AniInterview
Sorry, this movie sucks
Wordiezett
So much average
Claysaba
Excellent, Without a doubt!!
Logan
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
myspecialparadise
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.
lastliberal
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.
YoYoP
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.
michaelzstuff
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.