So there’s a priest, a rabbi, and a businesswoman walking down the street wearing their RayBans… Sorry. I can’t do that to you. You’re my friend, my bud, my loyal confidante. No bad priest & rabbi jokes; you’d be right to hate me. But that damn movie, Keeping the Faith, set me up for it. Let me have a do-over, will ya? Cool.

You ever think that Rick Springfield songs aren’t played enough now that the 80s are over? Even though VH-1 keeps playing that special about him that tells everyone he’s on tour & doing really great blahblahblah, but the only way we know that is that he bribed VH-1 to say it. Over and over and over again. Well then, one of the great things about Keeping the Faith is that you can hear a brand new version of "Jesse’s Girl". Hate Rick Springfield? Well then, one of the great things about Keeping the Faith is that you get to hear a Karaoke machine salesman doing a really ridiculous version of "Jesse’s Girl" in an absurdly thick Japanese accent.while he dances around the front of the store. And don’t let the symbolism of this scene get lost on you. There a priest and a rabbi and a businesswoman -- no joke – and the priest and the rabbi both like the businesswoman (also important: they were all best friends earlier in life, but the priest and the rabbi haven’t seen the businesswoman since about 8^th grade). So, the rabbi is doing the businesswoman, but the priest doesn’t know it. And the priest thinks the businesswoman might be into HIM. "Jesse’s Girl" is about a guy who likes his best friend’s girl. Get it yet? Very interesting choice of song, no? Oh, come on! I’m not going to explain that part any more. Like the Washington Post says (or rather SHOULD say) "If you don’t get it, you’re a no good moron."

Back to the review…. The movie is good for many things other than just the thick Japanese accent version of "Jesse’s Girl". It’s also got a Sikh Moslem Irish Catholic Bartender who’s currently reading Dianetics and has Jewish in-laws. Gigantic mish mosh. That’s sort of what the movie’s about anyway. Even though the basic gist of the ending is something you probably expected going into the movie, the way they make it all come together isn’t.

The movie’s just damn funny –and a smart kind of funny that won’t make you think they’ll take your degree or your job away from you for having laughed. You also get to see Dharma minus Reggie (AKA Greg), Stiller minus Garafolo, and Edward Norton PERIOD. So, go out and see the damn movie already! And take me with you cause I could deal with another go ‘round.

And if you hated this review and think I should go to confession or something. Think again. I don’t do penance. I do shots.