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At the movies: Holiday films offer brief glimpses of faith Ken Lowery and Bill Fentum, Nov 17, 2008
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The movie Seven Pounds is one of many winter releases with some faith elements.
Every few years a strongly faith-based movie is released during the holidays. More often, moviegoers looking for Christian messages must settle for the broader, shallower morality and enlightenment offered by family comedies. This year is no different, though some gems are buried in the massive studio output.
Staff writers Ken Lowery and Bill Fentum had a sneak preview at what will likely be among the most popular flicks this holiday season to see if there’s any faith angle. Here’s their take:
The Day the Earth Stood Still (20th Century Fox, no running time available) Evangelical Christian Scott Derrickson directs this remake of the 1951 classic, about an alien representing a galactic union who issues an ultimatum to humanity: Cease your aggression or face obliteration. There is much of the spiritual to be found in the original, and Mr. Derrickson seems likely to keep that message amid the glossy, updated production design.
The necessity of a remake seems unclear, as the original may very well be one of the most perfect science-fiction movies ever made. Its Dec. 12 release date, however, suggests 20th Century Fox is very confident in their movie. This film has not yet been rated. —KL
Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight Pictures, 120 minutes) Though director Danny Boyle is perhaps best known for his horror and indie work, some may remember Millions, the winning family film about two young British boys who find a bag full of money (one of whom has regular conversations with saints). Slumdog Millionaire has a similarly joyful heart, though it earns its R rating for violence, which is brief but difficult to take.
Dev Patel stars as Jamal, a young man from the Mumbai slums who falls into fortune when he appears on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? The police, suspecting Jamal is a cheat, interrogate him on how a poor boy with no education could know so much—and each answer provides a glimpse of Jamal’s life and a cross-section of India itself.
The faith element is slight but persistent. Jamal’s brother Salim (Madhur Mittal) follows a darker path, but remains a devout Muslim throughout. And the movie’s opening title card hints that the reason for Jamal’s success is not cheating, luck, or genius, but rather the simple fact that “It is written.” The movie remains optimistic even in dark passages.
Slumdog Millionaire won the audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival and is now showing in limited release, with a larger release schedule slated throughout November and December. —KL
Yes Man (Warner Bros. Pictures, no running time available) Yes Man is another in the long line of moderately family-friendly Jim Carrey comedies about a man who needs to change some aspect of his personality—and pronto. This time Mr. Carrey stars as Carl Allen, a negative man who decides to say “yes” to everything for a year. Hijinks quickly ensue, and given the track record of Mr. Carrey’s previous outings, like Bruce Almighty and Liar Liar, it’s safe to say Carl will learn the wisdom of moderation. Yes Man is rated PG-13 and releases Dec. 13. —KL
Seven Pounds (Columbia Pictures, no running time available) In 2006 Will Smith teamed with Italian filmmaker Gabriele Muccino on The Pursuit of Happyness, based on the rags-to-riches story of stock broker (and United Methodist) Chris Gardner. The star and director are back on Dec. 19 with Seven Pounds, a fictional drama about a guilt-ridden IRS agent (Mr. Smith) who plans to commit suicide, but not until he helps seven strangers to find peace in their own lives. Enter Woody Harrelson as a blind pianist and Rosario Dawson as a woman suffering from a heart condition. It’s a safe bet that Mr. Smith finds forgiveness and redemption in the end, but reaction at test screenings has been mixed. The film hasn’t yet been rated. —BF
Doubt (Miramax Films, 100 minutes) Doubt, an adaptation of John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2004 play, deals with the hot-button issue of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Set in 1964 New York City, Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep), principal of a grammar school, accuses Father Brendan Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) of molesting a 12-year-old boy—based on rumors. Besides the charges, the drama also explores the clash between Sister Aloysius’ old-school beliefs and the progressive changes launched by the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965).
The film, rated PG-13 “for thematic material,” will open Dec. 12 in a limited release and expands to more cities in January. It was screened Oct. 30 at the 2008 American Film Institute Festival in Los Angeles, generating mostly positive buzz. —BF
Four Christmases (New Line Cinema, 82 minutes) The PG-13 comedy Four Christmases arrives a month early on Nov. 26. Single 30-somethings Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn spend a chaotic Christmas day visiting all four of their divorced parents, and wonder if they shouldn’t stay unhitched themselves. The trailer looks like every yultetide laughfest we’ve seen in the last several years, perhaps boosted by a supporting cast that includes Robert Duvall, Jon Voight, Sissy Spacek and Mary Steenburgen. It’s bound to be overwhelmingly secular in tone, though country star Dwight Yoakum has a small part as “Pastor Phil,” described in one online synopsis as “overzealous.” Don’t say you weren’t warned! —BF
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Paramount Pictures, no running time available) This movie can’t be outdone as the season’s most unusual offering. That is, unless another film appears about a man who ages backwards, from his 80s to infancy. Brad Pitt plays the title character in nearly all stages of his life, thanks to cutting-edge effects work. Screenwriter Eric Roth (Forrest Gump) adapted F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1922 short story, and David Fincher—best known for grim thrillers like Seven and Panic Room—directs.
The film is “dark, romantic, and it deals with mortality in a pretty unflattering way,” Mr. Fincher said in a publicity release. We’re not sure what that means, but all should become clear when Benjamin Button reaches theaters on Christmas Day. —BF
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The Day the Earth Stood Still (20th Century Fox, no running time available).jpg)
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Four Christmases (New Line Cinema, 82 minutes) 
