The Young Pope: Will Jude Law's 'sexy pontiff' cause offence?
Law's chain-smoking 'Don Draper style' pope offers an irreverent peep behind the doors of the Vatican
The Young Pope, a new television drama starring Jude Law as a fictional American pontiff, has been causing a buzz – but will this mischievous take on a taboo subject cause outrage?
The series from Italian director Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty, Il Divo, Youth) caught the attention of critics at the Venice International Film Festival in September.
Law plays Lenny Belardo, a contradictory, conservative and chain-smoking man who becomes the youngest pope ever at the age of 47 and the first American to be appointed to the role. As the newly titled Pius XIII, he discovers that the powerful cardinals plan to run things for him behind the scenes and calls in Sister Mary (Diane Keaton), a nun who ran the orphanage where he grew up, as his adviser.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Daily Mail asks if The Young Pope is "the most sacrilegious depiction of the Pope ever" and predicts that Law is "set to cause controversy as the chain-smoking, megalomaniac pontiff". Despite the great critical response, "Catholics around the world may not appreciate the unusual take on the leader of the church", says the newspaper.
Nevertheless, the ten-episode series has just debuted to "stellar ratings" on Sky in Italy, reports Variety. The first two episodes drew an average 953,000 viewers there, making it the best debut audience ever in Italy for a Sky-produced show, beating the previous record set for its mob drama Gomorrah.
Law shines in the debut, which boasts "extraordinary visuals, fascinating Vatican machinations and Diane Keaton in a wimple", says Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian.
The critic says that, like Don Draper or Tony Soprano, Law's character is a man "beset by personal doubts and distracted and seduced by vulgar office politics". Bradshaw describes the series as "very strange, anxious, whimsical and surreal", with Law "on top form as the cunning, troubled young Pontiff". He adds that this might "turn out to be Sorrentino's Twin Peaks".
Indeed, who knows where Sorrentino's "amusing, unpredictable and irreverent Vatican fantasy" will lead, says Deborah Young at Hollywood Reporter. From the look of the first two hours, this is a potential hit combining the Italian director's "sardonic, Fellini-inspired gift for the bizarre with the world's ever-growing hunger to peep behind the screens at St Peter's".
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"102509","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]
Sometimes Sorrentino's taste for the grotesque gets out of hand, admits the critic, but his "acid spirit" and comic approach to the hidebound traditions of the Papal state, along with a "commandingly arch Jude Law" serve the show well.
The Wrap's Alonso Duralde argues that the show about a "sexy young pontiff" sometimes seems to be searching for a tone.
The critic says the series often seems "uncomfortably perched between satire and nighttime soap". But for all its narrative vacillations, Duralde admits, the cliffhanger ending of the opener "has me planning to tune in to find out what happens next".
The Young Pope debuts on Sky Atlantic on Thursday 27 October at 9pm.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Fallout: one of the 'most faithful – and best – video game adaptations'
The Week Recommends This 'genre-bending' new Amazon series is set in a post-apocalyptic wilderness where survivors shelter below ground
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
'Test of faith for Trump Media's investors'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Will Iran attack hinder support for Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Pro-Kyiv allies cry 'hypocrisy' and 'double standards' even as the US readies new support package
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK Published
-
The Westbury Hotel review: stunning suites in charming Dublin
The Week Recommends This hotel is the perfect spot to while away a weekend in Ireland's capital
By Kaye O'Doherty Published
-
Drama movies 2024: new films out this year
In Depth Latest reviews include The Boys in the Boat, One Life and Tchaikovsky's Wife
By The Week UK Last updated
-
Best new hotels and places to stay in 2024
The Week Recommends Featuring stylish island resorts, historical properties and wilderness retreats
By The Week UK Last updated
-
Albums of the year: best music of 2023
The Week Recommends A look back at the best pop, rap, jazz, dance, classical and rock releases
By The Week UK Published
-
Savoy Grill by Gordon Ramsay review: an institution reinvented
The Week Recommends Traditions are maintained and the tweaks are clever and modern
By Neil Davey Published
-
Tulum: a Mexican beach town of 'two halves'
The Week Recommends With the 'pueblo' and 'Zona Hotelera', Tulum is home to great hotels, restaurants and beach clubs
By William Leigh Published
-
La Zebra review: beach chic, perfect tacos and secret cenotes
The Week Recommends Enjoy a stylish stay in Mexico at this family-friendly beach hotel and restaurant
By William Leigh Published
-
Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas review: a mythical beachside resort
The Week Recommends Combine the classically simple pleasures of sun, sea and sand with upmarket fun and food
By Adrienne Wyper Published