Based on a true story, FATHER STU is an unflinchingly honest, funny and uplifting story about finding purpose in a most unexpected place. After surviving a terrible motorcycle accident, Stuart Long (Mark Wahlberg) wonders if he can use his second chance to help others find their way – and leads this former amateur boxer to the surprising realization that he is meant to be a priest. Despite a devastating health crisis and the skepticism of church officials and his estranged parents (Mel Gibson and Jacki Weaver), Stu pursues his vocation with courage and compassion, inspiring not only those closest to him, but countless others along the way.

For in-depth thoughts on Father Stu, please see my colleague Shawn Paul Wood’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Father Stu comes to Blu-Ray in a 1080p presentation that is very pleasing. This is a capably shot film with many different locations where you can see an incredible amount of detail in the environment and the production design. There are numerous sequences featuring vegetation and trees in the background that provide a nice reference to showcase the depth at play in the image. Some shots are not razor sharp due to the lighting conditions, but most hold up well enough. The film plays very well with the earth tones on display from the greens of the foliage to the more beige aesthetic of the California landscape. This is a film with a slightly cooler color palette that is reproduced perfectly here with a pleasing crispness. The white levels are handled beautifully, along with the solid blacks that do not appear to suffer from any compression artifacts. There are no obvious signs of any noise or other such digital nuisances. The skin tones look very detailed and natural all around. This presentation should please most audience members.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that mostly captures the film well. While this is not an issue with the track, the combination of strong accents and almost mumbling line delivery necessitated the use of subtitles to capture all of the quick retorts from Stu. This is a pretty subdued film, but there are moments that give the track more of an intense workout such as Stu on his motorcycle and other noisy locations. The score is showcased beautifully here with a gently enveloping use of the surround speakers. The dialogue that is delivered with a normal speaking voice comes through clearly without ever being overpowered by the environmental effects or the score. The sound design is well executed with all of the sounds positioned just right in the mix. The environmental effects create a really gentle soundscape that adds texture to the proceedings. This is not an action-heavy film, so the activity in the low end is reserved for a few key moments. Sony has done well with this one.

Special Features

Deleted Scenes: Twelve scenes of unused material totaling 12 minutes are provided here featuring Stu trying to land a job, Stu making a call from jail, time spent in the hospital, additional scenes between Stu and his mom, and more. There are some interesting scenes worth checking out if you enjoyed the movie.

You Don’t Know Stu: An 11-minute multi-part featurette in which the cast, creative team and people from Stu’s life reflect on his life as a complex individual who caused trouble and had his redemption arc. There’s nothing too substantial here, but it is cool to hear from people who actually knew Stu.

Previews

Final Thoughts

Father Stu is an interesting story of redemption, but we are not sure if Mark Wahlberg was the right person to bring the character to life. Wahlberg is aces when Stu is at his most irritating, sin-filled depths, but the burgeoning piety does not always feel authentic or as impactful as we might hope as Wahlberg stretches himself. The script feels really blunt in its approach with some of the less labored moments standing out as more noteworthy, such as the evolving relationship between Stu and Jacob. The journey is not without its moments, but you will not leave the film filled with the spirit inside of you. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a rock solid A/V presentation and a brief array of special features.

Father Stu is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.