Well, it had been a long time since I’ve been to the movies, and I had friends that enjoyed this one. I usually like Judi Dench, so we gave it a go today at a matinee before the next snow hit.

It is about a young girl under the protection of a convent who got pregnant and was pressed into hard labor for her sins while the baby was given up for adoption. Now, as the lost child turns 50, she wants to find him and joins forces with an investigative reporter to get it done.

This film is a rather harsh, but not surprising commentary on the Catholic church. It does, however, effectively examine the nature and relativism of sin. Philomena was judged cruelly for her lack of celibacy, when unlike the bitter Mother Superior, she had never taken a vow of celibacy. Humble Philomena was sinless and pure compared to the self-righteous, egregious sins of the Mother Superior.

I was a bit underwhelmed by this predictable story and only give the movie three stars. There were also some inconsistencies in the presentation that didn’t add up, like a best friend that was introduced at the beginning as important but was then never mentioned again. This film didn’t read as a movie to me either, but more like a TV documentary. It didn’t even twinge my heart-strings, which are admittedly wide open for the strumming. Those that think this will win academy awards, are probably mistaken, unless there is just nothing better out there.