Into Temptation (film)

Into Temptation
A movie poster with a white border containing an image of two people. On the left is a man wearing a priest's collar and a set of glasses, and on the right is a woman wearing a low-cut dress and a large pair of earrings. In the background, the silhouette of a woman walks along a bridge, and a blurry image of a woman is visible in the sky. On the bottom of the poster written in white are the words "Into Temptation", and above it in smaller text are the names "Jeremy Sisto", "Kristin Chenoweth" and "Brian Baumgartner".
DVD release cover
Directed byPatrick Coyle
Written byPatrick Coyle
Starring
CinematographyDavid Doyle
Edited by
  • Lee Percy
  • Scott Ferril
Music byRussell Holsapple
Production
companies
  • Ten Ten Films
  • Cabin 14 Productions
  • Farnam Street II
Distributed byFirst Look International
Release date
  • April 26, 2009 (2009-04-26)
Running time
95 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
BudgetLess than $1 million[2]
Box office$97,457[3]

Into Temptation is a 2009 independent drama film written and directed by Patrick Coyle, and starring Jeremy Sisto, Kristin Chenoweth, Brian Baumgartner, Bruce A. Young and Amy Matthews. It tells the story of a sex worker (Chenoweth) who confesses to a Catholic priest (Sisto) that she plans to kill herself on her birthday. The priest attempts to find and save her, and in doing so he plunges himself into a darker side of society.

The film was partially inspired by Coyle's father, a kind but belligerent man who had considered becoming a priest in his early life. The script won the McKnight Screenwriting Fellowship from the IFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts. Into Temptation was filmed and set in Coyle's hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Several supporting roles were filled with actors from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul theater, and Coyle himself performed in a supporting role.

It was produced by Ten Ten Films and Farnam Street II, and distributed by First Look International. With a budget of less than $1 million, filming began in May 2008, and production concluded that December. Cinematography was provided by David Doyle, Russell Holsapple composed the score, and Lee Percy worked as editor. The film touches on themes of temptation, sin, good and evil, redemption and celibacy, as well as the boundaries between a priest providing counsel and getting personally involved with helping parishioners.

Into Temptation was optioned by Hollywood, but talks fell through due to complications from the global recession. The film did not receive a national release but played at theaters in several cities. Although first publicly shown for Coyle's father in December 2008, Into Temptation officially premiered on April 26, 2009, at the Newport Beach Film Festival, where Sisto won the "Outstanding Achievement in Acting" award. The film received generally positive reviews.[4] It was released on DVD on October 27, 2009.

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