It’s the late 1970s/early 1980s, and amateur boxer Stuart Long (Mark Wahlberg) is still scrapping for a sponsor at an age when most fighters are retiring. After his latest bout, his doctor—and mother, Kathleen (Jacki Weaver)—strongly advise that he retire. So Stu heads to L.A. to try his luck at becoming an actor. However, the moment he sets his eyes on Carmen (Teresa Ruiz), it’s love at first sight, and she becomes his primary focus. The only problem is that Carmen is a devout Catholic, and won’t date anyone who isn’t. But when Stuart Long sets his sights on meeting a challenge, he goes all in and doesn’t give up, so he immediately begins the process of converting to Catholicism.

As Stu goes through the process of learning the Catholic teachings, beliefs, and rituals, he unexpectedly takes things to heart—originally this was just all about getting the girl, but now he truly wants to be a better person. Then, a near-death experience causes Stu to hear his calling to become a priest. Stu is a foul-mouthed guy who likes to drink—traits he inherited from his deadbeat father, Bill (Mel Gibson)—and not the picture of a model seminary student, but he just wants a chance to prove himself. But even after Stu defies the odds and begins his journey towards becoming a priest, God throws one more huge obstacle in his way, to further test his faith and resolve.

Father Stu is inspired by the true life story of Stuart Long, and is an entertaining, emotional, and sometimes hilarious story of redemption, faith and second chances. Mark Wahlberg is stellar in this role, making you really experience this man’s transformation from cocky fighter to true believer, and how he is able to overcome his emotional baggage along the way. Wahlberg also makes an amazing physical transformation, from the lean, muscular boxer at the start of the movie, to an almost unrecognizable Father Stu as the film progresses. While Father Stu deals with some themes of faith, it never feels preachy in a way that would be a turn off to those who aren’t religious. It is more of a character drama, and a story of forgiveness, redemption, and never giving up, no matter what hardships life throws at you.

There are also plenty of laughs along Stu’s heartfelt, inspiring and emotional journey. Wahlberg is great at switching between these more dramatic and laugh-out-loud comedic moments. Each character feels fully developed and multi-dimensional, with his or her own emotional arc to work through over the course of the film. Mel Gibson is a real surprise as Stu’s father Bill, who can be this funny, crass, self-centered and unapologetic jerk one moment, and then pull at your heartstrings the next. Jacki Weaver is also a delight as Stu’s over-protective mother, but there is another deeper emotional side to this character as a mother who is still grieving over the loss of one of her children at a young age. There are also several side characters that add to the film’s humor, such as Monsignor Kelly (Malcolm McDowell), the priest who needs to decide if Stu should be let into the seminary, and Father Garcia (Carlos Leal), the priest who awkwardly listens to Stu’s unorthodox confessions.

Overall the film tells a really interesting and inspiring true story about a man whose life took an unlikely turn, and how he changed the lives around him while also never giving up on his calling, despite the many obstacles that came his way.

Sony’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds excellent. The picture is clean and clear throughout, with a solid level of detail, particularly in close-ups of faces. There is a pleasant color palette throughout that evokes a bit of the era in which the film is set. The audio track is quite impressive, providing clear dialogue, and making excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to provide a fully immersive experience. This is especially noticeable in reverberation and crowd noises in the boxing ring, bars and church settings. The film’s excellent musical soundtrack also really fills the room, with an incredibly rich, full sound. There are some great 70s needle drops in this film!

The Blu-ray disc contains almost 12 minutes of deleted scenes as well as 11 minutes of promotional featurettes discussing the life of the real Father Stu. The disc is packed in a standard HD keepcase, placed in a carboard slipcover. An insert provides instructions on how to redeem an HD digital copy of the film.

What’s Included:

Film: (2:04:39)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Audio Descriptive Service, French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Thai 5.1 Dolby Digital
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai

Digital (Limited time offer):

• HD digital copy of the film, redeemable via Movies Anywhere or Vudu

Extras:

• Deleted Scenes (11:54)
  Collection of 12 scenes. Play All, or select from:
  • A Liability (1:38)
    Stu looks for a job at an ice cream shop, but is told they only hire wholesome people.
  • Ready For His Close Up (:28)
    Stu is in the make-up chair on a set.
  • I Got A Date (:54)
    Stu calls Ham from jail looking for a ride.
  • Kobe Beef (:47)
    Stu gets fired from his job at the supermarket.
  • I Got A Lot (:44)
    Stu tells Tim he’s ready.
  • Burning Up The Beads (:24)
    Carmen waits for Stu outside the church.
  • Help The Sick Folks Hurt Themselves (1:21)
    Ham visits Stu in the hospital.
  • I Need Something More (:54)
    At breakfast, Stu’s mother asks if he’s going to ask Carmen to marry him.
  • Purpose (1:31)
    Stu’s mother questions his reasons for wanting to be a priest.
  • What About My Grandbabies? (:53)
    Stu’s mother suggests he become a deacon instead so she can have grandbabies.
  • Can’t Find God In A Bottle (2:17)
    Stu visits a bar and has some advice for a drunk man headed down the same path he once was.
  • There’s A Saying In The Service (:46)
    Bill has a heart-to-heart with Kathleen.
• You Don’t Know Stu (11:05)
  Friends, relatives and colleagues talk about the life of Stuart Long in this collection of promotional featurettes for the film. Includes interviews with Helena diocese priest/friend Father Bart Tolleson, Stu’s childhood friends Ray Brekke, Tim Quinn & Brad Brazier, Stu’s father Bill Long, Stu’s brother Scott Thompson, Stu’s friends/parishioners Theresa & Tony Quebedeaux, Allison & Shannon Bell & Becky Simkins, writer/director Rosalind Ross, and actors Mark Wahlberg (“Stuart Long”/Producer), Mel Gibson (“Bill Long”) & Jacki Weaver (“Kathleen Long”). Some of the interview footage is repeated in the various featurettes. Play All, or select from:
  • Boxer (:44)
  • Troublemaker (1:21)
  • Hollywood Dream (1:17)
  • Deciding To Become Catholic (1:26)
  • Path To Priesthood (1:22)
  • A Real Character (1:33)
  • Unlikely Apostle (1:27)
  • Always In Your Corner (1:10)
  • Legacy (1:15)
• Previews (14:00)
  Trailers for Uncharted, Bullet Train, Show Me the Father, A Journal For Jordan, Fatherhood & Parallel Mothers play back-to-back.

Final Thoughts:

Father Stu is a funny and emotional film based on the inspiring true story of the major turn one man’s life took, the hardships he had to overcome in order to accept his calling, and the many lives he changed along the way. It features a talented cast, with a stellar leading performance from Mark Wahlberg, who transforms himself both emotionally and physically to embody this character. Sony’s Blu-ray looks and sounds amazing, and includes a nice selection of bonus material. Fans of the film should be pleased by the excellent technical presentation. New viewers and fans of the cast should definitely check this out. Do not be scared off by the religious nature of the subject matter—the film does not feel preachy at all and is more of a universal story of forgiveness, change, and overcoming adversity. I enjoyed the film in the theater, and just as much the second time around watching on this Blu-ray release.