The Two Popes

The advantage of this film is that even if no one is particularly interested in the subject, there is a pretty good chance that everyone will enjoy it. Why? Because Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce could very well be explaining how to peel potatoes and their rendition would still make it an acting tour de force. Their Oscar nominations rank among the most well-deserved ones. The sentence that comes to mind, "it didn’t happen but could have," rings true in every scene. This film almost felt too short, which has not happened to me in quite some time and I consider it to be the biggest surprise of 2019. (02/02/2020)

An amazing humanization of two characters about which you may hear but it is almost impossible to get a little bit closer to. The closest I was able to get was when Pope Benedict XVI came to Stará Boleslav 10 years ago. But even that is nothing in comparison with this movie, which is humorous, enjoyable, interesting and mainly full of dialogues between two completely different people that have, precisely thanks to their differences, a lot to say to one another. The movie has great dialogues that may be unnecessarily long in the 2nd half; otherwise it would have been good enough for 5 stars. (31/12/2019)

In this pleasant conversational film, you will see the pope watching Inspector Rex and enjoying a slice of pizza. Meirelles wins viewers over with his depiction of the pope as a man who also needs to confess and who may also have doubts about his mission. The friendship that is gradually established between these two priests, who are incompatible from the start, becomes the film’s main storyline. Both of the lead roles are very well cast. Hopkins portrays the German radical with his typical gusto and Jonathan Pryce’s naturalness is absolutely sufficient for playing his gentler opposite. (08/01/2020)

An outstanding conversational drama with a fantastic cast. Light on its feet, funny and touching. The popes are both nice people and, thanks to the excellently written dialogue, you get an exact idea of both of their viewpoints. The scenes with Anthony Hopkins having a Fanta and a pizza inside the Sistine Chapel and he and Pryce watching football and drinking beer are priceless. An unbelievably humane and positive movie. (06/09/2020)

I haven't seen such a civilian film in a long time. Up to this point, I still could not quite understand why both lead actors received Oscar nominations for supporting roles. Now, I can’t say a word against them. Such outstanding performances are rare these days. Both Anthony Hopkins, as the conservative Benedict XVI and Jonathan Pryce as the Pope who enjoys watching soccer, tackled their roles in a truly otherworldly manner. One might think that such contrasting characters couldn’t possibly share the screen at the same time, but the filmmakers paid meticulous attention to their dialogues, resulting in conversations full of wit. You’ll savor every line. Discussions about everyday life have never been so entertaining. Add to that the attractive, fresh setting of the Catholic Church, excellent editing with perfect cinematography, and the two mentioned lead actors, and it’s a top-notch film all around. I recommend it to everyone, as there’s something here for everyone to enjoy. I give it 85%. (24/03/2020)