The Little Hours (2017) User Reviews

Not exactly a typical Hollywood production, that's for sure! But pretty typical of the stories from "The Decameron".

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 10 January 2020]

In "The Decameron", Boccaccio writes about a group of travelers trying to avoid the plague. While hanging out together, they tell various stories to pass the time. Many of the stories are sexual and crude...something that might surprise some readers about 14th century literature. "The Little Hours" is based on a couple of these stories and the overtone of the film fits in with Boccaccio's vision.

The setting is in a cloister with some nuns who pretty obviously DON'T want to be nuns. This isn't really hard to believe, as during that time, unwanted and unwed daughters were often forced into nunneries...that, or face starvation. The story centers on three of them...three very worldly nuns who seem less interested in piety and more on sex, drinking and even witchcraft!! Into the midst of these wicked nuns is introduced a new groundskeeper...one who supposedly is deaf. And, being unable to speak or hear, the fleshly women, one by one, have their way with this handsome man. What's next? See the film.

This film clearly is a rated R film, as it's almost completely focused on sex. There is some nudity, but not nearly as much as their could have been....especially with "The Decameron".

So is it any good? It's okay...modestly enjoyable and worth seeing if you want something very different. A most unusual film..and while it might easily offend you, that IS "The Decameron"...a story filled with lots of lusty tales...100 of them (hence the name).

Should've amounted to more

[cardsrock · 6/10 · 4 August 2019]

With such a fantastic cast and an interesting premise, I really expected this to be better that it was. Hypersexual nuns at a convent is a fun gag, but it runs out of steam fairly early on. Given all of the comedic talent involved, I should have laughed a lot more than I did. There are some amusing moments, but they pop up far less often than necessary.

Hilarious Exaggerrated Exploration of 14th Century Religion

[Jared_Andrews · 7/10 · 18 June 2018]

The Little Hours is a hilarious and ribald romp involving nuns, priests, laborers and hypocrisy. Though it takes place in the 14th century and features era-appropriate setting and attire, the dialogue and behavior are decidedly modern.

To open the film, three nuns at a convent diligently attend to their daily chores-an innocent beginning. When a polite handyman merely says hello, one of the nuns, Fernanda, lambasts him, "you f***ing pervert! Don't look at us!" Clearly the unhinged member of the group, Fernanda is played wonderfully by Aubrey Plaza, who seems to have a knack for this sort of thing.

The other two nuns, Alessandra (Alison Brie) and Genevra (Kate Micucci), also deal with their own demons, though without the same raging outbursts. All of them are sexually repressed and desperate for attention, so when a handsome laborer (Dave Franco) shows up, they all aggressively pursue him in their own way.

The introduction of a man into an all-female environment calls to mind themes of The Beguiled. The women compete for his attention, throwing themselves lustily at the poor fella, who is only here because he had to flea his prior post for sneaking around with the owner's wife. He wants to avoid similar trouble here but can only resist for so long.

The plot could easily read as a tragedy if a few tweaks were made. It's an illustration of how fine the line can be between comedy and deep drama.

But, of course, no one would mistake this for a drama. The actors make sure of that. Plaza's ruthless, domineering presence intimidates fellow characters and amuses viewers, who are safe from her wrath. Micucci masterfully plays the smarmy beta, fearful and uncertain of everything. When she finally cuts loose, she's a tornado of libido. Her knack for physical comedy and facial contortions make her the comedy standout of the film. And John C. Reilly's drunken, blubbering priest listens carefully to confessions and gives sage advice but is hiding depravity of his own.

As the plot dives deeper and deeper into exaggerated hypocrisy, it becomes funnier and funnier. The bold and self-assured delivery of its barbs at religion is a clear acknowledgement that it smirks at those who may find the material offensive.

With less capable direction, this movie could have sputtered halfway through. It operates mostly on the strength of one joke, so competent hands at the reigns were necessary to maintain the momentum.

The messages are complex and heavy, but the film approaches with a light touch. It remains hilarious throughout, no matter how ridiculous the events unfolding become.

Loosen up and enjoy this one. It's a riot.

Bawdy romp

[conan-2 · 7/10 · 18 June 2017]

Loved it. We saw it at the Sydney Film Festival.

The film will struggle to find the audience it deserves because selling a medieval bawdy romp in today's market is difficult. I think back to the 70's and there were many more of these.

