Stuart Long tried boxing, and when that didn't work out, he went to Hollywood. When his break in the movies never came, he headed to the church, which is how we arrive at "Father Stu."
Based on a true story and written and directed by Rosalind Ross, "Father Stu" is an earnest but wobbly drama which tells the story of a perpetual ne'er-do-well who found himself through religion right as he was diagnosed with an incurable disease. Its stakes never feel quite worthy of a feature film, though its level of inspirational value is likely to fall in direct correlation with each individual viewer's level of denominational faith.
Mark Wahlberg plays Stu, a past-his-prime amateur boxer in Montana whose in-ring career is drying up fast. His folks, Kathleen (Jacki Weaver) and Bill (Mel Gibson), have long since split, having never recovered from the death of their other son at the age of 5. Stu has never really found his place in this world, though he's always been blessed with the gift of gab.
