Major spoilers for Conclave.
I was so excited to see Conclave, I actually went to the theater to watch it right when it came out. Money and time well spent – Conclave is one of my favorite films of the year, and I believe it’s a major awards contender. Most people believe it will be shortlisted for the Best Picture Oscar, and many awards-prognosticators predict that Ralph Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini will pick up Oscar nominations. From what I’ve seen, there hasn’t been a larger cultural conversation about Conclave, I think because people don’t want to “spoil” the ending, the big reveal about the new pope. Stop reading now if you haven’t seen it yet and you want to be surprised!
So, it turns out that Megyn Kelly did not see Conclave in the theater. She waited to rent it or stream it, and she watched it over the weekend. She hated it, and she got on Twitter to bitch about it, and she spoiled the big reveal:
Just made the huge mistake of watching the much-celebrated “Conclave” & it is the most disgusting anti-Catholic film I have seen in a long time. Shame on Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci & John Lithgow for starring in it & shame on director Edward Berger (among others). “Spoiler:” They make THE POPE INTERSEX! This is the big exciting twist at the end. I wish I had known so I wouldn’t have watched it. There are almost no redeeming characters in the movie – every cardinal is morally bankrupt/repulsive. The only exception of course is the intersex pope (who – surprise! – has female reproductive parts) & the cardinal who keeps her secret – bc of course that kind of Catholic secret-keeping must be lionized. I’m disgusted. What a thing to release to streaming just in time for Christmas. They would never do this to Muslims, but Christians/Catholics are always fair game to mock/belittle/smear.
“There are almost no redeeming characters in the movie – every cardinal is morally bankrupt/repulsive.” Almost as if the Catholic Church is run by flawed men who are hungry for power and drawn to authority over women and children. Honestly, that was what Conclave was mostly about – all of the cardinals are flawed, some of them more than others. Some are racist, some have broken their vows, some are too politically active for their own good, and some are just bad at playing politics. Some are more progressive, some are bordering on fascist. Conclave plays out like a mystery, with Ralph Fiennes’s cardinal acting as the Poirot/Miss Marple trying to figure out what various cardinals are really up to. By the time we get to the end, the person who is elected pope is lovely, but he also has a secret: he’s intersex and he had no idea until well into adulthood.
Megyn posted her hissy fit on Sunday, hours before the Golden Globes. Conclave’s screenwriter Peter Straughan won a Golden Globe, and he was asked about Kelly’s comments. Straughan said, in part: “I don’t think the film is anti-Catholic. I was brought up Catholic. I was an altar boy. I think the core message of ‘Conclave’ is about the church always having to re-find its spiritual core, because it deals so much with power. That’s always been a careful, difficult balance. To me, that was a very central Catholic ideal that I was brought up with. I stand by it.” Plus, he just adapted it from the book!
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Getty.
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- Megyn Kelly at the 2018 Time 100 Gala at Jazz at the Lincoln Center. New York City, New York – Tuesday April 24, 2018.,Image: 515002797, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – DIRECT SALES ONLY – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: JP, PacificCoastNews/Avalon/Avalon
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- 175555, Megyn Kelly at the 2018 NBC Universal Upfront Presentation at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. New York City, New York – Monday May 14, 2018.,Image: 515210767, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – DIRECT SALES ONLY – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: JP, PacificCoastNews/Avalon/Avalon
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- Ralph Fiennes red carpet for the movie ‘Conclave’ at the 19th annual Rome International Film Fest in Rome, Italy, 26 October 2024. The Festa del Cinema di Roma runs from 16 to 27 October 2024.,Image: 926685955, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Maria Laura Antonelli/AGF Foto/Avalon
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- Italy, Rome, October 26th, 2024 – Rome 19th Film Festival. Red carpet of the movie ‘Conclave’ Pictured: Ralph Fiennes, Edward Berger and Sergio Castellitto,Image: 927361273, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: **** World right excluding Italy ****, Model Release: no, Credit line: Fabio Mazzarella/Agenzia Sintesi/Avalon
I soon as a I read that title, I thought, okay, now I have to go see this film! Thanks hater barbie.
This movie is excellent. My dad is 79 and a conservative catholic and he loved it. Guess she is that thirsty for a headline!
It’s a great film!
Same I was not planning on watching and it’s actually on Peacock so I’m watching this week.