The cast is fun and the presence of quality actors such as Nick Offerman and John C Reily show it is not an ultra-low soft-porn production, though the titling could be referencing that at the start.

I saw this at the same weekend as the Beguiled, also about a group of women cloistered who encounter a single male. LH is far more fun and a better use of your time.

Set in Tuscany (no production notes on filming locations) it is prettily shot.

Nudity is not overused, there are a couple of breast shots and the full frontal stuff is in the distance by firelight so hardly tittilating. Nothing that was not done ad nauseum through the 70's

Kinda dumb, kinda funny

[dissident320 · 6/10 · 24 September 2017]

I think out of the gate this movie reminded me of a cruder version of something like Robin Hood: Men In Tights. Nuns swear like sailors and the director doesn't seem interested in the dialogue sounding like the period its set in. But everyone involved seems to be having a blast and it starts off quite fun. I'd say it loses some steam towards the end when it switches to a more serious tone. I wish they had just kept the stakes low and not tried so hard to have a heartfelt ending. A goofy movie like this didn't earn such a thing nor did it need it.

I still enjoyed a good chunk of it. Some standout performances from Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie and Kate Micucci. Dave Franco is sadly underused here and has been funnier in other movies (Neighbours). There's some others that are fine but some of the roles are quite small and the characters are literally only in the first and last few minutes of the film. Overall it's worth watching if you like the cast. Otherwise there's nothing remarkable to recommend to someone who is unfamiliar with the bulk of the actors.

Silly nonsense, yet not really funny. It is a failed attempt at a parody of medieval period pictures.

[imseeg · 4/10 · 24 August 2019]

Silly parody of medieval period pictures, which fails to become really funny. A comedy, however silly it might be, needs some truthfulness in acting and story to be enjoyable for me. This story about nuns, swearing, fighting and raping slaves is way over the top and the many vulgar "jokes" are just made for cheap "comedy" effect. Vulgar can be funny. And it is to an extent, but vulgar jokes is all there is and one has to like that. Perhaps best suited for a teenager audience?

The story for those still interested: nuns in a monastery go wild. They swear, they fight, they rape. And they swear, fight and rape some more.

At times captivating, at times bewildering

[paul-allaer · 6/10 · 21 August 2017]

"The Little Hours" (2017 release; 90 min.) brings the story of a group of nuns in a small convent. As the movie opens, we are reminded it is "Garfagnana 1347", and we watch as the nuns go about their daily tasks and deal with their frustrations. Meanwhile, the handyman at a nearby castle is found out to be cheating with his master's wife, and as luck would have it, he ends up being hired by the priest running the convent. It's not long before some of the nuns have "impure thoughts"... To tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: the movie is very loosely based on/inspired by the book "The Decameron" by Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio (and source for the infamous 1971 movie of the same name by Pier Paolo Pasolini). Writer-director Jeff Baena takes a couple of the dozens of tales found in that book, and builds a script around it that is intended to showcase several of the actresses playing the nuns, including Alison Brie and Audrey Plaza (the latter also being a co-producer). The handyman is portrayed by Dave Franco (brother of James Franco, and looking remarkably similar). It took my quite a while to get into the flow of the movie, as at first we're not sure what to make of all this (the F-bomb laced outbursts, for one). Is this even comedy? If so, it's certainly one with a heavy twist of semi-absurd Monty Python-inspired comedy. The movie really hits its stride in the second half, where there are some memorable scenes (the "confession" taken by the priest of the handyman truly is a classic). The priest is played hilariously by John C. Reilly, who seems to revel in this part. Given that I had no idea in the initial 20 min. whether I would even stay through the end of the movie, that is quite remarkable!

"The Little Hours" premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival to positive buzz, and so when it finally opened this weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, it was a given that I would check it our. The Sunday evening screening where I saw this at was attended nicely, somewhat to my surprise. Maybe people will find this a quirky little comedy. For me it was a bit too much all over the map, even if the second half is markedly better than the first half. In any event, I encourage you to check it out, be it in the theater, on VOD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

Medieval Misfire

[makleen2 · 4/10 · 17 March 2019]

An ensemble cast of talented comedians isn't enough to save this poorly executed dark comedy lampooning scandalous behavior in the Catholic Church.

