Movies That Changed Us: Keeping The Faith

Andrew KauzBy
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Remember those times when Ben Stiller commanded your attention, and you obeyed? This was the case for me in 2001. To me, everything that Stiller did was gold, and I was certain that he could not make a bad movie.

It was appropriate, then, that one night while my family and I were staying overnight in a crappy motel I came across
Keeping the Faith
 on whatever movie channel the aforementioned crappy motel happened to offer. It was Ben Stiller, but at the same time, it was a romantic comedy. I mean, I couldn’t watch this, could I? 

In the absence of the judging eyes of peers, I told myself that nothing ill could come of it. So I got comfortable as
Keeping the Faith
 played out in front of me. And I loved it.

Remember those times when Ben Stiller commanded your attention, and you obeyed? This was the case for me in 2001. To me, everything that Stiller did was gold, and I was certain that he could not make a bad movie.

It was appropriate, then, that one night while my family and I were staying overnight in a crappy motel I came across Keeping the Faith on whatever movie channel the aforementioned crappy motel happened to offer. It was Ben Stiller, but at the same time, it was a romantic comedy. I mean, I couldn’t watch this, could I? 

In the absence of the judging eyes of peers, I told myself that nothing ill could come of it. So I got comfortable as Keeping the Faith played out in front of me. And I loved it.{{page_break}}

The funny thing about being young is that there’s this inescapable embarrassment tied to certain things that we like. Sure, it’s worse for some than it is for others, but it would be hard to find someone who went through puberty without saying, “What? Are you kidding? That thing that I actually really like is totally stupid, and I want nothing to do with it.”

The fear for me, being a football-playing wannabe manly man, was admitting that I liked a romantic comedy. A chick flick. I mean, my god, man, I’m not a chick! I’m a man, man!

But there I was under the veil of solitude, enjoying the hell out of a movie starring Jenna Elfman. It felt wrong even as I laughed at the silly religion jokes and shifted forward in my seat as the cheesy sexual tension reached its apex.

 

I shared my enjoyment of this film with no one. I bought it on DVD to enjoy once a year, maybe, when I had an hour and a half completely to myself. It was my film, a private pleasure. And honestly, it was great. I had never felt a sort of personal connection to a film before, and in this case, it was even more bizarre since I knew this film wasn't even all that good. But it was mine.

An undefined amount of time later, I had a friend over at my place, who promptly felt it necessary to scrutinize the ins and outs of my media collection, beginning with my DVDs. It will come as no surprise that his finger came to rest on the spine of a certain romantic comedy.

“The hell is this?” he asked, not interested at all in the answer.

“It’s actually pretty good,” I responded. “Maybe we should watch it sometime.”

 
We didn’t.
 
 
It was around that time that a similar revelation came to me, one that extended not only into film, but into nearly every aspect of my life. When you're young, it's easy and convenient to like what other people like. It's great at parties, it helps you have a big group of friends, and it makes that ridiculous question, "What kind of stuff do you like?" that much less awkward to answer. But who wants that to last forever?
 
Keeping the Faith wasn't the magical, life-altering movie that tears deep into my soul and turns me inside-out for the world to see, and it didn't cause an immediate paradigm shift in my tastes. Few things can genuinely do that to a person. But as one experience in the sum of experiences that I've had, I count it as a victory in the furthering of my development. For a romantic comedy, that ain't too bad, eh?

So, at the end of the day, Keeping the Faith really isn’t a very good movie. It’s not something I expect anyone else around me to like. It’s just this movie I like, you know?

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