Definitely gonna watch it now!
I read and really enjoyed the book by Robert Harris (love many of his historical novels). I also enjoyed the movie; thought it was well done.
It definitely leans towards promoting inclusiveness and tolerance so no wonder this is Kelly’s kneejerk reaction (she’s a MAGAt through and through).
I really liked the film and also read the book, which I’d recommend as well. It really is a detective story and ultimately about the Ralph Fiennes character grappling with his faith.
Megyn Kelly hates it? Sign me up.
She’s not an intelligent person. It wasn’t anti-Catholic per se. She sort of missed the point of the entire movie if this was her take. I had mixed feelings about the end of the film but I do think it was beautifully made and all actors were excellent.
I didn’t yet see it, so for the people who have, I have a question about the twist. SPOILER-ish from here on: Is representation done right here?
I thought they handled the reveal in a sensitive way. When you look at the character and his life, you just ask why it would matter. He is a good man who lived a good life, suitable for the position.
Is the actor playing the character intersex, is basicly what I was trying to ask.
When I saw the posters and sadly heard the spoiler, I first thought Fiennes is this character and was really disappointed by their choice of a cis male actor for an intersex character. But from this article I gather he’s playing somebody else, so not all is lost.
@Nanny — my understanding is that the new Pope has a uterus which was found during another medical intervention — his external genitalia was never really discussed, but was raised as and is clearly male. So a cis male actor playing the part tracks….if that helps.
@Nanny, Oh, I didn’t even think about that. I didn’t see any info about that, so the actor is probably not intersex.
Wendy, this was my fear. We’re finally at the stage where Hollywood understands cis actors playing trans actors (or specifically men playing trans women) is wrong, so why not give the same understanding to intersex individuals?
Anyway, that’s just my beef. For all I know the actor could be intersex and I am being unfair.
@Nanny — while I understand the sentiment — if the Olympics taught us anything it is that intersex is complex and it was clearly the first time a large portion of the population became aware of the possibility.
I’m not sure how one would go about ‘casting’ an intersex actor without asking about internal and external genitalia unless said individual has been public about it.
Nanny- as an intersex woman, I agree with Wendy’s take. Intersexuality is complicated and can be simply on a chromosomal level. I have Turner’s Syndrome and while I have no ability to have children, there’s no physical parts you could see distinguishing me from other women. I’m only different at the chromosomal level. Are we going to give chromosome tests to act certain parts? And then would someone like me only be able to play intetsex? Or could I play a “real” woman too? It’s not as easy as “let’s get representation.”
ETA: btw, intersex people are typically CIS too. They are usually assigned a gender and identify with it.
Rapunzel, intersex here too, but hetero CIS woman from the outside, and I’ve also Turner syndrome.
I agree with everything you said.
I would like to add it’d be ridiculous to ask actors to undergo DNA tests only to have a representation that at the end of the day doesn’t really matter.
With the current political climate, I think more intersex and LGBT+ people are going to be keeping quiet for their own safety. Expecting them to out themselves for a role is asking a lot.
Spoiler
Spoiler
Spoiler
It’s just a potboiler yknow it’s a silly movie. The priest goes BTW I’m intersex and the movie ends so there’s not representation as such.
But his intersex-ness does play into the overall theme of certainty versus faith and mystery.
I would argue it is because it’s given exactly as much weight as it should be (namely, that it’s irrelevant in the face of what is right for the church and what is believed to be God’s will). The entire point of the reveal is testing whether the lead protagonist, who has been struggling with his faith the entire film, will believe in the institution of God (holy, immaterial) before the institution of church (human, material) in a moment where it truly matters.
Nanny, I’m an intersex person but from the outside I am a woman, including genitalia.
Majority of intersex people aren’t recognisable from the outside once they’re adults and you need DNA tests to find out.
Intersex people aren’t left originally as they were so representation doesn’t really matter in this case.
I hope this helps to clarify your doubts.
Alpinewitch-
“Intersex people aren’t left originally as they were so representation doesn’t really matter in this case.”
Um… some are left as they were. Some aren’t, depending on condition.
Shut up Meg.
“bc of course that kind of Catholic secret-keeping must be lionized” is crazy! They are lionized and should be vilified wayyyy more than they are. The damage the church has done to so many lives is immeasurable and KKK Barbie refuses to accept that.
