Film Highlight: Into Temptation

A A A Comments (2) By Matthew Smith Wednesday, Aug 26 2009

courtesy of First Look International

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INTO TEMPTATION
Lagoon Cinema, starts Friday

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Minneapolis and the Stone Arch Bridge play a supporting role in this modest but engaging indie by Minneapolis filmmaker Patrick Coyle, which makes its world premiere at the Lagoon. Jeremy Sisto plays the quintessential cool Catholic priest, Father John Beurlein, who is a little bored with his work in a quiet Minneapolis parish until one day in the confessional he is visited by a beautiful call girl (Kristin Chenoweth) with a startling question: She wants to know if she can confess to a sin she hasn't yet committed—her own suicide, which she is planning for her birthday. "And I'm Aries, Father," she says, "so I don't have a lot of time." But she abruptly bolts from the church before Father John can offer any counsel. Disturbed by the woman's confession, the priest launches a personal quest to find her, delving into a seamy downtown street life of prostitutes, pimps, and sex shops (the Warehouse District has never looked so romantically seedy). Into Temptation is thoroughly watchable but not without flaws. The script calls for so many lucky chance encounters that Minneapolis seems more like Mayberry. Chenoweth plays her high-class prostitute so coolly, and we see her in such short snippets, that it's hard to identify with her character until the last few minutes, when she finally has a chance to emote. And considering that a woman's life is in imminent danger, Father John's search, and the pacing of the film itself, unfold with a remarkable lack of urgency. Even so, Sisto's laid-back charisma sees the movie through to its resolutely non-Hollywood finish, and it's still a minor thrill to see the downtown skyline, Sex World, and our landmark bridge on the big screen.

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Karen Godfrey 08/30/2009 12:06:00 AM

As a native of Central Minnesota, a graduate of a MNSCU University, and a current resident of Minneapolis, I think you missed a huge mark with your review. While I agree with your comment that the Warehouse District has never looked so romantically seedy, I greatly disagree with your reference to Mayberry. Other than the scene in the bar, I'm not sure what lucky chances you are referring to as far as Father John's and Linda's paths crossing. I think it would be extremely likely that searching in that atmosphere, Father John would come across people that know Linda. And as far as Mayberry goes, as I was standing outside the Lagoon last night following the 7:20 show with my friends, I was greeted by someone stopped at the light by the theater in an SUV. It was a college classmate I literally hadn't seen in 10 years. I don't care how you want to argue it, Minneapolis is just the biggest small town in this great state, and I wouldn't have it any other way.