Two friends, a priest and a rabbi, fall in love with the same woman they knew in their youth, but the religious position of both men denies them romance.Two friends, a priest and a rabbi, fall in love with the same woman they knew in their youth, but the religious position of both men denies them romance.Two friends, a priest and a rabbi, fall in love with the same woman they knew in their youth, but the religious position of both men denies them romance.
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
52K
YOUR RATING
- Awards
- 2 wins & 6 nominations
Videos1
Samuel Goldberg
- Teenage Jake Schramas Teenage Jake Schram
- (as Sam Goldberg)
Michael Charles Roman
- Teenage Brian Finnas Teenage Brian Finn
- (as Michael Roman)
- Director
- Writer
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
- All cast & crew
Storyline
Jake and Brian are friends. They are Jewish and Catholic respectively. They would grow up and become a rabbi and priest. Anna, whom they knew when they were younger, comes back to town a stunning woman. Jake is up to be the head of his synagogue but he is not married which doesn't make his appointment any easier. Jake finds himself attracted to Anna but because she's not Jewish, he can't marry her as it would make his appointment less likely. Brian also finds himself attracted to Anna, but the priesthood doesn't allow that. Their friendship is strained when each learns of the other's feelings for her. —rcs0411@yahoo.com
- Taglines
- If you have to believe in something, you might as well believe in love.
- Genres
- Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
- Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and language
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaDedicated to star Edward Norton's late mother Robin Norton.
- GoofsAfter nearly catching Anna in Jake's apartment, Brian is in a rush to get to the karaoke store because "it closes in like 20 minutes", but Anna is on her way to work suggesting it's sometime in the early morning. It's doubtful a store would close at such an early hour.
- Quotes
Indian Bartender: May those who love us, love us. And those who don't love us - may God turn their hearts. And if He cannot turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles, so that we may know them by their limping.
- Crazy creditsThank-yous include one to "Salmita Bonita", a reference to actor-director Edward Norton's girlfriend, actress Salma Hayek.
- Alternate versionsThe DVD release features quite a few edited scenes, including:
- Brian takes Anna to the club while it's still under construction
- Brian tries to come into the bar with a bottle of liquor in his hand. The bartender tells him 'No Bottles', so he promptly drinks the remainder
- Brian and Jakob walk through an art museum with Anna (featuring the scene from the Gag Reel where Anna can't say the name of the picture she's standing in front of); eventually, her cel phone rings, she has a yelling match with a co-worker, and falls in the fountain (also seen in the Gag Reel)
- A bit with young Jakob and Brian making a kung-fu movie with a home video camera
- Anna talking to Ruth about Jakob and Jake's brother (establishing exactly why Ruth never forgave him)
- A piece from Jakob's date, where the woman talks about running and breast implants before having a sneezing fit and smashing her face on the table
- Jakob tells Anna to put her pager under her skirt while she's at work, and he'll call her; two co-workers come in just as Jake starts calling, trying to get her to help them work out the numbers as she 'gets buzzed'
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: From Paris with Love/Dear John/Frozen (2010)
- SoundtracksPlease Call Me Baby
Written and Performed by Tom Waits
Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Group
By arrangement with Warner Special Products
Top review
Cute little rom com
This film won't change the world, but it is very sweet and smart and has very likeable characters, and it's not the least bit cynical, which is a welcome change for a modern movie.
Jake Schramm (Ben Stiller) is a rabbi, his friend since childhood, Brian Finn (Ed Norton) is a priest. They team up occasionally on community projects. Then another childhood friend, Anna Riley (Jenna Elfman) that they have lost touch with since she moved to California, moves back to New York for work and they all reconnect. Except they were children when they last all met, and now Anna is a beautiful intelligent young woman. They are both attracted. There is an awkward attempt to set Jack up with a woman that does not work out. Then Jack turns up at Anna's apartment and they begin an affair that they both keep secret, because they think it would be "weird" for everyone involved. The problem is that Jack would hurt his career as a rabbi if he married outside of his faith, and then there is his mother (Ann Bancroft) who would likely drum him out of the family like she did to Jack's older brother when he married a girl who was not Jewish.. Also, Anna is going back to California after this temporary job is over.
Meanwhile, Brian, who knows nothing about Jack and Anna's affair, is misreading all of Anna's signals - friendly embraces, short kisses, etc. as romantic interest. Plus he is interested too, and this surprises and disturbs him. This leads him to a real test of his faith. How will this all work out? Watch and find out.
I saw lots of little problems in the editing here, but that is really not what this film is about. And it is good to see a rom com where nobody is portrayed as an unlikeable stereotype and where faith is portrayed as something that should bring people together not tear them apart. With an almost unrecognizable Lisa Edelstein as a physically aggressive young woman and Jack's date from hell.
Jake Schramm (Ben Stiller) is a rabbi, his friend since childhood, Brian Finn (Ed Norton) is a priest. They team up occasionally on community projects. Then another childhood friend, Anna Riley (Jenna Elfman) that they have lost touch with since she moved to California, moves back to New York for work and they all reconnect. Except they were children when they last all met, and now Anna is a beautiful intelligent young woman. They are both attracted. There is an awkward attempt to set Jack up with a woman that does not work out. Then Jack turns up at Anna's apartment and they begin an affair that they both keep secret, because they think it would be "weird" for everyone involved. The problem is that Jack would hurt his career as a rabbi if he married outside of his faith, and then there is his mother (Ann Bancroft) who would likely drum him out of the family like she did to Jack's older brother when he married a girl who was not Jewish.. Also, Anna is going back to California after this temporary job is over.
Meanwhile, Brian, who knows nothing about Jack and Anna's affair, is misreading all of Anna's signals - friendly embraces, short kisses, etc. as romantic interest. Plus he is interested too, and this surprises and disturbs him. This leads him to a real test of his faith. How will this all work out? Watch and find out.
I saw lots of little problems in the editing here, but that is really not what this film is about. And it is good to see a rom com where nobody is portrayed as an unlikeable stereotype and where faith is portrayed as something that should bring people together not tear them apart. With an almost unrecognizable Lisa Edelstein as a physically aggressive young woman and Jack's date from hell.
helpful•51
- AlsExGal
- Mar 4, 2021
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Divinas tentaciones
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $29,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $37,047,880
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $8,078,671
- Apr 16, 2000
- Gross worldwide
- $59,945,183
- Runtime2 hours 8 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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