I watched the movie. It isn’t surprising to me, the only person who isn’t trying to fight for the power position is the most moral character. Also, the God is the one who created intersex people and God makes no mistakes, right? So, why would it be bad if the new Pope was intersex? He looks like and lived all his life as a man. From the outside, he is a man. It isn’t God’s fault that the current conservatives turned the gender into such a simple concept, their brains can’t cope with complexities.
Also, I laugh at anyone who thinks the men ruling the Vatican are such good people with strict moral values. They let thousands of kids get abused by their own people and did nothing for decades except making sure these predators had always access to vulnerable children they can abuse. They all are power hungry and greedy people. Considering the leaks coming from Vatican about the current Pope, it is obvious they are currently playing power games just like in the movie.
>He looks like and lived all his life as a man.
I noticed that Meg called the intersex man “her” just based on having ovaries and a uterus, but everything else suggests that he has external plumbing. So per all the transphobia, I guess Meg thinks that cardinal should be using the ladies’ room?
Side note: There’s an old twitter thread from a vagina museum filled with cases of men who were biological fathers of children and who, during surgery for unrelated reasons, find out they have female internal plumbing as well.
That is the danger reducing gender into a black and white situation. From what I remember of the movie, he had all the male parts, so his family or doctors have never suspected of him being intersex. After he got sick, it was discovered that he was born with a uterus and ovaries. I read that intersex people can still get pregnant or produce sperm. So, they can have children. It is like they can’t comprehend anything different from Adam and Eve.
What are the leaks about the current Pope?
@MaisiesMom, there were a couple leaks close to one another about the Pope using homophobic slur, saying “gossip is a women’s thing” in closed-door meetings. Considering this Pope’s marketing was being more progressive than his predecessors, these leaks made some noise. It was obvious some insiders were leaking these incidents for whatever power play. I believe, they had to publish some apology for the slur used.
Hahaha her ridiculous, tantrum-y post shows us that the film’s story went right over her head. How embarrassing for her. Thank you to the director for explaining it so she could understand!
I’m an intersex woman, and lapsed Catholic. I was literally unfriended on FB
by my old catechism teacher for posting about being intersex. She sent me an explanatory DM first, saying she was disappointed and she couldn’t support me. Meghan Kelley can get bent.
Your catechism teacher can’t support you and is disappointed in the way God made you? I’m so sorry that now you have to be disappointed in her.
Rapunzel, one here too. There’s so much ignorance about us intersex people. Big hugs xx
Thank you both for sharing your experiences on this thread❤️
I saw it and I liked it. Megyn Kelly’s hates everything. She disliked black Santa Claus and other fictional characters. They expect nothing less from her.
There is absolutely nothing anti-Catholic about Conclave.
May Isabella Rosselllini fix one of her character’s icy glares at Megyn Kelly for that no redeeming character crack. Or did Megyn not notice the actual women in the film because she’s too busy pretending she’s the only woman who matters?
Intersex is a biological condition and none of us know what is actually inside our bodies until something goes wrong and we’re put through diagnostic tests and scanning. I have extra bones in both feet but only 29 permanent teeth – and I didn’t have any removed – and I’m missing an artery to my brain. Megyn needs to grow the hell up and so do her minions.
Conclave is one of my top 3 movies of the year. The sets are beautiful, the cinematography glorious, the acting superb, and the plot twists intriguing and never-ending. Watch it at home or go see it in the theater where you get the full impact of that scenery. Also, see Flow – a wordless Latvian animation film that is the one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen and it deserves to be experienced on a big screen.
I bet Megyn Kelly is a big fan of Timothy Dolan, the NY cardinal who loves Trump so much. She probably doesn’t notice any flaws in him either.
Listen take the same film and have the fascist guy become the new pope and defeat the more progressive candidates and she would love the movie.
Funny, my cousin is a catholic priest and scholar. And he loved the movie. Well, but who is HE in comparison to the MAGA Barbie? 🙂
“They would never do this to Muslims…”
–Yeah, she’s right. The media is too busy stereotyping us as terrorists, rapists, repressed burqa-wearing women in need of Western liberation, and evil beings who circle around a cauldron cackling “death to America”. At this rate, we’ll never get the chance to portray a Pope in a movie.
That line stood out to me as well. She’s not a bright woman, and she is an exceedingly hateful, bigoted, and sheltered one.