This isn't the first time in history the Catholic Church has faced criticism for corruption and sexual impropriety, and The Little Hours (2017), written and directed by Jeff Baena, wants to remind us of that. Inspired by a fourteenth century Italian satire, this film's poor quality and lackluster performances landed dead on arrival, missing an opportunity to successfully reboot a classic tale for contemporary audiences.

At an Italian convent run by Sister Maria (Molly Shannon), three young nuns, Alessandra (Alison Brie), Ginevra (Kate Micucci), and Fernanda (Aubrey Plaza), are bored with their daily monotony and harass the elderly gardener into quitting. Meanwhile, Lord Bruno (Nick Offerman) discovers a servant named Massetto (Dave Franco) is having an affair with his wife. Massetto flees for his life, and runs into Father Tommasso (John C. Reilly), who got drunk and lost the convent's embroidery on his way to the market.

Eager for a friend, Father Tommasso convinces Massetto to return to the convent and work as their new gardener, where he will pretend to be a deaf-mute to avoid being harassed by the sisters. Things get complicated when Alessandra, Ginevra, and Fernanda all scheme for Massetto's affection. Is Fernanda's strange behavior just repressed desire bubbling to the surface, or is something more sinister afoot?

The Little Hours is based on stories from The Decameron (c.1353) by Giovanni Boccaccio, an Italian Renaissance humanist. As English writer Geoffrey Chaucer did for his own country in The Canterbury Tales (c.1400), Decameron satirized life in the Late Medieval Italian states through a series of short stories told by various narrators. The Little Hours takes elements from Day Three, particularly stories one and two.

In the first story, a man pretends to be deaf and mute to gain access to a bevy of young nuns at a convent, but finds their sexual appetites overwhelming. He reveals his ruse and make a deal with the abbess to work out a regular schedule for his "services". In the second story, a king discovers an affair between his queen and a servant, and cuts off a lock of the sleeping servant's hair so he can identify him in the morning. The servant foils the king's plan by sheering a lock from the other servant's heads as well.

The Little Hours cleverly weaves these tales together with subplots about witchcraft and the forbidden love between Father Tommasso and Mother Superior. While the sets and costumes are accurate to the Medieval period, the dialog (which was heavily improvised), is not. The incongruity is more distracting than innovative. There are films that successfully update historic plays and stories with modern slang, but this instance comes across as lazy.

Something definitely misfired about this film. With such a strong cast, The Little Hours should have opened as a top billed comedy, rather than quietly making its way to Netflix. The Little Hours opened in two theaters and made $1.6 million at the box office. While critically praised, audiences gave it a mediocre reception, and it has a 48% audience rating on RottenTomatoes.

In my opinion, The Little Hours wasted the talents of its cast. Veteran comedians like John C. Reilly and Molly Shannon are barely given anything to do. There are no jokes-only a series of awkward and uncomfortable scenes and mumbled dialog. It's like you're watching an amateur film made by all these famous actors and actresses at the beginning of their careers. What could've been comedy of the year is, instead, a forgettable mess.

The nuns are cute as hell.

[JohnDeSando · 22 July 2017]

My extensive experience with nuns in grammar school taught me that their sexual repression as it affected us was a life-long gift leaving us to search for the goodness of sex and the secrets of females. Jeff Baena's The Little hours confirms what we always suspected: The younger nuns and postulants actually had firm breasts and world-class hormones.

Handyman Masseto (Dave Franco) hides in a convent in 1347 medieval Italy as a deaf mute (no doubt the way some women consider men anyway). Malaspina Castle would remind you of the iconic castle in Monty Python and The Holy Grail, and their English vernacular evokes the abandon of Mel Brooks' several satires. While the young nuns explore their interest in the forbidden, especially sex of several kinds, the jokes are weak by comparison with Python, Brooks, and even Boccaccio's Decameron, on which this film is loosely based.

Not just the randy nuns and handyman violate the Church's dictates against freewheeling sex, the venerable overseer, Father Tomasso (John C. Reilly), is carrying on with an older nun while listening to the salacious details of the younger nuns' sins in confession. Reilly is always competent displaying a simple man's wonder at the underbelly of the world.

In grammar school a nun shouted me out for holding a girl's hand, calling me a "dirty thing." I had more laughs over that kerfuffle than during The Little Hours, where laughs are in limited supply while the parody of sanctimonious medieval religiosity is mildly rich. But not rich enough to eclipse the wit of Python and Brooks.

