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The new romance Autumn in New York earned mild appreciation for its depiction of a womanizer (Richard Gere) trying to reform when he meets the right woman (Winona Ryder), but most critics found it dull nevertheless. "Paint-by-number seduction scenes, sex scenes, argument scenes and walk-in-the-park scenes inevitably leave viewers drowsy," says Steven Isaac of Focus on the Family. "[Gere's character] goes through the fires of personal turmoil and finally turns his life around. That's great. But after sitting through 105 minutes of Autumn in New York, you just can't help but think, 'So what?' There's no conviction in the lessons. There's no passion in the telling." Crosswalk.com's Michael Elliott also characterizes it as "a passionless romantic drama which, while cosmetically attractive, has no soul to sustain it.

… [It's] Love Story in need of a stronger love or a better story." The U.S. Catholic Conference gripes that the "performances are hammy and the corny plot is predictable, leaving swell shots of fall in the Big Apple as the sole attraction." The Dove Foundation's Phil Boatwright, however, went against the grain and opposed his colleagues on all counts. "This film says what's important is finding a soul mate, despite the differences. Romantically photographed, with a beautiful soulful look, the film engages with its textured performances by the leads. … A tearjerker of the first order, I haven't heard so many sniffles in a theater since Love Story."

Bless the Child, the latest movie in the wave of supernatural thrillers like The Ninth Gate, End of Days, and Stigmata, earned kudos from Christian critics for empowering the forces of heaven, which in the other films remained vague or passive.

Focus on the Family's Bob Smithouser says "it's refreshing to find an entry in this genre that has such deep respect for the God of the Bible. I … was pleasantly surprised to see orthodox Christianity elevated to a gutsy, virile, victorious role … hardly the impotent faith usually seen on the big screen." Michael Elliott of Crosswalk.com agrees that it's "a unique film. A secular movie that does not shy away from incorporating the power of God into its narrative does not come along every day." The downside to such explicit spiritual confrontation, Elliott says, is that "by vividly depicting the evil and depravity of the devil spirit world, the filmmakers may alienate a large section of the Christian audience who choose not to subject themselves to such fare." Some critics encouraged readers to brave the violence if they consider themselves able to handle it. "The strong message in the film should encourage more mature Christians and offer opportunities for discussion," says Paul Bicking of Preview, and Movieguide writes that "Bless the Child has brought Christian allegory to the big screen and deserves the enthusiastic support of the Christian community." Other Christian reviewers, like Elliott predicted, felt alienated by the theology and violence. "Though I am by no means an expert in the Scriptures," says Childcare Action's Thomas A. Carder, "even I felt misled by teasings with righteous accurate portrayal of parts of the New Testament mixed intricately and skillfully with counterfeitings of the Scriptures." The Dove Foundation, too, bristles at Hollywood's "cockamamie storylines that confuse and mislead. … Any affirmative message gets lost in this film's maze of grisly supernatural special effects and its convoluted, downright silly story." Mainstream reviews (which were nearly unanimously negative) echoed Dove's lament. "Everything remotely interesting in this movie is overwhelmed by plot silliness and Basinger's terrible central performance," writes Dave Forsmark of The Flint Journal. "It's all just cheap metaphor and stupid spectacle," says Gemma Files of Film.com, "with technology standing (rather inadequately) in for any sort of genuine inquiry into the fascinating mysteries and difficulties of actual faith." Christian critic Peter T. Chattaway of B.C. Christian News agrees that despite "remarkably good intentions," Bless the Child is too "poorly written, poorly acted and poorly directed" to explore real spiritual dilemmas. "Evil in this film is anything but subtle; there is no recognition that it sometimes takes very attractive (or, alternatively, very ordinary) forms."

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August (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44