YNMS: The Young Pope
Tuesday, September 6, 2016 at 5:00PM by Laurence Barber
In the wake of House of Cards' success, it seems networks have all been clamouring to make shows about other worlds that are full of their own political intrigue. Netflix itself has the Gerard Depardieu-starring Marseille, which French critics savaged and everyone else mostly ignored, and the upcoming The Crown. In other ways, shows like Mr. Robot and UnReal seem partially derivative of this trend despite updating and resituating it. Now, in a joint production, Sky, Canal+ and HBO have teamed up to produce the latest project from Oscar-winning director Paolo Sorrentino: The Young Pope...
Sorrentino's Youth failed to capitalise on the momentum of The Great Beauty, which won Best Foreign Language Film back in 2014. Though it had its moments, Jane Fonda most prominent among them, Youth felt at best like an English-language remix of The Great Beauty. The Young Pope immediately feels different, however, charting the rise of a maverick American Cardinal to the position of Pope. A contemporary miniseries set within the walls of The Vatican is an immediate attention-grabber; that it stars Jude Law and Diane Keaton, of all people, which only adds to the excitement.
Let's break down the newly released trailer
Yes
- Jude Law is one of those endlessly charismatic actors who doesn't seem to work enough with directors who know how to use him. This seems like a major vehicle the likes of which he just hasn't had in recent years aside from, perhaps, the submarine thriller Black Sea and valuable supporting turns in films like Spy and Anna Karenina.
- Diane Keaton is playing a nun named Sister Mary for the second(!) time in her career. The previous time was in a Showtime TV movie called Sister Mary Explains It All directed by Marshall Brickman. It's exciting to finally get Keaton in a regular TV role after HBO passed on Tilda back in 2011, a comedy which was inspired by Nikki Finke, former Deadline editor and subject of one of the great 30 Rock one-liners (“I hate to say, ‘Toldja!’…because it reminds me of my one night stand with Nikki Finke.”)
- Sorrentino's glossy style doesn't work for a lot of people, but it seems like he's at his best depicting a certain Italian opulence entirely at odds with the reality of the world outside of it. This trailer makes this show look gorgeous, and the subject matter will surely allow Sorrentino to indulge his usual flights of fancy.
- The seamy underbelly of The Vatican plays out quite publicly these days, so if nothing else the controversy this is destined to create - and perhaps the conversation it could kickstart - will be fun.
- Co-stars James Cromwell, who is always fun to watch, and Javier Cámara, who played Benigno in Talk To Her.
No
- Conceptually, this seems a little self-serious - almost like Bad Santa, except it's Bad Pope. The worst case scenario for this is how sanctimonious it could be about its own blasphemy. People like Ricky Gervais and Richard Dawkins have proven how tiresome it can be when someone never shuts up about how bad religion is, so if "religion is bad" turns out to be the central thrust of this, we could have a problem.
- The trailer is full of vaguaries, with Law's character Lenny Belardo, alias Pius XIII, declaring himself to be both "God" and "everything". Subtlety isn't Sorrentino's strong suit.
Maybe So
- Like House of Cards, this could turn out to be relatively toothless about its setting which would leave us with a stylish drama. But these days a show needs more on its mind to stand out and Pius XIII's threat to deliver "revolution" means this could be a too simplistic revenge tale.
- Perhaps by nature of the setting it shouldn't be surprising that the cast list is dude heavy, but there's not much diversity here. Beyond Keaton there's co-star Ludivine Sagnier, who you'll know from Alfonso Cuaron's segment of Paris je t'aime and Swimming Pool, Cecile De France and Nadee Kammellaweera in terms of roles for women but none appear to show up much in the trailer. Is this a sign that this show will mainly be men behaving badly?
- Does the shadow of The Borgias loom large over this? Not that it was ever very present in the zeitgeist, but if audiences didn't really take to that will they bother with this?
- What the heck is going on in that shot where Law is kneeling in front of a row of trucks?
I think I'm a tentative YES on this one; early reviews from Venice have been very positive even from Sorrentino naysayers. It sounds like Sorrentino has been given relatively free reign to do what he does, so hopefully he can deliver. It premieres on October 21 on Sky Atlantic in Italy, October 27 in the UK, but Deadline is saying it won't air on HBO until February 2017. Which seems crazy in this day and age.
