Podcast Summary: Fr. Mike Reacts to Confession Scenes from Movies and TV Shows

Podcast: The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Episode Title: Fr. Mike Reacts to Confession Scenes from Movies and TV Shows
Host: Ascension
Date: August 18, 2025

Overview of Main Theme

In this unique episode, Fr. Mike Schmitz dives into pop culture, offering live, unscripted reactions to various Hollywood portrayals of Catholic confession scenes. Mixing humor with catechesis, Fr. Mike evaluates the accuracy, tone, and theological substance of famous movie and TV depictions while offering listeners a crash course on what real confession is and isn’t.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Stage for Movie Reactions (00:00–01:00)

• Fr. Mike admits he hasn’t seen all the clips beforehand and neither he nor Ascension endorse the films.
• Tone is lighthearted: “I have the controls. I’m going to rent this. No, I’m not going to rent this. People don’t rent movies. What is this, 1992?”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz, 00:00

2. Zorro Confession Scene—Impersonation in the Confessional (01:00–04:36)

• Fr. Mike notes Antonio Banderas (as Zorro) pretends to be a priest in the confessional, emphasizing:
  “Don’t do that. That is literally a really big deal sin...excommunicatable.”
  — Fr. Mike, 01:00
• Points out errors:
  • The confessor is fairly regular (“three days since my last confession”), which Fr. Mike praises, but movie priest discourages frequent confession—incorrect in real practice.
  • Movie mistakes commandments (mixing up 4th and 5th).
  • Over-emphasis on storytelling vs. naming actual sins.
  • Confessor gives absolution without the prayer:
    “Requires a prayer of absolution. Also excommunicated.”
    — Fr. Mike, 03:55
• Key Catechesis: Proper confession requires being specific, not telling stories, and only priests can absolve.

3. Daredevil Confession—The Weight of True Contrition (04:36–10:13)

• Matt Murdock (Daredevil) has a long preamble, talking about his dad and childhood, rather than his own sins.
• Fr. Mike highlights the patience required from priests and the need to get to “Why is this person here?”
  “You don’t have to make a perfect confession, because the priest...is asking, ‘Why is this person here?’”
  — Fr. Mike, 06:18
• Appreciates the priest’s gentle prodding to get to the actual sins.
• Points out a grave theological error:
  • Murdock seeks forgiveness for what he’s about to do (planning to sin), which is not allowed—called “presumption.”
  • Contrasts presumption with despair.
  • God’s grace is free, but not cheap—requires genuine contrition:
    “God’s grace is free. It is not cheap...I have to have contrition, right? ...Presumption is I’m going to take the grace without making the choice to leave the sin.”
    — Fr. Mike, 08:04

4. True Confessions—Best Practice: Naming Sins Clearly (10:13–11:39)

• Fr. Mike points out typical TV/film errors:
  • Priests seem bored or annoyed, which is unrealistic.
  • Sins are vaguely confessed (“anger” instead of concrete acts).
  • Proper confession requires number and kind, especially for mortal sins:
    “If someone says...the sin of anger…that’s a really, really broad brush...Could be anywhere from, like, literally, I got angry, someone cut me off, to...killed someone in anger.”
    — Fr. Mike, 10:22
• Affirms the sacredness and opportunity for grace inherent in each confession.

5. A League of Their Own—Priest’s Reaction to Salacious Confessions (11:39–14:49)

• Madonna is depicted as shocking the priest, who is sweating and dropping the Bible—played for laughs.
• Fr. Mike dispels the myth that priests are aroused or scandalized by confessions:
  “What the priest gets to see is the ugliness of sin. Confession is a place where we drop off the garbage of our souls...Priest gets to offer the joy of God’s mercy...he wouldn’t stick his head out and be like, ‘I gotta see the person who confessed this thing.’ Like, that’s ridiculous.”
  — Fr. Mike, 13:25
• Highlights two realities in confession:
  • The ugliness of sin seen in God’s light.
  • The powerful joy of forgiveness.

6. Gran Torino—Long-Delayed Confessions and Past Sins (14:49–17:31)

• Clint Eastwood’s character confesses for the first time in decades, recalling detailed past events.
• Notable moment: Priest is dismissive and not warm, which Fr. Mike criticizes.
• Affirms: If someone is going that far back, those sins weigh on them—priests should be gentle, not brusque.
• Favorite priest questions to hear:
  “Father, how do I become Catholic? Father, will you hear my confession? Two best questions ever.”
  — Fr. Mike, 15:14

7. Runaway Bride—Non-Catholics and Confession (17:31–19:29)

• Priest is addressed by his name (“Brian”) by former girlfriend Maggie, now non-Catholic but looking for comfort.
• Fr. Mike clarifies:
  • Only baptized Christians intending to become Catholic (catechumens) and sufficiently prepared can validly confess.
  • Maggie is just stressed, not prepared or intending to become Catholic.

8. Seinfeld—Confession as Comedy (19:29–20:51)

• George visits confession for “comedic offenses”—mixing religious themes with Jewish identity.
• Fr. Mike uses the scene to comment on confession etiquette:
  • Sometimes people or priests are loud—do your best to not overhear, and pray for those you overhear accidentally:
    “If you inadvertently hear, just pray for the person and try to not hear...If you’re trying to hear, that’s a whole nother thing. How about this? Don’t.”
    — Fr. Mike, 20:46

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Don’t do that. That is literally a really big deal sin...excommunicatable.”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz on Zorro impersonating a priest, 01:00

• “You don’t have to make a perfect confession, because the priest...is asking, ‘Why is this person here?’”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz, 06:18

• “God’s grace is free. It is not cheap...I have to have contrition, right? ...Presumption is I’m going to take the grace without making the choice to leave the sin.”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz, 08:04

• “Sin looks glamorous from the outside, but when you actually see...you realize, oh my gosh, sin is so destructive.”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz, 12:13

• “Confession is a place where we drop off the garbage of our souls...”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz, 13:25

• “The two best questions a priest can hear anyone ask: ‘Father, how do I become Catholic?’ ‘Father, will you hear my confession?’”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz, 15:14

• “If you inadvertently hear, just pray for the person and try to not hear...If you’re trying to hear, that’s a whole nother thing. How about this? Don’t.”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz, 20:46

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:00] – Episode introduction, setup for movie/TV reactions
• [01:00-04:36] – Zorro confession and teaching on the seriousness of impersonating a priest
• [04:36-10:13] – Daredevil: How to approach confession, the necessity of contrition
• [10:13-11:39] – True Confessions: The importance of confessing specifics and correct priestly demeanor
• [11:39-14:49] – A League of Their Own: Dispelling myths about priestly reactions to "shocking" sins
• [14:49-17:31] – Gran Torino: Compassion for those returning after decades
• [17:31-19:29] – Runaway Bride: Non-Catholics and the bounds of sacramental confession
• [19:29-20:51] – Seinfeld: Confession etiquette, humor, boundaries

Conclusion

Fr. Mike successfully blends humor, pastoral insight, and basic catechesis while critiquing cinematic confession scenes. He points out the inaccuracies typical in pop culture, provides illuminating commentary on true repentance, priestly compassion, and the spiritual potency of the confession. The episode offers an accessible, engaging way to deepen understanding and correct misconceptions about a sacrament at the heart of the Catholic faith.

If you enjoyed these movie/TV confession reactions, Fr. Mike encourages listeners to send in more examples for possible future episodes!