Movie review
April 13, 2022 · 124 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Father Stu is a 2022 biographical drama based on the true story of Stuart Long, a foul-mouthed amateur boxer from Montana who moves to Los Angeles chasing acting fame, meets a devout Catholic woman, survives a near-fatal motorcycle accident, receives a terminal muscle disease diagnosis, and ultimately becomes an ordained Catholic priest through personal conversion and perseverance. The narrative centers on individual redemption, the redemptive power of suffering, faith in God, and commitment to priesthood in a gritty, R-rated style with heavy profanity and flawed characters. No audience-visible woke elements appear in the story, casting, dialogue, or themes.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Father Stu.
Woke representation / casting
No forced or audience-visible diversity emphasis, identity signaling, or mismatches; all casting fits story world, setting, and character logic without quotas or swaps.
Woke political dialogue
Dialogue centers on personal sin, faith conversion, suffering as gift from God, and priesthood vocation; zero explicit political, activist, or identity-based lines.
Identity-driven story themes
Core engine is one man’s spiritual transformation and Catholic redemption arc; no identity politics, gender wish-fulfillment, girlboss dynamics, or representation-focused plotlines.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Portrays Catholicism and priesthood positively as sources of grace and meaning; no modern activist framing of patriarchy, whiteness, capitalism, colonialism, toxic masculinity, or institutional oppression.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant; standard biopic dramatization of verified real-life events with no ideological alterations to historical figures or timeline.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Zero backlash treating the title as woke, activist, or identity-political; all documented complaints concern R-rating language, actor personal histories, or faith-film expectations.
Creator track record context
No cited prior work by director, writer, or lead producer shows pattern of identity-driven, activist, or politically themed projects.
Production
