Saint of 9/11 (2006)

Good concept, poorly executed.

Absolutely the worst movie.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Mychal Judge was a disobedient priest who got so big that his order couldn't discipline him. Franciscans generally aren't their own boss, especially men who are both alcoholic and homosexual. Fr. Mychal went where he wanted, spent money the way he wanted, and set his own schedule doing whatever he pleased.If Fr. Mychal had really been a friend to black people, he might have used his office as Fire Department chaplain to address discrimination in hiring in the lily-white FDNY. There's a real moral issue there, especially since so many of New York's firefighters don't live in New York. He wouldn't have been quite so popular if he'd shown some genuine spiritual leadership.He's a hero of our distinctly unheroic times. I don't expect the Vatican to put a rush on canonizing him. They don't often do that for people with a unique spiritual vision that's at odds with Church teaching.

Father Mychal Judge's self-identity as a gay man was a crucial motivation for his remarkable outreach to other outcasts of society.Despite a handful of deniers, the evidence that Fr. Mychal Judge self-identified as gay, though chaste and celibate, is irrefutable. For a discussion of the conclusive facts, visit http://SaintMychalJudge.blogspot.com (then click "Gay Saint" at the top). Most of the world first heard of Fr. Mychal Judge on September 11, 2001. Yet even prior to his heroic death, Mychal was widely seen by many New Yorkers as a living saint for his deep spirituality and his extraordinary work with the homeless, recovering alcoholics, people with AIDS, immigrants, gays and lesbians, and other social outcasts.Mychal's saintliness was not one of outward piety, though he did have an intimate relationship with God. Nor did he march in lockstep with the church hierarchy. Like his spiritual father, St. Francis of Assisi, Mychal reported to a Higher Authority.Mychal's sainthood was in his unconditionally loving presence with all he encountered -- with heavy doses of playful humor thrown in. This is well portrayed by the film."Saint of 9/11" is powerfully inspiring but not sappy. It focuses more on his life than his death. Unfortunately, its 80 minutes can only begin to scratch the surface of his remarkable story. Viewers may also want to read Michael Ford's biography, "Father Mychal Judge: An Authentic American Hero."

This film was a major letdown. I rented it with high hopes that it would actually portray a faithful Catholic priest in a positive role. Rather, the film concentrates heavily on the ALLEGED homosexual orientation of Fr. Judge. According to the site HTTP://www.catholic.org/featured/ headline.php?ID=19 Fr. Judge was not homosexual at all.Since the orientation of this man is in question it would make sense to concentrate on his public life and all the good he did, which the movie makers do for the first 50 or so minutes. The second half of the film is nothing more than gay propaganda. (I don't mind it so bad but they need to be straight, no pun intended, on their motives with the film.

I saw this film last week at the Montreal film festival. I had to drag my husband because he was afraid it would be sappy. We were both extremely moved by the story and loved the film. The director did an excellent job in telling the story of Mychael Judge's life. He had a lot of great footage and interviews with many of the people who knew Judge well. I always walk out of a film and think what I would have done differently, but there is not one thing I would have changed. I predict this will get a nomination for an Oscar for Best Documentary this year. For people who avoided seeing United 93 because you were afraid or not ready to revisit what happened on 9/11, do not miss this film for that reason. There is some discussion and footage about 9/11, but most of the film deals with the life of this priest. It is very moving and inspirational. This is a film I would recommend to everyone.