Calvary (2014)
87%RT Audience Score: 80%
Awards & Nominations: 9 wins & 32 nominations
Led by a brilliant performance from Brendan Gleeson, Calvary tackles weighty issues with humor, intelligence, and sensitivity
Calvary is a movie that will make you laugh, cry, and question your faith all at the same time. Brendan Gleeson’s performance as the priest is nothing short of amazing, and the Irish coast provides a stunning backdrop for this philosophical and existential examination of one man’s journey. While the plot may meander at times, the kooky residents of the small Irish village will keep you entertained and on the edge of your seat. Overall, Calvary is a must-watch for anyone who loves a good black comedy with a side of drama and a sprinkle of hope.
Production Company(ies)
20th Century Studios, Amblin Entertainment, Amblin Partners
Distributor
Fox Searchlight
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Strandhill, County Sligo, Ireland
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for sexual references, language, brief strong violence and some drug use
Year of Release
2014
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 45m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United Kingdom
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 1, 2014 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 9, 2014
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Brendan Gleeson, Chris O’Dowd, Kelly Reilly, Aidan Gillen, Dylan Moran, Marie-Josée Croze, directed by John Michael McDonagh, written by John Michael McDonagh, drama, R-rated, Fox Searchlight, box office gross $3.6M, reviewed by Kate Muir, Anthony Lane, Tom Long, Moira MacDonald, Matthew Lickona, Josh Kupecki, Mike Massie, MaryAnn Johanson, Brent McKnight, Yasser Medina, Leigh Paatsch, Father James, death threat, Catholic priest, sexual abuse, Church, morality, Ireland, community, humor, intelligence, sensitivity, Brendan Gleeson’s performance, brilliant, nuanced, depth, characters, real, ineffective, powerful themes, focused
Worldwide gross: $16,887,741
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $21,105,407
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,695
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,301,571
US/Canada gross: $3,600,006
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $4,499,097
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,835
US/Canada opening weekend: $74,149
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $92,668
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,959
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Chris O’Dowd – Jack Brennan
Kelly Reilly – Fiona
Aidan Gillen – Frank Harte
Dylan Moran – Fitzgerald
Marie-Josée Croze – Teresa
Director – John Michael McDonagh
Producers – Chris Clark, Flora Fernandez-Marengo, James Flynn
Writer – John Michael McDonagh
Director(s)
John Michael McDonagh
Writer(s)
John Michael McDonagh
Producer(s)
Chris Clark, Flora Fernandez-Marengo, James Flynn
Film Festivals
Sundance, Berlin
Awards & Nominations
9 wins & 32 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (171) | Top Critics (59) | Fresh (152) | Rotten (19)
It’s Gleeson who gives the performance of a lifetime as the priest.
December 31, 2017
Kate Muir
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The tension of Calvary is fitful at best, and much of the movie trips into silliness, but in Brendan Gleeson — in his proud bearing and his lamenting gaze — we see the plight of the lonely believer in a world beyond belief.
September 22, 2014
Anthony Lane
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
Brendan Gleeson delivers a typically towering yet warm performance in “Calvary.” Too bad the movie’s something of a mess.
August 15, 2014 | Rating: C
Tom Long
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
It serves as a marvelous showcase for Gleeson, a great old-lion actor who shows, in the film’s many close-ups, a quiet, weary yet unbending faith, and a face on which emotion can play like a wave on the beach.
August 14, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
Writer-director John Michael McDonagh paints a rich portrait of the priestly life (and life in general) by concentrating on the details.
August 14, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Matthew Lickona
San Diego Reader
TOP CRITIC
Cruel and laced with pitch-black humor, it is a film that will needle its way into your psyche; removing it may prove difficult.
August 14, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/5
Josh Kupecki
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
The acting is vastly superior to the plot, which meanders around a gathering of usual suspects in a small town of distinctly flawed individuals.
December 4, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
[T]he kooky residents of a small Irish village appear to go search of a black comedy, but get stuck in a dramatic thriller that goes nowhere.
October 19, 2020
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher
A philosophical and existential examination of one man pondering the nature of his faith. Unpretentious and precise, full of stunning images of the Irish coast, this is despondent and optimistic, hopeful and resigned, and most of all satisfying.
July 7, 2020 | Rating: A
Brent McKnight
The Last Thing I See
In his second collaboration with John Michael McDonagh, Brendan Gleeson gives us the best performance in his entire career as he conveys the expressions of his character in front of a beach. [Full review in Spanish]
June 26, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Yasser Medina
Cinemaficionados
While Calvary could be regarded as a comedy at times, the sense that time is running out – and that Father James will not be running away – keeps the tension levels rising unbearably high.
March 27, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
It’s Gleeson’s understated performance as a man trying to follow Jesus’ example while everyone around him says, “What’s the point?” that elevates Calvary to the realm of the divine.
January 8, 2020
Chris McCoy
Memphis Flyer…
Plot
Father James is a small-town priest in Ireland whose Sunday confessionals suddenly include a threat to kill him in a week’s time as a matter of principle. Deeply troubled and conflicted about how to respond, Father James tries to go on with his calling through that week. However, that proves impossible as he is confronted with a troubling variety of spiritual challenges from both his estranged daughter and his own parishioners. In those dispiriting struggles, Father James’ life begins to fall apart as time runs out towards a confrontation that seems to crystallize his values and what he wants his life to be.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Brendan Gleeson delivers a “brilliant performance of a lifetime” as the priest in Calvary.
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