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A Review of ‘The Two Popes’: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of a Truly Compelling Film
It’s a film that both frustrates and fascinates
I typically don’t do in-depth reviews of movies, partly because of a short attention span with anything not Springsteen-related and partly because such reviews are better left to those who do it exceptionally well, like film guru Simon Dillon. But after having finally watched the 2019 film The Two Popes on Netflix recently (twice, actually), I have to put down my thoughts about this fascinating, frustrating film.
In typical Netflix style, the synopsis of the film is short and meant to hook you immediately: “At a key turning point for the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI forms a surprising friendship with the future Pope Francis. Inspired by true events.” Attention grabbing to be sure, but let’s be clear about something up front: the two men never met at Castel Gandolfo in late 2012 as the film portrays, and the then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio only met Benedict alone (rather than with a group of cardinals) in 2013, after he had already become Pope Francis. The film does indeed show true events from Jorge Bergoglio’s life before he became pope, but the meeting is pure fiction.
I actually wasn’t even sure how to approach reviewing this film for a long while. In the end…
