A well-intentioned labor of love, "Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story" benefits greatly from a wonderful central performance by Moira Kelly and a character whose story is often fascinating.
But the screenplay seems underdeveloped, as the film frequently loses its focus and digresses aimlessly. And a few of the performances are surprisingly weak.
The result is only occasionally engaging — though it should put Kelly on the map as a terrific young actress to reckon with.
Produced by the Catholic Communication Campaign, the film tells the story of Dorothy Day, an activist who is referred to in the press notes as perhaps "the most influential American Catholic of the 20th Century," and who has often been compared favorably to Mother Teresa, due to her work with the disenfranchised.
The film begins in a jail cell in the 1960s, where the aging Day (Kelly, in less-than-convincing makeup) has been placed after participating in a protest. There, she encounters a new cellmate, a junkie who wonders what someone like her is doing in jail. This causes Day to reflect on her life, which unfolds in flashbacks (largely set during the Depression).
In 1917, we see Day as a suffragette marching in a parade when she is hassled by police. She responds by punching a cop in the nose, a slapstick moment that doesn't work.
Living in Greenwich Village, Day is drawn to the people living in local slums and expresses a desire to write newspaper articles about the deplorable living conditions. At the same time she becomes involved in the local art scene, which brings her into contact with a number of bohemian leftists — including Eugene O'Neill (James Lancaster) — who occasionally reappear throughout the film, as if to remind us of her sordid past.
That past includes a number of ill-fated affairs, an abortion and a child out of wedlock, all of which help shape Day's character and solidify her compassion for the downtrodden.
Along the way, she also begins to question her own atheistic views and eventually finds religion.
The latter takes place after she meets a compassionate nun, Sister Aloysius (Melinda Dillon, whose gentle, subtle performance is one of the film's highlights), who operates a soup kitchen and shelter for homeless families in Staten Island. Inspired by her selfless attitude, Day joins the church.
But it is also this newfound faith as a Catholic that drives away the father of her child (Lenny Von Dohlen) and leaves her alone.
When Day returns to New York, she meets a Frenchman, Peter Maurin (Martin Sheen, whose ridiculous accent and mannered performance are major distractions). Maurin's single-minded devotion to people on the street pushes Day to open her own soup kitchen and shelter, and eventually she begins publishing a militant newspaper, which she dubs the Catholic Worker.
Despite her protests that she is following the example of Jesus Christ, Day is branded a communist in some corners, which prompts the church to take a wary view of her activities. And there is an amusing moment when a cardinal (Brian Keith in a delightful cameo) drops by to urge removal of the word "Catholic" from the newspaper's name.
The performances are wildly uneven, ranging from superb (both Kelly and the more subtle Dillon deliver knockout turns) to ridiculous (the aforementioned Sheen). In addition, Von Dohlen is bland, and Graham is a bit over the top.
Produced on a low budget, the film is nonetheless quite lavish in its costuming and set design, capturing the period flavor quite well for the most part. The New York streets, however, always look like backlot sets.
There are also some continuity problems, but most of the way this is an impressive-looking movie.
"Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story" is rated PG-13 for violence, sex and profanity.