"I did 12 years with nuns, you know. So I came out of it going, like, 'I think Jesus is all right.' The rest of it I think stinks to the high heavens." Denis Leary

Absurd Humor

[MattyRich92 · 7/10 · 30 March 2020]

A surprisingly funny movie that is formulaic, but also absolutely absurd in the best possible way. Aubrey Plaza is the standout... and everyone else is serviceable, I guess. A hidden gem of a comedy!

Great cast highlights near-miss on satirical period farce

[lotekguy-1 · 5/10 · 5 July 2017]

The Little Hours is an indie comedy with an appealing cast and premise that unfortunately is likely to offend more people than it amuses. Allison Brie, Aubrey Plaza and Kate Micucci star as three young novitiates in the Middle Ages. The first two would vastly prefer life away from the isolated convent, and are champing at the bit in various ways. The third is a goody-two-shoes who eagerly tails and snitches on the others for the slightest no- nos. In fairness, she's just as hard on herself, wearing out the confessional priest (John C, Reilly) who must endure her detailed recitations of trivial trespasses.

When a roguish servant (Dave Franco) is caught boinking the wife of a nearby lord (Nick Offerman), he flees in justifiable fear of his life, running into the drunken priest, who was in the midst of his own self-inflicted distress. After helping him recover, they devise a plan. Franco will return to the convent with him, pretending to be a deaf-mute laborer, allowing sanctuary for one, and a relief from the foul-mouthed invectives the young ladies had regularly screamed at the last poor sap who held the job.

That sets up the main theme - sexual curiosity and silly seduction attempts for everyone under 25, and perhaps beyond. When the befuddled bishop (Fred Armisen) arrives for an inspection, he's overwhelmed by the shocking closeted capers in the cloisters.

The film is loosely based on a social and religious satire of that era, Boccaccio's Decameron, which pointed its barbs at hypocrisy and other ills of The Church and The Gentry. Writer/director Jeff Baena seems to have grasped what he wanted to accomplish, but did far better at reeling in a talented cast and finding exceptional locations than in giving them a worthy script to cash in on those preparations. The farcical element of the nuns-to-be flailing about frenetically to lose their sexual naivete could have been far more amusing and/or titillating. The shock value of young nuns from long ago cursing like 21st Century punks isn't enough to carry an entire feature.

Baena's best previous script was the wryly comic I Heart Huckabees, which also tried to include intellect-oriented humor. Baena didn't direct that one. He also shared the writing with the more accomplished David Russell, whose credits include wearing both hats for American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook. Baena still needs more time on the ascending side of the learning curve, but he's only 40, and seems to be heading in a worthy direction. After all, any guy with a relatively small list of credits who can sign so many gifted comic actors (Paul Reiser, Adam Pally and Molly Shannon, too) must have something on the ball to reward their faith, even if this wasn't necessarily it. Stay tuned...

Not Everyone's Cup of Tea- But Great If It Is!

[gomeza-57174 · 10/10 · 4 June 2017]

I was able to see the Little Hours at Sundance and loved it. I will be going to see it again when it has its official release. This film is very loosely based on the Decameron by Baccaccio, a collection of 100 short stories written in the mid 1300's. With an amazing cast of comedy talent, great chemistry between all the cast members, spectacular cinematography of the Italian countryside, and a great score, it is something unique to behold.

The story centers around three bored, foul-mouthed nuns Alessandra (Brie), Fernanda (Plaza), and Genevra (Micucci) and their crazy antics. Early on in the film, Massetto (Franco) finds refuge in the convent as a deaf-mute and sparks some some hilarious and sexy interactions with the nuns.

After the first screening I noticed there were others that loved it, and many who were like "What the hell did I just watch? This is one of those movies that is not for everyone, and the cast and director made sure people knew this. Everyone seemed to have had a hell of a lot of fun making it- and it (really) shows in the interactions in the film.

If you're not easily offended, love quirky, raunchy humor, and love to have a good time, then this film may be for you.

Creative and fun period dress-up with great comic scenarios and little story

[Movie_Muse_Reviews · 7/10 · 13 October 2017]

Several of today's top comedic actors gather to play medieval Italian dress-up in "The Little Hours," a loose adaptation from part of "The Decameron" created by indie comedic filmmaker Jeff Baena ("Life After Beth," "Joshy"). Foremost an experiment in bringing contemporary comedic approaches to an unexpected period setting, the film cashes in on some delightfully fresh laughs and bizarre scenarios even though the plot and story largely meanders.

