Into Temptation (2009)

A prostitute plans to end her life on her birthday, but her priest attempts to stop her from doing so.

Director:

Patrick Coyle

Writer:

Patrick Coyle

Stars:

Jeremy Sisto, Kristin Chenoweth, Brian Baumgartner

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeremy Sisto	...	Father John Buerlein
Kristin Chenoweth	...	Linda Salerno
Brian Baumgartner	...	Fr. Ralph O'Brien
Bruce A. Young	...	Lloyd Montag
Amy Matthews	...	Nadine Brennan
Tony Papenfuss	...	Zeke
Greta Oglesby	...	Miriam
Ansa Akyea	...	James St. Clair
Isabell O'Connor	...	Tessie Thomas (as Isabell Monk O'Connor)
Patrick Coyle	...	Steven Miller
Linda Kelsey	...	Corrine Buerlein
Lolita Lesheim	...	Della (as Lola Lesheim)
Gene Larche	...	Gus
Marion Markham	...	Diane
Ann Milligan	...	Judy

Storyline

A call girl goes to a priest to confess a sin she hasn't committed yet: she plans to kill herself on her next birthday. Then she disappears and he goes looking for her, enlisting the help of an ad hoc congregation of troubled souls along the way. A story about forgiveness.

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Plot Keywords:

catholic priest | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 April 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

В искушении

Filming Locations:

Minnesota, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ten Ten Films, Cabin 14, Farnam Street II

Technical Specs

Color:

Color Black and White

Did You Know?

Goofs

There are two slightly different versions of the Lord's Prayer. The "Catholic version" has some different wording and a different ending than the "Protestant version". In the scene where Fr. Brulein is saying mass, he and the congregation recite the "Protestant version" and not the "Catholic version".

User Reviews

Great acting and direction, surprisingly good story

I watched Into Temptation on Netflix's recommendation despite the film's stale-sounding plot outline, primarily because Jeremy Sisto had the lead role. To my surprise, the story turned out to be enveloping and the direction well-paced. Jeremy Sisto was, as expected, excellent: it's not easy to play the role of one Catholic priest and still connect with an audience, what with people bringing well-formed notions about all priests to the table. Rather than shoulder the burden of controversy, Sisto performs Father John Buerlein as a simple, flawed but honest guy. Coyle works in slight transgressions from Buerlein's past and present to help us suspend our cynicism about the church. It works.

Great as Sisto was, Kristin Chenoweth's role was probably the more difficult of the two. The story of her Linda Salerno needed to be told almost exclusively through flashbacks, one confession and a series of ambiguous moments - not many lines to understand, let alone connect with, a troubled and aging high-end prostitute who places absolution high on her checklist of things to do before committing suicide. Chenoweth plain nails it, presents her pain in subtle ways and never tries to be a saint (Sisto's parish, not coincidentally, is a shrine to Mary Magdalene).

Overall, there are some small plot imperfections that acting and direction redeem. It's an excellent film, well-worth the time and money.