St Joseph of Cupertino is the protagonist of The Reluctant Saint. He is portrayed at the start of the flick as a village buffoon. Indeed the first few scenes of the movie show him leaving school for the day with his much-younger classmates, only to get himself tricked by a couple of them into picking up a scalding piece of metal. Upon being asked to graduate early by exasperated school authorities, Joseph presents his mother with a diploma and a proposal to be a carpenter like his father. His mother does not express any optimism at this proposal. She says: "Joseph, Joseph, if you could be a carpenter or a shoemaker, or a blacksmith, I would be the happiest mother; but you can't, Joseph; you can't." She recommends instead that he set his sights lower throughout life, expecting little for himself, to refrain from being disappointed. She then instructs him to mind the donkey.
Joseph's mother in any case has a plan. She intends to foist Joseph off on her brother, who has recently been made Father Guardian of the neighboring monastery, Martina. She invites Father Guardian and another priest to dine with her. She summons Joseph to meet with them, hoping that they can admit him to the monastery. Joseph, a bumbling idiot, spills wine on the other priest's hand in his attempt to cut up some cheese for him. He also doubts his capacity to be a good friar. Exasperated, Joseph's mother pretends to faint. Joseph is alarmed and promises to do whatever his mother asks, if that would make her recover. She makes him promise to join the monastery, and so Joseph begins his vocation as a religious man.
Life in the monastery is not as easy for Joseph as one would hope. He is sent to beg with the other friars, only for him to get waylaid on his return, as he stops to help a destitute woman. He is robbed of the donkey assigned to him, all the goods he successfully obtained while begging, and his own clothes are ruined. He also gets on the wrong side of a jealous inmate, who sets him up to break a 200-year-old statue. And so, on the day he receives news of his father's death, a disillusioned Father Guardian sends Joseph away from the monastery. In a letter written to his sister and borne by Joseph, Father Guardian expresses regret that he cannot continue to have Joseph in the monastery, since the lad is in short a bumbling fool. Joseph's mother reads the letter and is angry. She grabs her son and marches all the way to the monastery chapel, where the monks are at prayer. She makes quite a scene, and embarrasses her brother, the Father Guardian, by revealing some of the mistakes he made when he was younger, in an attempt to show that he is no better than his nephew, who deserves another shot at being a friar. She wins the day, and Joseph regains his position in the monastery. But he is remanded in the stables looking after the animals.
Subsequently, the Vicar of the Franciscan Order, an illustrious bishop, visits the monastery. He goes on his rounds of inspection and, upon reaching the stables, finds Joseph asleep on duty. He is irritated at first but, when he realizes that Joseph is asleep because he was tending two baby lambs whose mother was ill, he immediately takes a liking to Joseph. Joseph apparently reminds him of his own life as a poor peasant boy. Later that night, he sees Joseph again seated at a fire and eating chestnuts. He joins the humble friar, and they spend the entire night together, laughing and talking and eating chestnuts together. And as the bishop prepares to leave Martina, he asks that Joseph, albeit a stupid young man, be trained for the priesthood. An intelligent friar is asked to teach Joseph, but all the silly Joseph can learn is a chapter in Luke concerning the Parable of the Lost Sheep. This parable was recited earlier by the visiting bishop, while in a state of admiration for Joseph's tending the baby lambs. The friar charged with the responsibility of tutoring Joseph is consequently tired, and quits.
On the day of the examination for sub-diaconate, the stage of orders before priesthood, Joseph and the intelligent friar that had been instructing him go to be interviewed by a team of examiners. Everyone at the monastery expects that Joseph will fail. They expect instead that the intelligent friar will pass. Joseph is however lucky. The examiner asks him at the interview to recite the chapter from Luke concerning the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the only thing Joseph knew. He recites the chapter perfectly, and passes. The intelligent friar fails. And so, Joseph begins to train for the next stage of orders, the priesthood, which everyone is sure - except a miracle happens to change things - Joseph must fail. Again, Joseph passes by a stroke of luck. The examiner turns out to be the bishop that had visited Martina earlier and taken an especial liking to Joseph. This bishop passes the stupid friar without even asking him any question in theology. So, Joseph becomes a priest. He takes a copy of his orders to show his mother. He knocks on the door when he arrives at the house. His mother opens the door, recognizes it to be Joseph there, and slaps him across the face, thinking he has been kicked out of the monastery again. He protests and shows her the document that confirms he is actually a priest. His mother exclaims, "My son, a priest!"
Promptly, the next day all the villagers congregate to be blessed by the new priest. His mother calls them all together and boasts about her son, saying she saw something special in Joseph all along, even if this cannot be believed. She presents her son to the congregating villagers, so that he can bless and pray for them. Afterwards, Joseph returns to the monastery. When he arrives, he notices the face of the statue he broke a while ago stuck in a window. He kneels in front of it to pray and, as he prays, he begins to rise up in the air. A friar sees him, and runs to the refectory where the other friars are at supper and reports the issue. No one believes him. This friar subsequently reports the issue to the villagers, who congregate at the monastery to see Joseph, but they are driven away by the Father Guardian and another priest, and the friar from whom they obtained the information that Joseph could "fly" is made out to be a liar. At Fr. Joseph's first mass taking place at that moment nonetheless, all the friars, except for Father Guardian and the other priest, who are busy sending the villagers outside away, see the holy priest levitate. They rush out of the chapel to report the case to Father Guardian and this other priest.
So, a panel of investigation into the issue is summoned. The panel members ask Joseph many questions concerning his health and history, and ultimately decide his is a case of divine intervention. But the priest who had been with Father Guardian when the other friars saw Joseph levitate refuses to accept the panel's ruling. He claims instead that Joseph is possessed by a demon and must be exorcised. The panel agrees, and so later that night this priest conducts an exorcism on Joseph in a cove outside the monastery. He then binds the poor friar in chains, intending to leave him there till the following morning. But, as he and the other friars are making their way to the monastery, leaving Joseph bound in the cove, they hear the snap of chains and return to see Joseph levitating again, and a bright light from heaven surrounding him. The doubting priest falls on his knees in surrender to the power of truth. He admits there and then that it is in fact divine intervention causing Joseph to levitate so. He does not trouble the holy friar again. And Joseph is canonized some years after his death.
For many, Joseph is patron saint of students. The Movie, The Reluctant Saint, is a true story. Barring some minor historical discrepancies, the move is largely real-life. The movie was well played. The characters were very believable. The actress who played Joseph's mother for example was so believably hilarious that she easily drew a laugh or two from me. The character that played Joseph as well was so authentic that you could easily sympathize with his awkwardness and stupidity, as well as his holiness and humility. The friars, the bishop, the members of the panel, the interviewers - every character was believable. And so with regard to characterization, the movie was spot on. But not just characterization. With regard to costumes, lighting and filming, the movie was similarly superb. The director did a splendid job, indeed. I personally have seen the movie many times and, each time I see it yet again, I am impressed and intrigued.
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