The Two Popes Movie Review

“The Two Popes” is a movie that relies on the fact that there is never more than one Pope, but when there are two of them — well, that is a story worth telling. For such an unusual event to occur in the Catholic church leadership, there is an unusual set of circumstances that cause that to happen. The sitting Pope (Pope Benedict XVI) decides to step aside and allow a new Pope to take his place. Benedict will not be in power, but his influence will still be felt around the world. The man who will become Pope Francis is a Jesuit bishop from Argentina, and he was on the brink of his own retirement when he gets caught up in the world-shaking events of “The Two Popes”.

After the death of Pope John Paul II, there were a few bishops who could have been selected to carry on for the popular (and populist minded) deceased pontiff. Bishop John Ratzinger (Anthony Hopkins) finally becomes the elected Pope, and he chooses the name Pope Benedict XVI. There was a runner-up with the Jesuit from Argentina named Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce). Both are older gentleman, and they have widely differing views on the future course of the Catholic church. Pope Benedict XVI is very strict and conservative in his thinking. Cardinal Bergoglio is much more open-minded and guided by faith and forgiveness.

Cardinal Bergoglio is on the verge of retiring from the demands of the church leadership. But he is called to Rome to visit with the Pope. That is a fine time to get Pope Benedict to sign the paperwork that will allow the Cardinal to retire in peace. But Bergoglio gets there, and he finds that Pope Benedict XVI has a different arrangement in mind. They rarely see eye to eye, but the current Pope has a favor to ask. The Cardinal has ideas about retirement and setting aside the stress of leading his flock. But the current Pope is waiting for Bergoglio to agree to his idea. Benedict XVI wants to resign as sitting Pope, and he will sit as Pope Emeritus. This would be sort of an honorary title for a retired Pope.

Benedict XVI steals the thunder from Cardinal Bergoglio regarding his wish to retire. But the current pontiff sees that there are fresh ideas and high standards that Bergoglio would bring to the ‘Seat of Saint Peter’. John Ratzinger, now the current Pope, also needs some down time and some reflection on his contributions to the church overall. He has been very steadfast to the traditions and the standards. But is it now time for a new voice to fill the Vatican? Could this Jesuit priest who has become the selected Cardinal from Argentina be an open-minded person who would work on this plan?

Cardinal Bergoglio scoffs at the idea of him being selected as Pope. After all, he was in charge on the church in his homeland during turbulent times. Military coups and Dictators were part of Argentina’s history. Bergoglio remembers that his voice called out for justice during that time. But he was ignored, both by some more radical priests and by the top people in the government. He did what he could to end the violence, but he thinks that he never could do enough. Why would any other Cardinals choose him to lead the church?

After many discussions, Benedict XVI and Cardinal Bergoglio do come to an agreement. They make a deal and shake hands, only to turn around and shake up the world. The world might be ready for a ‘kinder, gentler’ Pope – and Cardinal Bergoglio could fit that bill. There is a point when each of the religious men gives a confession to the other. Bergoglio talks of his attempts and failures in Argentina. Benedict XVI whispers something to the Cardinal, and he is shocked to know what the pontiff knows. But the audience is never privy to the exact nature of the discussion. So, it might be about child abuse by the clergy, or it might be about ripping tags off mattresses, under penalty of law. We are never quite sure…

“The Two Popes” is quite an unusual retelling of an unusual situation. The dialog is dense and thick, but it is always delivered with grace and flair. The main two actors are front-and-center for almost the entire length of the movie. But this not an issue in the movie. In fact – Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce have a fantastic way of setting the scene and being the main players on the screen. They captivate the audience and bring a very human understanding to the person sitting the Holy See. They bring warmth and humor to the unusual circumstances in which they are enmeshed. Hopkins has knowing sparkle in his eye the entire time. Pryce has a very concerned look at all times, but he tries to be very outgoing and kind.

Director Fernando Meirelles is known for his work in “City of God” and “The Constant Gardner”. His work in this movie takes a very word-heavy script (Anthony McCarten) and turns it into focused view of ‘the changing of the guard’. He is helped by having the two terrific actors take the script and create a believable reconstruction of the events. There are only two people in the world that know what exact words had been exchanged back in 2013. And all the exchanges might not have been as funny as this movie makes them out to be. But, boy, that helps.

Available to stream on Netflix starting December 20th, 2019