On the podcast, Alex recommends Nanni Moretti’s 2011 comedy about finding a new pope, We Have a Pope, a film that’s even better than Conclave.
Has the news about Pope Francis made you itching to watch a pope drama? Instead of rewatching the Oscar-winning Conclave, why not watch a delightful 2011 Italian comedy, which I think is even better?
Who doesn’t want to watch a movie about a pope who has a panic attack once elected? A pope who sees a psychiatrist in front of all the cardinals (see image below)? And then runs away from the Vatican and joins a troupe of actors (because he always wanted to be one!)?
This movie has cardinals playing in volleyball tournaments, The Seagull, and an existential crisis. It puts a human face on the man who will be pope while making you laugh.
When I left the cinema after seeing Conclave, all I wanted to do was rewatch We Have a Pope. It has everything that Conclave lacks: rich characters with clear motivations, humour and wit, and a backstage movie that isn’t hermetically sealed from the audience they’re preparing to face.
Today on the podcast, I’m bringing back my October 2024 episode about why you should check out Nanni Moretti’s delightful We Have a Pope and what it gets right that Conclave gets wrong.
Show Notes on Nanni Moretti’s We Have a Pope
Listen to Alex’s review of Conclave from TIFF 2024
Podcast Credits for this episode on Nanni Moretti’s We Have a Pope
This episode was edited, produced, and recorded by Alex Heeney.
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An AI-generated transcript for the episode is available on Apple Podcasts.
