Conclave

Conclave is a movie about the selection of a new pope that you didn’t know you needed: a college of cardinals, festooned in red and sequestered inside the Vatican submit ballot after ballot until some lucky (?) soul earns two-thirds of the vote. Thrilling, compelling cinema? You better believe it! The Vatican might as well be Pine Valley, y’all, because these arbiters of faith are actually petty, scheming, ambitious, and ruthless. Pop some corn, make yourself a scorecard (the candidates are Lawrence, Tedesco, Bellini, Adeyemi, Lawrence, Benitez, and Tremblay), and settle in for a totally engrossing few hours of papal capers that include secrets, lies, blackmail, and bombs both figurative and literal. Under the watchful eye of director Edward Berger, the melodrama transcends itself, leaving us all to ponder the roles that doubt and mystery play in creating a world of faith. And the performances by the all-star cast - Ralph Fiennes (a likely Oscar nominee as Dean Lawrence), Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini (as Sister Agnes, the true eyes and ears of the group) - are deliciously entertaining. Conclave is currently streaming on Peacock, the most appropriate network for such colorful preening.