 March
2004
This month's review:
In America
Lost in Translation
Big Fish
Mattie: Hello Patty? Hey, my sister is visiting and we
want to see a movie. I really liked the last one you
recommended—Bruce Almighty, I think it was. Can you suggest
something?
Patty: Well, sure. I’ve seen quite a few good things. What
are you in the mood for? Comedy? Action-adventure? Heavy drama?
Mattie: A sweet movie that shows Christian values and is
really about something. I’ve heard good things about Lost in
Translation. Can you recommend that? If you’ve seen it, that
is.
Patty: I’ve seen it, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
Mattie: Why not? Doesn’t it have good performances?
Patty: Yes, Bill Murray and Scarlet Johansson are great.
But the movie ultimately doesn’t go anywhere. It’s about two people
who are lonely and trapped in unhappy marriages, but there’s no
resolution to their problems. They live empty, worldly lives. No
Christian values there. How about Big Fish?
Mattie: Haven’t heard of that one. What’s it about?
Patty: It’s about storytelling. A dying father is always
telling his estranged son about the fabulous exploits of his life.
Each time he tells the story, it gets bigger—like a fish story, you
know. The whole thing is touching and hilarious, and eventually the
father and the son are reconciled.
Mattie: Hmm. I’ll keep that one in mind. Anything else you
could suggest? I want to see a really moving movie.
Patty: Then I know just the thing—In America.
It’s moving, to say the least, and it’s got some of the best acting
I’ve seen in a long time.
Mattie: What’s the gist of it?
Patty: An Irish family crosses the border from
Canada into the U.S. The family is a mother, a father, and two
sisters; there was a brother, too, but he died. At first we think
they’re just coming to America for a vacation, but it turns out
they’re slipping into the country illegally. They go to New York and
look for a place to live, but they’re so down and out that the only
place they can find is a filthy old building where drug deals go on
all the time and hardly anyone has a job. Somehow, though, they
manage to transcend their environment because of their love for each
other and their determination.
Mattie: Why do you think it’s such a great picture?
Patty: Well, it’s real. It’s not a Hollywood
effort. The family members have real dilemmas to deal with. And it
definitely embodies Christian values.
Mattie: How so?
Patty: In lots of ways, but especially in the
relationship between the older daughter and the father. He’s never
been able to accept the death of his son and blames God for it, so
much so that he refuses even to believe in God anymore. The older
daughter convicts him of that. And then there’s a wonderful subplot
involving the compassion of a neighbor.
Mattie: Sounds really good. I think that’s what
we’ll see.
Patty: OK, but your sister is an adult, right? I
wouldn’t take a younger person to In America. It’s
rated PG-13 and has some pretty realistic scenes. There’s a romantic
interlude between the husband and wife which is all perfectly
appropriate given the fact that they’re married—but I don’t think
it’s suitable for younger kids, even though the two daughters are
almost the stars of the show. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Ratings:
Lost in Translation: 2 stars
Big Fish: 2 ¾ stars
In America: 3 ¼ stars
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Index of movie
reviews...
(2003 reviews through present)
Jay Maurer, a member of West Side Presbyterian Church, is
a long-term movie buff and former college teacher of The Film as
Literature. He has written movie reviews for The Good News
(West Side newsletter) since 2002.
If you have comments or questions
about the movie (or play) reviews, please contact Jay at
dramachap@msn.com.
Ratings are expressed in
increments of ¼ star.
A rating of 2 ½ stars or higher is meant to be a recommendation.
1 star: poor
2 stars: minimally satisfactory
3 stars: quite good
4 stars: superb
Criteria for determining the ratings:
- Reflection, either explicit or implicit, of Christian values,
including suitability of language and lack of gratuitous violence
- Quality of the acting
- Originality
- Unity of the entire picture
- Substance, or in the words of C.S. Lewis, weight
Other Christian movie review Web sites:
Plugged In Online
ChristianityTodayMovies.com
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