Summer Movie Wrap-Up

This month: 'Stardust,' 'Pan's Labyrinth,' 'Milarepa,' 'Facing the Giants,' and 'Underdog.'

BY: Sharon Linnea

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Facing the Giants

Another overtly religious movie, Facing the Giants is currently out on DVD. It's the story of a football coach at a private southern Christian school whose losing team (indeed, the whole school) experiences revival and kicks butt all the way to the state championships.

Apparently, no one has a lukewarm reaction to this film. Either you love it, are troubled by it, are perplexed by it, or find it unintentionally amusing. I can understand all four points of view.

Love it: It's easy to see how 20th century American Evangelical Christians can dearly love this film. It is, after all, a feature film in which characters talk like they do, quote Bible verses to solve problems, and believe God can work miracles and reverse the worst situations. There's also some great football, and the whole thing has a "Rocky" feel to it. If this is your culture, you're home.

Troubled by it: This response comes, surprisingly enough, from Christians who feel the message of the film is that no matter how bad your problems are, if you turn them over to God, every single problem will come out with the happy ending for which you pray. You'll get a raise. Someone will replace your old car. Your team will win. Your infertile marriage will be blessed with (multiple) children. Get a grip, they say. God doesn't work this way. (Whereas the viewers in category 1 will undoubtedly respond with examples in which God has done all those things, although maybe not all at once—this is Hollywood, after all.)

Perplexed: These are the folks who don't speak Evangelical. They want to "get it," but they don't. I personally don't think anyone joins the club (or is "saved") by seeing a film in which everyone in the club speaks a language they don't. (I will note that even the churchgoing kids who were at our house while I was screening the movie were clearly perplexed that school would let out for the afternoon so that knots of students could meet on the football field to hug, cry, and pray their way through a spontaneous revival.)

Find it unintentionally amusing: A lot of people seem to think the movie isn't well made, the acting is laughable, the dialog stilted, the constant references to God, humorous. Given that the film was written, directed, and starring one man, (a feat that should be attempted by very few who aren't Orson Welles, or at least Woody Allen) and acted by many members of his church congregation, it wasn't that bad. For example, the whole "way is narrow that leads to a field goal and the path is wide that leads to an offsides kick" speech was actually meant to be funny, although I'm not sure people who don't speak Evangelical could have made the distinction.

So, if you suspect you're in group one, rent it, have the youth group over, make popcorn, have a great time. If not, try Chariots of Fire.

Underdog

Believe it or not, this is also a "split decision" film. If you're a serious filmgoer, and remember the 60s cartoon as a counterculture statement on society and the status quo, forget this film. If, however, you are either under 13 or generally amiable, you'll probably enjoy—nay, even love—this live-action Underdog.

I personally got a kick out of watching Peter Dinklage playing the perverse underside of his saintly gypsy in Lassie by taking on the completely unredeemable villain Simon Barsinister. (Like Cruella DeVil, he finds you can run from your name, but you can't hide.) If you're looking for well-paced, taut filmmaking, this isn't it. But if you'll be happy with the backstory on how a normal beagle starts flying, fighting villains, and chooses to talk in rhyming couplets on purpose, there are worse ways to spend a rainy afternoon.