and am a practicing Catholic from Boston who worked in a rectory at age 12 in 1964 and did not hear of any abuse. I think the movie did a great job. I lived through the scandal. Before this happen I always said Cardinal Law had to be a cardinal because he could not get that ego in regular size church. You cant believe what this scandal has down to our diocese. And we cant blame lawyers or the media the only real culprit are the pedophile priests and those the covered it up. A a practicing Catholic I have always been aware of the secrecy in the everyday Church. When a Priests in our parish and left to get married have Mental disorders (nerves, drinking ) or left to get married it was if the just never existed. And why would anyone blame Jews for this movie. It looks like the writers , director and stars are not Jew's if that make a difference. Father Spag is in the parish next to ours and the movie did an accurate account of him. Except he is medium built Italian.

Wrong Title

[myspecialparadise · 5/10 · 19 April 2011]

Our Fathers should have been titled more accurately as The Sins Of Our Fathers. I found this film to be a big let-down. Honesty would have given a more profound look into the lives that were destroyed, as well as the devastated families of those children that were molested and/or brutally raped. Many of these victims remained silent for decades, riddled with guilt and shame ... knowing that they would not be believed if they told the truth about these stereo-typical God-like figures that have always been held in such high regard for their holiness. Most of those that did tell ... they were thrown to the wolves, never to darken their families doorstep again. Many turned to drugs ... to escape the mental torments ... many died during those desperate escapes from reality. Many turned to suicide ... while others turned to everything but God! How could one turn to a being that would allow such evil to occur within a church ... for thousands of years?! The worse of it is that these "Men of God" preyed upon the weakest of our children ... the already abused ... the emotionally disturbed ... the disabled. They also preyed upon those same children that came to them for help ... because they were being horribly abused by another! Because that is what we were taught ... if you are in trouble ... seek out a policeman, better yet ..... a Priest! OMG ... we were so stupid! Give us a more true to life movie about this subject! Show us how these Men Of God bragged about their conquests ... and offered them to other Priests as well. The public deserves to know the whole truth! not just the tamer versions.

Our Fathers

[bjb1 · 7 November 2006]

This is a fine film that depicts the Catholic Church in a age of crisis and scandal. The casting and acting was first rate. The director could've easily painted a portrait that would've had a blatant anti-Catholic strain to it but instead chose an aura of sadness and compassion. Perhaps this leads, external of the film, to a cathartic redemption.

I am waiting for a similar film involving scientists and their use of psycho-subliminal weaponry and related technology and the secret abduction of unknowing People for purposes of torture and various levels of R&D. This fact, not unlike the current condition of the U.S. Catholic clergy, is embroiled in sickening secrecy and depraved indifference. Outfits like SAIC, with their legion of predators 40000 strong, would be like an Archdioses and NASA would be like the Vatican. Clearly the semi-sympathetic tone on "Our Fathers" would be almost impossible to convey in "Our Scientists" whose crimes against Humanity are far greater than any of the sins of the Catholic Church.

For a TV movie, impressively sensitive without being sentimental

[anchorlady · 8/10 · 3 April 2011]

I think this is the second film I have bothered to review on IMDb, and I've been a member for years. Partly because I was moved, and partly because I was surprised that it was such a quality production.

I can't speak to the accuracy of this film, as I did not follow this story when it was happening in Boston. But I was truly amazed that this film managed to cover the ground that it did without ever dipping into the typical sensationalism of made-for-TV films about child abuse, sex scandals, and other "ripped from the headlines" fare.

Every performance is remarkably nuanced - no scenery chewing, yet you deeply care for the majority of the characters. Excellent casting. My only complaint is that there were so many characters, it became hard to keep track, and I wanted to know more about some of them than others (although I imagine some characters were "composites").

Difficult topics such as the victimization of children by adult authority figures are rarely done as well as this movie. Law and Order SVU and other crime shows should take a few hints from this film.