Review: Conclave

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Official synopsis: When Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with leading one of the world's most secretive and ancient events, selecting a new Pope, he finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could shake the very foundation of the Catholic Church.

I had already been kicking myself for not seeing this in theaters, but now that I've actually watched it...this movie absolutely deserved my theater money.

I'll start by saying that I'm not familiar with the play this is based on. It was all new to me, every twist and turn and oh are there many. Lawrence cannot catch a break with the Catholic shenanigans going on in this movie. There's a surprise new cardinal, pettiness brought to biblical levels, no one can make up their damn minds and the douchiest cardinal has a vape. It's quite riveting to watch. 

Fiennes is so good here. You can feel the weight on Lawrence's shoulders and the supporting cast matches him in strength. Sure, you can see some of the "twists" coming, but the biggest one did legitimately catch me off guard. I was happy to keep falling down this rabbit hole with them.

Conclave is now available to stream on Peacock

Grade: A-

Comments

  1. BirgitDecember 26, 2024 at 9:47 AM

    Thos is a film I must see. It sounds really good. Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamDecember 26, 2024 at 3:22 PM

      Merry Christmas and Happy Boxing Day! I think you'd like this one too. It's so good.

      Delete
  2. SJHoneywellDecember 26, 2024 at 3:22 PM

    Am I right in thinking you guessed the first "twist" and didn't expect the second one? That was my experience.

    I pegged the first "shock" moment within 30 seconds of the relevant person appearing on screen.

    I agree with how good Fiennes is--but that's par for the course for him. He never gets the credit he deserves because his average performance is better than most people's career performance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamDecember 26, 2024 at 4:23 PM

      YES! Immediately I was like "Okay, that person is either going to be pope or die." but the second twist? Nope lol. Did not see that coming and honestly...good for them.

      Delete
    2. SJHoneywellDecember 26, 2024 at 4:28 PM

      Yeah, that's it exactly. My thought was literally, "Well, there's the new pope."

      Delete
  3. thevoid99December 26, 2024 at 3:22 PM

    I've heard great things about this film as I do love Ralph Fiennes. How come he's never been voted the Sexiest Man Alive? He's hotter than a lot of the dudes they've picked. Come on, who didn't want to fuck him in A Bigger Splash? I wish I had his confidence to move the way he does as I will never think of "Emotional Rescue" the same way ever again. Every time I hear that song, I get my ass moving to the bass and then just groove and sway to the music. The Stones and Ralph Fiennes are a perfect match.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamDecember 26, 2024 at 4:23 PM

      He will never win that because an entire generation of people thinks of him as Voldemort lol.

      Delete

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