Mass Appeal Reviews

Jack Lemmon extended his streak of good pictures with this adaptation of a successful and award-winning Broadway play. Father Farley (Lemmon) is a priest in an affluent suburb of Los Angeles, something of a clown and immensely popular with the parishioners. Into his life comes Mark Dolson (Zeljko Ivanek), a bright, devout, and dedicated seminarian who is on the verge of being expelled because of his controversial stand on various issues. Farley takes him under his wing, despite Dolson accusing him of being a "Father Bojangles" who conducts "song-and-dance theology." The film expands on what was a two-person drama on the stage, adding the characters of Charles Durning as the monsignor of the seminary and Louise Latham as Farley's housekeeper. Their performances, along with those of Lemmon and Ivanek, make MASS APPEAL one of the most honest and well-acted films of the year, though it was not a big money-maker.