The most absurd outcome in the whole conclave movie…..isn’t that they selected an intersex person as the next pope…..it’s that a relatively small and insular group like that would choose someone that none of them had met or heard of 72 hours before.
shareWhen I saw it, I was fine with it all, but with passing time, I agree there is zero chance some random would get chosen. They didn't even vet him all that well—especially since the Pope secretly made him a Cardinal. They threw out some background info that absolutely zero people in the Vatican knew about. He gave one inspiring speech, and boom, he's in.
shareYou do know this is a fiction and not a documentary, don’t you?
shareThis is a movie chat site where we discuss movies and point out things we like and don't like. Didn't know I couldn't have a simple criticism with a fellow viewer without calling you and the rest of the fun police for approval.
shareOooh, sarcasm!
shareYes…it’s a fictional movie trying to make some deep political point….I started the thread just to point out that in reality (and conclaves are a real thing unlike a lot of superhero or paranormal type movies) the most absurd thing in the movie is all these guys that have worked their way up this hierarchy and known each other for decades, would just pick someone that none of them knew even existed 3 days earlier….
I thought it funny to point out how unrealistic that was…..doesn’t mean it can’t still be a good movie with great acting.
It's a valid point though.
Saying "it's not a documentary" would make any kind of standards we apply to movies - pointless.
LOL! Even documentaries?
Nitpicking a story like Conclave because it doesn’t hew to reality is missing the point. There are any number of plot points you could make that complaint about - if you won’t take the film on its own terms. It’s an entertainment about Vatican intrigue with a surprise ending. No obligation to be true to life.
I felt very similar and agree with everything you said, only adding that the last minute intersex part added nothing to the story. Alas I also dislike that it was extremely predictable. First shot he was in: "Yep, he's going to be the pope."
The (real) Vatican City sentenced the closest butler of Benedict XVI to prison for breaking and entry, and stealing private documents. Lawrence does the same, a nurse who busts him doesn't warn guards, and gets away with it. Lawrence also wasn't sequestered. He was a papal candidate but kept asking and receiving outside information. No consequences whatsoever, it even made him more popular.
It's a shame. I love films about the Catholic church / Vatican City, but though this film had really good acting and had beautiful scenery, the story just fell flat and ended quite dumb.