Keeping the Faith (2000)

Keeping the Faith is that rare romantic comedy with a big heart and an actual conscience: it’s breezy and genuinely funny, but it also treats friendship, faith, and grown-up longing with surprising tenderness. Edward Norton directs with an easy confidence, letting New York’s Upper West Side feel like a lived-in neighborhood where sermons, flirtation, and late-night doubts can share the same sidewalk. Ben Stiller and Norton have terrific timing together, and Jenna Elfman brings a bright, grounded spark that makes the emotional tangle feel human rather than sitcom-cute. If you’re looking for something sweetly adult and humane—more smiles and warmth than cynicism—this one’s a satisfying, comforting watch, though it may feel a little gentle if you prefer sharper-edged rom-coms.

Keeping the Faith is clearly trying to be a warm, mainstream rom-com that uses an interfaith friendship to say something kind about love, identity, and growing up without turning cynical. The problem is it’s pretty talky and oddly earnest, so the big emotional beats can feel more like speeches than sparks, and the love triangle plays out in a fairly predictable, conventional way. If you’re hoping for sharp, daring comedy or messy, adult romantic complexity, this may feel too tidy and a bit forced in its levity. That said, Stiller and Norton have an easy chemistry and the New York setting has a cozy charm, so if you like gentle, PG-13 romantic comedies with a sweet message, it can still be a pleasant enough watch.