“Father Stu” is a biographical drama film based on the true-life story of boxer-turned-priest Stuart Long.
So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about the film.
- Father Stu is a 2022 American biographical drama film
- It is written and directed by Rosalind Ross
- It is based on the true-life story of boxer-turned-priest Stuart Long
- It is also Ross’s feature directorial debut
- The film stars Mark Wahlberg
- Wahlberg also serves as a producer of the film
- Colleen Camp serves as one of the executive producers of the film
- Father Stu was released in the United States on April 13, 2022, during Holy Week
- It received mixed reviews from critics
- The film follows the true-life story of Father Stuart Long (1963–2014)
- He was a boxer-turned-Catholic priest suffering from inclusion body myositis
- The film was first publicly announced in 2016
- Then Wahlberg revealed that he was working on a biopic about Long with screenwriter David O. Russell
- Wahlberg first heard about Long’s story while out to dinner with two priests
- Wahlberg put “millions and millions of dollars” of his own money into the project
- Mostly due to the shoot going over schedule and the rights to music
- Ross wrote the script then signed on as director in her directorial debut
- The film was shot in Los Angeles in just 30 days in May 2021
- Wahlberg intentionally gained 30 pounds (14 kg) in six weeks to portray Long, consuming up to 7,000 calories a day
- The film was released in theaters on Wednesday, April 13, 2022
- It was originally set to be released on Friday, April 15, 2022
- The film had its world premiere at the Cinemark Theaters in Helena, Montana, on April 5, 2022
- In the United States and Canada, Father Stu was projected to gross around $7 million from 2,705 theaters over its five-day opening weekend
- The film grossed $1.55 million on its first day and $765,000 on its second, for a two-day running total of $2.3 million
- In its opening weekend, Father Stu grossed $5.7 million
- Thus debuting in 5th place
- With a five-day total of $8 million
- On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 42%
- Based on 72 reviews
- With an average rating of 5.4/10
- The website’s critics consensus reads: “Mark Wahlberg is hard-working but miscast in Father Stu, an issue compounded by the way the movie fumbles its fact-based story”
- Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 42 out of 100
- Based on 20 critics
- Indicating “mixed or average reviews”
- Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “A” on an A+ to F scale
- While those at PostTrak gave it a 91% positive score
- With 76% saying they would definitely recommend it
