I am not entirely sure where to start when talking about The Little Hours. Perhaps we can consider it Ken Russell’s The Devils if it had been made by Judd Apatow, but even that feels a bit too safe and doesn’t actually encapsulate this bizarre film that I found myself enjoying far more than I thought was acceptable. What The Little Hours is, in a nutshell, is an utterly oddball piece of religious sacrilege that joins the ranks of similarly blasphemous comedies that take liberties in portraying religion and have absolutely no qualms in presenting audiences with a film that is offensive, insulting to religion and above all, absolutely hilarious. The Little Hours may not be a masterpiece, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t an entertaining film – but a warning: don’t watch this film if you get offended easily, you’ll have a very bad time if you do.

The Little Hours is set in Italy in the Middle Ages. The film takes place at a small countryside convent, where our three protagonists are the foul-mouthed and violent Sister Fernanda (Aubrey Plaza), the sweet but spoiled rich-girl Sister Alessandra (Allison Brie) and the dedicated but shy Sister Ginevra (Kate Micucci). The convent is presided over by alcoholic, fun-loving priest Father Tommasso (John C. Reilly) and strict and serious Mother Marea (Molly Shannon). At a nearby castle, Massetto (Dave Franco) is a young servant who is committing adultery with the wife of his master (Nick Offerman), and after he is discovered, he goes on the run. He finds his way into the convent, where Father Tommasso allows him to take refuge, posing as a deaf-mute gardener (a necessity, as the trio of nuns have a tendency to attack anyone who merely looks in their direction, let alone talks to them). However, as the film progresses, we see that everything is not entirely as sacred in that little convent, as lust and desire essentially are what these characters run on, and there are even intense forays into the world of witchcraft that results in one of the most bizarre final acts of any film this year.

I am usually drawn to these kinds of comedy films, perhaps not the story, but rather the cast. There is almost a family-like quality to the American comedy landscape, with a lot of performers working together across multiple projects, which is actually impressive considering some of these people are making multiple films a year. In all honesty, it was the cast that drew me to The Little Hours, because I am a fan of nearly everyone involved in this film and find all of them, particularly the central trio, to be shining examples of a diverse and talented modern comedic world. Aubrey Plaza has to be one of the most extraordinarily unique performers working today, with her droll and deadpan persona being accentuated by her characters having a certain hidden sinister nature. In The Little Hours, she was able to do what she did with director Jeff Baena in their previous collaboration, Life After Beth, which plays a very dark and menacing character without losing that hilarious persona. Her performance as Sister Fernanda was hilarious and she is wonderful in the film. Allison Brie is rising in stature both in comedy and in drama, and The Little Hours offers her the opportunity to be what resembles the heroine of the story, and her performance as Sister Alessandra was also wonderful, being the most human out of any character in this film, driven by her desires without resorting to acting out like her two friends (and let’s be honest, they act out far too much). Kate Micucci is great as usual, with her quirky persona working well to make Sister Ginevra a memorable character. The central trio are all performers who are consistently doing wonderful work, and while I doubt The Little Hours is a breakout role for any of them, it is still an audacious addition to their impressive list of comedic achievements.

The true brilliance in The Little Hours lies in the supporting cast, which consists of some veterans and some relative newcomers. John C. Reilly is always a welcome presence, and his Father Tommasso is as odd and endearing as one would hope from Reilly at this point. Molly Shannon is the definition of a comedic icon, and I will never turn down the opportunity to see her in a film. There are some definite scene-stealers in this film, such as Jemima Kirke’s eccentric lesbian friend of Plaza’s character, and Lauren Weedman, who may only have a handful of scenes, but she is absolutely hilarious in all of them and actually elevated the film with her small performance as an overzealous noblewoman that seduces Dave Franco. Talking of Franco, he is little more than an object in this film, but intentionally so. He is very good, but his performance simply exists so that the main characters can project their actions upon him rather than him having his own arc that makes an impact. The entire cast is really very good, and each of these people knows exactly how to adapt comedy to be entirely convincing and strangely endearing in the context it appears in here.

The Little Hours is a film that doesn’t require much to be said about it other than the cast, mainly because a film such as this depends entirely on the strength of its ensemble, which often distracts from the flaws in the film. The biggest flaw with this film is genre – it sells itself as a parody of religion, and it fits in the mold of notable middle-age vulgar comedies well. However, the third act descends into absolute anarchy, which threw me off a bit. I went in expecting a quaint and very funny little historical satire, which is essentially what this film was for the first two acts, but then it eventually just becomes unbearably strange when issues of witchcraft are added to the film, and occupies the climactic moments of the film. They aren’t entirely effective, and it detracts from the true comedic genius of this film, which was essentially the religious aspects of the film, and the satirizing thereof. This is a film that goes for big laughs, and while there were some very funny moments, it struggles to actually reach the heights it wants to go to, in addition to failing to land the jokes as well as they were intended. It isn’t a bad film, but I was just expecting a little more from it.

In conclusion, The Little Hours is a film that isn’t going to be widely seen, because there isn’t much to sell about this film. However, it is an effective little satire that features great performances from a stellar ensemble of great comedic actors. It tries to reach the same heights as films like Monty Python’s The Life of Brian and even Sister Act, but it never actually gets there because there is a problematic third act that just derails everything. It is a bizarre but ultimately very funny film that is well worth checking out if you think you can handle it. However, I’ll reiterate it – it may not be too insulting, but it is a film that does make fun of religion in an unrelenting manner. Just keep that in mind if you choose to watch this very funny comedy, which I think is well worth the time of any modern comedy fan. It may not grow to be a classic, but it certainly is entertaining, to say the least.