<em>The Two Popes</em> Is Entertaining to a Fault
Fernando Meirelles’s new film tries to dramatize a philosophical debate between its title characters while shying away from knottier controversies.
One of the title characters of Benedict XVI (played by Anthony Hopkins), has a pedometer—a Fitbit-esque wristwatch that beeps angrily at him whenever he gets too sedentary. “Keep moving! Keep moving!” a robotic voice chirps, urging him to ambulate while also providing a handy little metaphor for the themes of the movie. Fernando Meirelles’s new film dramatizes the transition of power between Popes Benedict XVI and Francis (Jonathan Pryce) that took place when the former bucked tradition by deciding to
