Father Stu is 2022 biographical drama film written and directed by Rosalind Ross. It is based on the true life story of boxer-turned-priest Stuart Long. It is also Ross’s feature directorial debut. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, who also serves as a producer of the film. Colleen Camp serves as one of the executive producers of the film.
Father Stu is scheduled to be released in the United States on April 13, 2022.
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After surviving a motorcycle accident, a former boxer and longtime agnostic starts to wonder if he can use his second chance to help others, leading to the surprising realization that he’s meant to be a Catholic priest.
- Rating: R (Language Throughout)
- Genre: Drama
- Original Language: English
- Director: Rosalind Ross
- Producer: Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Jordon Foss
- Writer: Rosalind Ross
- Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Mel Gibson, Jacki Weaver, Teresa Ruiz, Annet Mahendru, Winter Ave Zoli, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Alain Uy, Ned Bellamy, Niko Nicotera, Carlos Leal, Mathew Trent Hunnicutt, Skip Howland, Chiquita Fuller, Annie Lee, Molly Baker, Tenz McCall, Faith Jefferies, Jose J Santana, Betsy Moore, Orion McCabe, Pablo Ramos, Bo Cleary, Mark Casimir Dyniewicz, Cody Fern, Larry Bagby, Michael Fairman, Danielle K. Golden
- Release Date (Theaters): Apr 13, 2022 Wide
- Runtime: 2h 4m
- Distributor: Sony Pictures
Critic reviews for Father Stu
Playing out to the histrionic squalling of a country-infused score, this is film-making that aims to smite its audience into submission. Full Review | Original Score: 2/5
Wendy Ide – Observer (UK)
The strength of Father Stu is that Stu himself is fully imagined. Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5
Jake Wilson – The Age (Australia)
Mark Wahlberg is convincing and committed as a foul-mouthed Father, but this is ultimately just religious propaganda — preaching exclusively to the converted. Full Review | Original Score: 2/5
John Nugent – Empire Magazine
The movie isn’t awful, just sapping and strained. Full Review | Original Score: 2/5
Tim Robey – Daily Telegraph (UK)
If Gibson weren’t part of the package it might be possible to like it more. Full Review | Original Score: 2/5
Leslie Felperin – Guardian
Not so much a movie as a test case for the professional rehabilitation of Mel Gibson, this is a film that asks us to separate the dancer from the dance. Full Review | Original Score: 2/5
Kevin Maher – Times (UK)
Holy hokum. Full Review | Original Score: 1/5
Charles Bramesco – Little White Lies
“Father Stu” fails to make Long’s saga resonate, capturing the remarkable elements of his life without locating the transcendence within the biographical details. Full Review
Tim Grierson – Screen International
Father Stu’s marketing materials make it seem like a faux movie, a parody. But after being invited to a press screening the other week, I can confirm that Father Stu is indeed a real-deal film – although it probably shouldn’t be. Full Review
Sarah Hagi – Globe and Mail
Father Stu is competently made and Wahlberg puts in another turn as an entertaining loser with a heart of gold. Narratively though, the inspirational story loses inspiration as the film suffers from front-loading… Full Review
Adam Mullins-Khatib – Chicago Reader
Father Stu is intended to be inspirational, but viewers may find any sense of elevation elusive. Full Review
John Anderson – America Magazine
Told with sensitivity, earnestness and no small amount of sly, rascally charm, it is first and foremost a sure-handed match of material and a movie star’s strengths. Full Review | Original Score: B-
Brent Simon – AV Club
Its clumsy, inert storytelling seems less interested in converting nonbelievers than in convincing us of Wahlberg’s piety. Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4
Michael O’Sullivan – Washington Post
Ross’ script is never able to pull this out of the depths of trite banality, every line and emotional beat clocked from a mile away and cribbed from every other faith-based drama you’ve ever seen. Full Review
Trace Sauveur – Austin Chronicle
Wahlberg compellingly inhabits his character’s struggles, and the screenplay is decently structured even when it sometimes lacks persuasive depth or context. Full Review
Steven D. Greydanus – Catholic World Report
It can be entertaining but its rarely truly engaging, and the tell-not-show approach to the screenwriting renders the characters two-dimensional and hollow. Full Review | Original Score: 2/4
Katie Walsh – Tribune News Service
Instead of reaching a broader audience, Wahlberg and Gibson preach to the choir. Full Review | Original Score: 2/4
Nell Minow – RogerEbert.com
Rosalind Ross, a writer directing her debut feature, and Wahlberg buck the expectations of the religious-salvation story by mostly keeping it light and barely taking a breath, with an extra nudge from a country-heavy soundtrack. Full Review
Nicolas Rapold – New York Times
The film is a Hollywood-approved show of Old Testament judgment that sees all people as sinners and thus deserving of all the punishment they receive. Full Review | Original Score: 1/4
Derek Smith – Slant Magazine
“Father Stu” has an R-rated edge that separates it from the majority of faith-based offerings, but it still has a hard time reaching past the first few pews. Full Review | Original Score: C
Adam Graham – Detroit News
