The Little Hours (****)

Putting aside the occasional crass humor and determined levels of shock value, there is so much to laugh at in THE LITTLE HOURS. From the cast to the situational humor drawing inspiration from the stories of Giovanni Boccaccio, this is a type of comedy we don't see often. I might compare it to something like Monty Python's "Holy Grail" although the two films have rudimental differences. Each is for a different time, a different audience. Where Monty Python found humor in breaking the 4th wall, here we are treated to swear words and sex jokes. Is anyone to say which is more universally funny?

The plot is surprisingly clear and well-crafted. We meet a group of nuns at a secluded cloister, headed by Sister Marea (Molly Shannon). The head priest here, Father Tommasso (John C. Reilly), brings the nuns' handiwork to town to sell as a means of income. Meanwhile we meet Alessandra (Alison Brie), Giverva (Kate Micucci) and Fernanda (Aubrey Plaza), three novices who will soon pledge their vows to God but still find time to belittle the convent's gardener (he talks too much, and he's probably a Jew).

In a nearby castle, a nobleman named Bruno (Nick Offerman) discovers his wife has been sleeping with one of their servants, Massetto (Dave Franco) and seeks to put him to death. There's a very funny sequence in which Lord Bruno cuts off a piece of Massetto's hair while he sleeps in hopes of catching him in the morning, and another as Bruno and his wife have an awkward breakfast conversation the day after. Massetto escapes and fatefully runs into Father Tommasso and seeks refuge. Tommasso offers Massetto a place at the convent as a gardener, but he agrees to act as a deaf mute in order to satisfy the sister's request for a "less chatty" helper. The cast is surely the best comedic lineup I've seen in a while, and each person brings their a-game. When Fred Armisen arrives to tour the convent as the Bishop, we laugh at how silly he looks in official robes. Then he talks, and we laugh at that, too. These are great comedians doing their thing.

The first scenes of the movie begin with our three novices wandering in the field, roaming the lands, having a normal discussion as one might in 2017. They swear and use expletives and threaten violence when anyone crosses their path. At first I believed that the movie was going to only rely on this novelty for laughs: the image of nuns using the "f" word. Luckily there was so much more than that. The three women quickly begin falling for Massetto and his good looks. They begin to question their devotions to God and instead enlist the help of a local witch to help seduce the man for themselves. They sneak into each other's room at night and get drunk off of stolen altar wine. At the same time we see the Father and Massetto doing the same thing over dinner.

The trailer heaped praise upon a Catholic film critic's review of the film as being "pure trash." The audience laughed when it was shown. I can't blame them. The movie carries a hard R rating that would appear to deface Catholicism if it wasn't so silly. This isn't a movie about holy people, nor is it meant to be a movie that points fingers at organized religions. None of our characters are good people, they are simply human beings living in a world that demands much more of them. What I found so funny was the setting, a novel idea for a comedy released in this day and age. It's a refreshing movie that is straight-forward and chock full of humor and wit.