Religion

I'm not Catholic, either, but I was fascinated by the setting and the process the characters were involved in, of electing a new pope. I watched it once, read the book, then watched it again, because it's that good!

This is probably not a movie for anyone who is strongly anti-Catholic or anti-religious in general. It's about a group of very religious men who are largely depicted as sincerely trying to do their duty to the best of their abilities, despite very strong differences of opinion on certain matters. There are some very interesting plot twists and certain characters are revealed to be not quite what they seem by the time it's over, but even the "bad guys" come off as misguided rather than having truly evil intentions.

Fantastic performances are delivered by Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, and John Lithgow, as well as some lesser known actors. I highly recommend this movie to people who enjoy well-played, layered characters and a suspenseful plot that is cerebral rather than action-oriented.