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Christian critics' mixed reaction to Keeping the Faith, a comedy respectful of religion but ignorant of its meaning, made for this week's most interesting discussion. Viewers looking for less controversial fare were encouraged to check out The Miracle Worker, an animated story of Jesus' life told with creative flair.

While Christian critics' initial reaction to Rules of Engagement was tepid, subsequent reviews have turned decidedly enthusiastic for this week's box-office champ. It tells of a Marine (Samuel L. Jackson) being charged with murder for an act of bloodshed committed during combat. The Dove Foundation says it's "extremely well made and thought provoking, … [as it] examines both military and media behavior under the stress of combat." Movieguide concurs, calling it an "exciting, patriotic courtroom drama [that] intelligently explores the moral dilemmas American soldiers sometimes face." Focus on the Family's Tom Neven, who's also a seven-year Marine veteran, has a few more caveats than other reviewers. He was bothered by a flashback scene where the Marine executes a prisoner during the Vietnam war, which the film was "ambivalent" toward. "It's clearly treated as the atrocity it is, yet it also tries to show that it was an exigency of war." Neven still praises the film, though, for its "strong element of faithfulness to duty, courage, and the pursuit of truth and justice." Holly McClure of Crosswalk.com also has reservations, saying the movie's script "has a lot of loopholes and doesn't really answer the questions that it raises," but nevertheless feels that "this is a perfect example of how the definitions and terms of war have been changed by political correctness and how confusing, exasperating and dangerous it is to serve in these times." So far, none of the Christian critics has compared the movie's blurred line between murder and combat to the conviction of some Christians that the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," necessitates pacifism.

Faring far worse is 28 Days, a comic drama about an alcoholic (Sandra Bullock) who gets sentenced to four weeks of rehab. Crosswalk.com's Michael Elliott calls it an "overly simplistic" story that takes "a sanitized look" at addiction. The Dove Foundation agrees, offering as an example that "her withdrawal consists of one night in the bathroom vomiting and laying her head on the floor. You never feel the struggle that someone who begins her day with a beer and then is suddenly deprived of addictive substances goes through." J. Robert Parks of The Phantom Tollbooth echoes the cricitism, calling it "a cookie-cutter drama" that tries to "add in some likable sidekicks [and] subtract out any difficult reality." Other reviewers were more generous; Focus on the Family's Bob Waliszewski, praised it simply because it "portrays sobriety as positive and addiction as negative … unlike Next Friday and Dazed and Confused." Paul Bicking of Preview notes "strong messages about needing help and communication to repair the destructive affects of drug abuse." Movieguide saw mild spiritual content in the film as "characters even show a relinquishing of their strength to God by praying the Serenity Prayer."

Most reviews for Keeping the Faith were two-pronged, faulting its lack of accuracy and sincerity in portraying religious life, but praising the several things it got right. The U.S. Catholic Conference was the most upbeat site reviewing this romantic comedy, which features a rabbi (Ben Stiller) and a priest (Edward Norton) who fall in love with the same woman (Jenna Elfman), because the priest's "vow of celibacy and his accompanying doubts are dealt with in an earnest manner that does not undermine his priestly commitment." Steven Isaac of Focus on the Family also praised the film's handling of spiritual duty: "A great point is made about commitment to God being a daily choice, not a one-time shot." But he felt the point gets lost in the immorality of the film, saying that "by the time the credits roll, your head is spinning with too much other manmade muck for it to sink in too deeply." Preview's John Evan elaborates on this "muck," explaining that "while Jake and Brian stay true to their spiritual commitments, they seem to have little concern about the moral example set by becoming involved sexually with Anna." Childcare Action is more concerned with film's exclusion of Jesus from the film than with the inclusion of sex. "The only time Jesus' name was mentioned was in vain and with disrespect. There were no crucifixes, no crosses, and no statues of Jesus—not even a picture." World magazine found it lacking not for moral or spiritual reasons, but simply because it "quickly gets boring when it tries to be serious." Others preferred to look for ways the film succeeded. The Dove Foundation liked that "the priest gives an intelligent and moving explanation concerning celibacy." Similarly, Crosswalk.com's Holly McClure enjoyed the portrayal of the religious men as smart, "cool people who are excited about doing God's work in their community, instead of the usual geeks or nerds religious people are commonly portrayed to be." In my review of the film for ChristianityToday.com, I focused on the new methods of worship that the two men bring to their communities, reflecting the real-life movement in the church to less traditional services.

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April (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44