And, in another part of the film, another candidate claims a terrorist attack was by Muslims, while he has absolutely no proof that it was, but that’s fine with Megyn.
I wonder what would happen if someone portrayed Muhammad as intersex.
Since you brought it up, what do YOU think would have happen if Muhammad was portrayed as intersex? You must have a lot of thoughts on this.
I don’t think they had the scientific ability to detect intersex people back then. It’s an odd question, and not at all an equivalency. I’m sure you are not pretending that Catholics have it worse than muslims when it comes to stereotypes in the movies.
I was visiting my parents the wknd it came out and so i dragged then to go see it with me. They were very much like what are we about to watch and then they loooved it. Said it was one of the best movies they’d seen in a while and were amazed at how they made such an intriguing movie about choosing the next pope.
I loved this movie but I’ll watch Stanley Tucci in anything. It was engrossing enough that I had to sit down and look at it instead of my usual turn it on and listen while cleaning. Not one thing surprises me about MK. She’s a mess. (What kind of person gets angry that some parents tell their babies that santa is black!!)
13 years of Catholic school here! I thought it was great- sure, the ending is slightly unbelievable, but the lead up is both a fun mystery and a fascinating inside look at the process. The performances are amazing. Also, as was pointed out above, MK’s overlooking Isabella Rosellini’s character is somewhat surprising, except that Kelly isn’t interested in thinking about the bigger point of the film and who the “heroes” are
Does anyone really care about Megyn Kelly anymore? She writes for the Daily Mail, only gets attention these days when she hops on the latest clickbait bandwagon to rant about this or that, and can’t figure out what she’s trying to prove/do with with her wavy extensions and attempts to look like a Real Housewife.
What have we done that was so bad that we deserve Megyn Kelly?
I loved this movie — they had me at RF and everything else was icing on the cake – Isabella Rosalinni’s character was beautifully done and you just KNOW that she knows where all the bodies are buried. I am actually surprised that more of the MK ilk didn’t freak out about it to be honest — remember there are still people trying to ‘debunk’ the DaVinci code.
I watched it yesterday and absolutely loved it! Ralph Fiennes is fantastic and that twist was bonkers. Megyn Kelly can go f herself.
“Conclave” is far too smart for Megyn Kelly. It’s an amazing movie.
One very Catholic thing about it is the belief that, in the end, the choice of pope is mysterious because it’s influenced by the Holy Spirit and so the outcome is often unexpected. The movie doesn’t state this explicitly, but it’s certainly informed by this.
(I left the church because I was horrified by the child sexual abuse scandal, and have stayed away because I have a queer kid, but even faithful Catholics have to acknowledge the church is filled with conniving, flawed men.)
I’ve been raving about the film since we watched it and it’s one of the few this year that kept me thinking about it and playing bits through in my head well past leaving the cinema. The actors involved, cinematography and score also play a massive role in that over and above the core story that’s being told.
Conclave strikes me similar as Gladiator II in that the underlying point of the narrative is going to be rejected by the exact people it’s criticizing anyway lol. I can’t imagine living life as boring as this woman, all of that money and still miserable AF.
Is this the woman who said once on Fox News that Santa Claus is white? Fox is her true home. She can only thrive in a Maga outlet.
Megyn’s just in for the clicks. Just a woman trying to stay relevant.
She ought to read “Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy inside the Catholic Church” by Gareth Gore. That was a frightening eye-opener, and unfortunately Opus Dei has it’s tentacles wrapped around the Heritage Foundation and members like Harlan Crow, funding the far-right Christo fascists. Rolling Stone had a great piece on it a few months ago — https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/opus-dei-leonard-leo-supreme-court-moneybags-kid-1235115538/
God, she makes me sick. I can’t believe there was a time when I actually kind of liked her after her interactions with Trump; now she’s fully up his arse.
I liked Conclave. I didn’t love it, and I’m kind of confused by all of the raves that Rossellini is getting — she wasn’t bad, but it seemed like more of a cameo than anything else, her role just never really … went anywhere. In a stacked category with really stellar performances from Zoe Saldana, Ariana Grande, Felicity Jones, Aunjanue Ellis, Margaret Qualley, etc. etc. I’m surprised to see her there … although I do recognize that she’s a living legend and the child of industry titans.