The story's main focus is on three young nuns at a convent, Sister Fernanda (Aubrey Plaza), Sister Alessandra (Alison Brie) and Sister Ginerva (Kate Miccuci), each dealing with a myriad of pent up emotions. The catalyst to their wild behavior is the arrival of Massetto (Dave Franco), a servant on the run for sleeping with his master's wife who the convent's priest (John C. Reilly) takes in. Massetto agrees to do labor around the convent for refuge, but must pretend to be deaf and mute so the sisters will leave him alone.

This classic farcical setup provides a launching pad for strange behavior, and the largely improvised scenes have the tone of "what would 21st century people say and do if they lived in the Middle Ages?" Coming from the mouths of talents including (in addition to the aforementioned) Molly Shannon, Nick Offerman, Jemima Kirke, Adam Pally and Fred Armisen, a lot of the humor Baena's going for lands. For a film driven way more by comedic concept than story, having the right talent in front of the camera matters. The improvisational and sketch comedy chops of this cast keeps the random, directionless story interesting.

The biggest shortcoming of "The Little Hours" is that Baena appears to not have anything he wants to say, that there's no purpose behind the film other than to make a comedy that feels fresh and distinctive by using a classic Italian story as a platform for familiar antics. In many ways, that is purpose enough, but it keeps the ceiling fairly low on what "The Little Hours" can accomplish. Each little scene or comic exchange bares the responsibility of keeping the viewer entertained because we have not investment in the arc of the narrative.

Still, the brilliance of blending really old literary and theatrical tropes and contemporary attitudes leads to a number of worthwhile moments. Baena puts a twist on odd rituals to seduce men, confessionals and even witchcraft. The disconnect between these old practices and how people think today turns into a reliable source of humor throughout the film. Then there are all these supporting actors in the right places to sprinkle in different flavors. If you're a fan of all or most of the names attached to this movie, they are doing what they do best, and that counts for something.

"The Little Hours" tries to hit some dramatic and romantic notes and the film ends in such a way that suggests Baena was hoping some of the notes would strike a chord, but his film is mostly a creative string of good improv and sketch comedy that makes for an easy watch.

~Steven C

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So Disappointing

[minus5252 · 1/10 · 3 October 2017]

Let me start by saying that I love most of the cast of this movie, but...I don't love them in this movie.

The acting was terrible, the jokes were for simpletons. I found this to be an excruciating movie to watch, and wish I could have that time back.

I couldn't find one redeeming quality (or even good joke) in the entire movie.

is this spoof

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 2 November 2017]

It's 1347 Garfagnana in central Italy. Father Tommasso (John C. Reilly) runs a convent. Sister Marea (Molly Shannon) is the senior nun. Sister Fernanda (Aubrey Plaza) is volatile. Sister Ginevra (Kate Micucci) is a follower with secrets. Sister Alessandra (Alison Brie) wants to leave for married life despite her father. In his drunken state, Tommasso loses the nuns' embroidery on his way to the market. Massetto (Dave Franco) assists him and in return, he takes in Massetto who is on the run from his vengeful master. Massetto pretends to be deaf mute. Fernanda's childhood friend Marta (Jemima Kirke) arrives and chaos ensues.

This is a strange little movie. It's a spoof of sorts but it's also a little serious. Too often, the movie goes into silly which is not silly enough. This probably works better as a dark comedy. When Fred Armisen arrives, the movie falls completely into SNL skit territories. That role needs a serious character actor. This movie struggles between an SNL spoof and a serious dark comedy. It fails to pick a side and clunks along both tracks.

Very Weird

[aprilsfriendorin · 6/10 · 22 August 2020]

This movie is just... Weird. I don't know how to explain it any more without giving stuff away. It's trippy. If you like the cast, I'd recommend you watch it, because you'll just enjoy their performances.

Pass on this one

[themoviedude_2000 · 1/10 · 8 August 2017]

This would have made a great 15 minute short on Portlandia or some other show along those lines. Sitting through this movie was pretty painful and the whole plot got old after 30 minutes. The premise of the movie was movie was funny enough, but after a while you just wanted it to end. Skip this one.

