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Calvary

Play trailer Poster for Calvary R Released Aug 1, 2014 1h 45m Drama Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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89% Tomatometer 170 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
An honest and good-hearted priest (Brendan Gleeson) wrestles with a cynical, spiteful community after he receives a death threat from an unknown parishioner.
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Calvary

Calvary

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Critics Consensus

Led by a brilliant performance from Brendan Gleeson, Calvary tackles weighty issues with humor, intelligence, and sensitivity.

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Critics Reviews

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Kate Muir Times (UK) It's Gleeson who gives the performance of a lifetime as the priest. Dec 31, 2017 Full Review Anthony Lane The New Yorker The tension of Calvary is fitful at best, and much of the movie trips into silliness, but in Brendan Gleeson -- in his proud bearing and his lamenting gaze -- we see the plight of the lonely believer in a world beyond belief. Sep 22, 2014 Full Review Tom Long Detroit News Brendan Gleeson delivers a typically towering yet warm performance in "Calvary." Too bad the movie's something of a mess. Rated: C Aug 15, 2014 Full Review JD Duran InSession Film Father James’ story is intriguing, provocative and one of the best experiences I’ve had in 2014. Rated: A+ Aug 19, 2024 Full Review Brendan Cassidy InSession Film A challenging film, but absolutely worth your time. Jun 17, 2024 Full Review Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies Gleeson, the veritable linchpin of this layered but slyly simple character study. The man strikes every note with an unmistakable honesty that comes through in each thoughtful response, in each perplexed expression, and each tired and weary sigh. Rated: 4.5/5 Aug 19, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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MG_Claymore C A Great man who has to pay the price for the sins of another. This actor in this film gives the performance of a lifetime. its a very depressing film about dark subject matter. Very gripping. Everyone in the film is a horrible character with the exception of the aforementioned priest. The priest in this film becomes very Christlike as he serves his community knowing the day is coming when this man is going to kill him. He simply accepts in. Truly amazing. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/14/24 Full Review Meghan M Loved it unto the very end. I hate a movie that doesn't get tone right. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/18/24 Full Review Chris H There just isn't enough to this. Brendan Gleeson is, of course, excellent but the other characters are underdeveloped and melt into the background. Maybe it would have been better as a TV series? Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/12/24 Full Review Alec B It's sadder and more measured than I anticipated. Once you realize that the "murder mystery in a town of weirdos" plot is just an excuse to examine the difficulty and necessity of simple decency in a indifferent world the film becomes more moving. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/13/23 Full Review L. N As an Irish person, this film makes me cringe. The calibre of the cast cannot be denied, but the tone of the film is curdled by its attempts to be profound. The scenes with Aiden Gillen's character attempting to be scathingly insightful with regard to the church's past is painful (and that accent he is doing and the way he is speaking....what the fuck???? It seems his point of view is supposed to carry intellectual weight, but is delivered so badly, so ludicrously that he is like a weaselly, snide Disney character). It is an early taste of the adolescent, self-congratulatory reasoning we have had to become familiar with in the last decade. The film sets out to be wise and thoughtful and cuts itself down with silly overwrought dialogue. Thank God the Banshees of Inisherin came along to pull things back on track. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 12/08/23 Full Review Logan D Loved the cast of eccentric characters and Gleeson carries the film with a quiet gruffness that befits him as an actor. There's lots of underlying tension not only with the obvious overarching threat to the priest's life but in his relationships with his parishioners and his estranged daughter. Very sophisticated and philosophical. Gleeson's character is one of the most complex I've ever viewed. Highly recommended. Coincidentally viewed this in a sequence of 4 films involving pedophilia as a theme. The others were Big Bad Wolves, Spotlight, and Hard Candy Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/02/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Calvary

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis An honest and good-hearted priest (Brendan Gleeson) wrestles with a cynical, spiteful community after he receives a death threat from an unknown parishioner.
Director
John Michael McDonagh
Producer
Chris Clark, Flora Fernandez-Marengo, James Flynn
Screenwriter
John Michael McDonagh
Distributor
Fox Searchlight
Production Co
Reprisal Films, Irish Film Board, Octagon Films, Lipsync Productions
Rating
R (Language|Brief Strong Violence|Sexual References|Some Drug Use)
Genre
Drama, Comedy
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 1, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.6M
Runtime
1h 45m
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