As a heavily fictionalized Father Gabriele Amorth, the star's droll performance props up this weakly scripted dial-a-demon horror until a riotous high-Catholic-camp finale.
"......Even Catholics in high places, it turns out, have a sense of humor: You needn’t wait for the “work of fiction” disclaimer in the closing credits to discern that “The Pope’s Exorcist” is ripely fantastical trash, inspired by Amorth’s work in much the same way that SunnyD is inspired by Florida oranges, and no less enjoyable for those liberties. Rather than the Bible or any of Amorth’s autobiographies, Julius Avery’s film instead swears by the trusty story template shaped by every demonic-possession horror film since “The Exorcist” a full half-century ago, as a hapless American teen is inhabited by an ancient minion of Satan with increasingly yucky, upchucky consequences, while a venerable priest is called upon to clear up the mess. ....
It’s Crowe, amid all this cheerful bad taste, who approaches the material with something like class: Ever the Richard Burton of our age, and now sealing the parallel with his own “Exorcist” knockoff, he brings a regal bearing and grimacing, off-script air of resignation to Amorth that both dignifies the film and meets it precisely at its level, matching molten cheese with well-cured ham. It’s not every actor who can repeat “our sins will seek us out” a dozen times in a cod-Italian accent while maintaining both composure and a twitch of mirth. If this hysterical hackwork has any soul at all, Crowe just about saves it.....
https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/t ... 235576547/