Irreverant

[eyeintrees · 6/10 · 22 February 2018]

Possibly the best thing about this movie is the fact that it tells many truths in an absurd way. It will utterly offend anyone who believes that nunneries were places of joy, godliness and manifest purity. In truth, most women in 1300 something were sent off to them because they were unwanted or poor or ugly or sick. Something for the church to grasp onto in its seeking for converts. Most nunneries were fair game to plunderers and invaders and were barely protected by the church, nuns being fair game for pillage, rape and misuse at the hands of men, including priests. Sadly, women then had little choice and certainly no careers! So, where does this film come into the picture? In silly little ways it tells us of the inhumanities of the day, the way people found to escape their horrors and has dressed it up as a farce and a comedy and I will say that despite its silliness, I had a lot of fun watching this attempt at sleight of hand.

I either missed the point, or there wasn't a point to be missed

[Groverdox · 3/10 · 31 March 2018]

I have rarely missed the point of a movie more than when I watched "The Little Hours".

I had an inkling, mostly based on the cast, that "The Little Hours" was a comedy. I don't think it is. It's not a drama either - this is a movie supposedly set in medieval times where everyone talks like bored hipsters in Starbucks. So you're clearly not supposed to take it seriously (right?). But it's not funny. It's not intended to be funny. It has no jokes. It has no purpose.

It's tempting to call "The Little Hours" a vanity project, but nobody involved seems to be having fun. It's not ostentatious. So why was it made?

I return to the cast, because there's nothing else about the movie that invites comment or interest. This is like a who's who of today's comedic acting talent. There's Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Kate Micucci, Nick Offerman, John C. Reilly, and apparently Paul Reiser was in there somewhere but I didn't notice him. Dave Franco also plays a key role, and he could be funny in another movie, just not this one.

There's only one thing that approaches humour in "The Little Hours", and that's Kate Micucci's performance. She knows how to use her distinctive facial features to generate laughs. She doesn't have any funny dialogue, but then the movie has none of that. It's when the screenplay lets her go off the rails that you might find yourself chuckling.

The movie is apparently based on one of the stories from The Decameron. How many of the people who see it will have even heard of that work of ancient Italian literature? What was the point of using it?

What was the point of making it in the first place?

Nun of this is appropriate

[ferguson-6 · 6/10 · 29 June 2017]

Greetings again from the darkness. It's not often when the obvious comparison to a movie is the classic 1975 comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and it's even more unusual for such a film to be making the rounds at festivals (I saw this at Oak Cliff Film Festival) where schedules tend to be loaded with serious and dark subject matter. This outlandish comedy won't be to everyone's taste, as it is profane and at times mean-spirited.

The year is 1347 when writer/director Jeff Baena's story kicks off outside a convent where it takes less than a couple of minutes to realize that these aren't your usual nuns. Profanity spews forth, as does laughter from the audience. Dave Franco plays a servant who has a good reason to flee from his King (Nick Offerman) and agree to a cockamamie plan suggested by the local priest (John C Riley). The plan has Franco working at the convent pretending to be deaf mute, while struggling to decline the advances from the aforementioned warped nuns played by Aubrey Plaza (the director's long-time girlfriend), Alison Brie, Kate Micucci (Unleashed).

Plot is barely an after-thought here, and most of the movie plays like interrelated Saturday Night Live skits. In fact, Fred Armisen and Molly Shannon are part of the ensemble, along with Paul Reiser and Adam Pally. Just as the characters begin to wear a bit thin, a new character is introduced, resuscitating our interest. Each of the actors deliver, but it's Armisen and Micucci who are especially fun to watch, as is Riley's tendency to turn communal wine into a community beverage.

Raunchy medieval comedies filled with debauchery and outrageously misdirected nuns could be classified as a bit of a stretch. However it makes more sense when you learn that Mr. Baena has adapted this from Giovanni Boccaccio's "The Decameron", and his use of modern day dialogue and attitudes, delivered by an ultra talented comedic cast, makes this one to watch after a particularly rough day or week of work. Expect an altar filled with f-words and blasphemy with a wink. If you are OK with that, you'll likely laugh and enjoy the temporary reprieve from real life … even without any killer rabbits or Knights who say "ni".