Will The Young Pope get a season pass on your DVR or will you turn a blind eye to God's (Jude) Law?
Reader Comments (15)
Sounds quite interesting to me ... I like Jude Law and the subject matter seems intriguing.
YES!!!
An American Pope? As if!
Lately I've just been glad for tv that is different, and this fits the bill - even if it is trying to be like House of Cards, a show set in the Vatican is pretty unique (please don't make the Pope a womanizer, though). And I'm happy anytime Diane gets a chance to break out of her kooky-comedy mode. So I'll try it.
Sorrentino + Law = YES
House of Cards references = NO
Depends how full the TV-keyvip is.
Based on Jude Law, premise, and Sorrentino's luminous style - Yes
House of Cards in the Vatican? Meh. It's probably going to garner all kinds of criticism from religious zealots and whatnot, and in this election cycle, I can't take anymore BS on the internet - Maybe
Based on Diane Keaton, I really haven't LOVED her since Baby Boom, or LIKED her since Marvin's Room, and I really can't see her as a nun - No
I hate Sorrentino and his Campari-commercial style
I'd like to give this a go. I think The Great Beauty is one of the most fascinating films of modern times, and I'm continually intrigued by Sorrentino. Jude Law can be very good when given the chance. Diane Keaton is always great.
I'm leaning no. It looks absolutely beautiful. Like I would like to watch it muted along with music or something (but cut the overly dramatic peekaboo). Not sure what accent Law is doing. This has never been his strong suit and it sounds like a different accent each time he speaks. The lack of subtlety, as you suggests, is eyeroll-inducing. But the biggest no has to be that his name is Pius XIII. Lol. Jason Voorhees would be pissed.
Based on that preview, I am a no. The American accents do not work with the Vatican's idea of a pope.
Hmmm. Law as the Pope looks a little silly, no? I only remember old guys being Pope but I suppose I'm probably wrong but to me it just looks like an actor playing the Pope.
This will likely WISH it has the teeth that House of Cards does, but we'll see. I will also likely wish it had performances as tremendous as Robin Wright and Michael Kelly, but we'll see. With that said, I don't really see that strong of a connection between this and House of Cards
If I have HBO when this comes out, I'll no doubt watch an episode or two.
I understand the objection to the realism of the situation - an American pope, let alone one so young is, indeed, impossible - but I enjoy the ability of fiction to explore situations that would otherwise never happen.
What interests me most is that in the first episode, Law's character gives a speech which essentially contradicts all of the Church's long-held conservative social policies, i.e. on abortion, homosexuality, etc. Given how Pope Francis went through his phase of being the 'cool pope' despite only vaguely gesturing in the direction of progressiveness, I'll be pretty compelled if one of the central thrusts of the show is this Pontiff trying to drag the Church out of the Dark Ages.
@catbaskets: Strong agree on Law's accent. It's...rough, though I'm willing to forgive if the conceit is that it's flavoured by living abroad. That said, I've read a handful of reviews and some have called this a "career-best" performance?
Maybe the delayed US release is because it does not work with American audiences? I have to think they have tested this. Maybe it's going for a House of the Spirits v. Godfather mashup? My first thought was why the hell is Dianne Keaton in a habit. I do have thoughts but was not consulted.
" it won't air on HBO until February 2017"
they're probably waiting for the golden globe voters to go crazy for it...
@Jessica Chastain: It's entirely possible, but at the same time, if it starts in Feb 2017 it will more than likely be HBO's Sunday night drama running up to the beginning of Game of Thrones' next season which is typically in April. I could see HBO thinking they might share an audience to some extent. HBO is also very, very light on dramas right now; basically the only two non-GoT drama series it has are The Leftovers, which is a critical success but lacks an audience, and True Detective, which is all but dead in the water. Given TD was originally a miniseries, it'd appear The Young Pope is getting its old slot. Perhaps with the hope it takes off in the same way, while also knowing that since it's a co-production the risk for them is minimal. Plus...
@par: ...this is a fantastic point. This will be Globes voter catnip.
Does the pope bone the nanny in this movie?
I don't know, but it gave me a vibe of the Pope or nun doing miracles, and maybe a hint of the anti-Christ. Not at all a political drama.