Good source ruined

[ghbbrown-1 · 1/10 · 23 July 2017]

How can a DECAMERON TALE be rendered so lifeless, joyless and entirely lacking in healthy bawdry. The note says that the dialog was ad libbed: obviously, none of the cast was up to the job and fell back on insipid comments and over reliance on variations on a common vulgar word rendered meaningless with repetition. Somebody said that this is supposed to be comedy in the style of Monty Python That might convince somebody who's never paid attention to MP's inspired zaniness. I usually have great patience with badly done movies but was bored and walked out after 20 minutes. I know that my response to some things is a function of age. I've been in academic classes with 20 year olds who thought films I dismissed were simply grand. This one is simply dreck.

Bless Me Father for I laughed,. Hard!

[lukeshulver · 8/10 · 28 February 2018]

If you are someone who delights in a parody of religion and piety then this will tickle your pink bits. Laugh out loud moments. A delightful surprise.

Odd, but it worked for me!

[redross-75563 · 7/10 · 1 July 2017]

SPOILERS! This is hardly an exact portrayal of The Decameron, but it really captures the spirit of some of the original story - adjusted for "shock value" inflation (The Decameron actually has many stories, by the way). It's kind of a strange movie, and not perfect, but I had a great time and thought it raised some interesting points to ponder. Of course a lot of this film is over-the-top... it is trying to impact us the same way that the Decameron did centuries ago. What I thought watching the film was after all this time we are STILL fighting the pious and unrealistic dogma of the Catholic Church (and some other organized religions), while most of the Church's members have moved out of the "ivory tower" of unrealistic views and into the real world with actual people (polls show that the majority of American Catholics support birth control, priests marrying, and gay marriage). And that is what the end meant for me with Molly Shannon's character leaving. SHE is the heart of the film. Is wanting to be loved a sin? Is the need for human affection wrong? That repression drives some of these characters to temporary insanity. Frankly, Christ would be found in the world - not behind walls. Of course they take it way over the top for the movie - it's a comedy. However, there is a real message here about repression, and even religious intolerance via dogma... again, with a HEAVY dash of over-the-top. Setting it so far in the past ads drives home the timelessness of this issue. It's important to note that much of this film was improvised. It ads a wonderful quality that is palpable with this wonderful cast and smart director.

Truly horrible

[oshanda · 1/10 · 19 January 2019]

With such a good cast this movie should be much better. It was truly horrible - hammy acting, almost non-existent script, no humour..

Without reading the bio first, from the way the film started I thought this would be an Italian language film from the 70s. It would have been better if it had been!

After reading review from some of the professional reviewers I have to wonder if I watched the same film.

More Franco Nunsploitation!

[TrTm316 · 7/10 · 30 April 2018]

Not 1970s master of erotica Jesus Franco, of course. It's Dave, finally allowed to act in an age-appropriate role. The Little Hours does follow the classic plot formula, though: a male visitor to a 14th century convent puts the nuns in a tizzy. And as often happens, witches are involved. Hijinks ensue. Could it be worthwhile?

Despite knowing that Fred Armisen is in this film, I decided to watch it anyway, hoping that Brie, Micucci, Plaza, Reilly, and Shannon could make it watchable. And they did. Compared to the old erotica, this is funnier and more entertaining, with good flow and a not unbelievable plot. (As "nunsploitation" it's our usual American pap, watered down to suit the Puritans. Where is the happy middle ground?) Most of the acting wasn't bad.

But the dialog... oh good grief. At first, every word from the three female leads jarred the senses: they kept their modern day personas, vocal stylings, and vulgarity level. Eventually you get used to it; it becomes just part of those characters, but that takes time. Reportedly a lot of the dialog was ad-libbed, and it shows. Even so, Franco, Brie, Reilly, and Shannon come across quite naturally. Plaza, too, as a mean and slightly crazy person. But Armisen, and unexpectedly, Offerman, seemed like beginning high school dramatists reading from a teleprompter. Fortunately their roles weren't huge.

It would be too strong to say that Kate Micucci "made" the show - it's too much a joint effort -- but she raised the enjoyment level several notches higher than it would have been. Such an incredibly annoying, insecure, hanger-on and tattle-tale she plays to perfection! And on belladonna, she's hilarious.

Even with its faults, The Little Hours blows Wondrous Boccaccio (Italy/France, 2015) out of the water as entertainment from The Decameron. And most of the 70s stuff isn't even in the same league, except as erotica. So watch The Little Hours and enjoy it for what it is: it could have been better, but it's not bad at all.