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Christian critics tried their hands at biblical interpretation this week, prompting a wide range of responses to Harvey Keitel's role as a weakened Devil in Little Nicky, Mars astronauts' musings about God's existence in Red Planet, and the rapture of all Christians in the video release Left Behind.

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Although Adam Sandler's comedies have never catered to the intelligent crowd, his latest offering has the misfortune of being stupid and unfunny, say Christian critics. Little Nicky is "93 minutes of anguish," complains Christian Spotlight guest reviewer Curtis D. Smith, comparing the experience to "duct tape being peeled slowly away from dense arm hair. ... There are very few laughs to be had in this appalling film." The U.S. Catholic Conference agrees, saying Little Nicky "has minimal appeal with unfunny gags, stale special effects and limp performances." Other Christian critics focused on the theological errors of the plot, which features Sandler as the child of Satan and an angel he met at a heaven/hell mixer. "This story puts forth an extremely warped, blasphemous view of heaven and hell, good and evil, and the road to salvation," writes Movieguide. Bob Smithouser of Focus on the Family elaborates, objecting to the depiction of Christians as "marginalized fanatics, hypocrites or vessels for demon possession," concluding that "the film trivializes God and mocks people of faith." Preview's Mary Draughon was mortified that "angels in heaven are portrayed as silly, giggling teenagers," and that "Satan states his job is balancing good with evil—he's in control, but his strength is sapped when his evil sons run amuck." However, Hollywood Jesus located some spiritual truth in this aspect. "There has been a real tendency to either deny the existence of a Devil, or conversely, to give Satan to much power—the same powers as God—making him all present, all powerful and all knowing. Biblically, both views are wrong. In this film, Satan is removed from the position of being directly responsible for all evil on earth. Rather, the credit goes to his children (agents)." (See Christianity Today's recent article on Satan's limitations for more on this topic.) Still, Holly McClure of Crosswalk.com says the film's too crude to warrant attendance. "This movie goes way beyond insulting. ... A couple of scenes show demons bringing Hitler, wearing a dress, to Satan regularly so that he can punish him by inserting a pineapple up his you-know-what. There's much, much more that's an abomination to parents, people of faith and mankind in general."

Christian critics divided pretty evenly between those who found Men of Honor inspirational and those who found it manipulative. Based on the true story of Carl Brashear (Cuba Gooding Jr.), the first African-American Master Diver in the U.S. Navy, Men of Honor chronicles the many social and physical obstacles he overcame in his quest. "Men of Honor is a rousing service drama," says Movieguide, "a true story about honor, courage, determination, and fighting injustice." Preview's Paul Bicking calls it "an exciting and riveting story," and says "crowds will cheer for Carl all the way." Tom Neven, editor of Focus on the Family magazine, was encouraged that "strength of character, fortitude, loyalty and courage—both physical and moral—are paramount in this story." (All three reviews, though, complained of the sailors' "strong salty language" that Neven says ruins "so much that would be good for teens to watch, including an overall uplifting message.") Other Christian critics had complaints that ran to the core of the story. The Phantom Tollbooth's J. Robert Parks was upset by the addition of fictional character Billy Sunday (Robert De Niro), a tough-as-nails instructor who moves from Brashear's tormentor to his friend. "First off, De Niro's presence (and top billing) changes Men of Honor from a 'black' film into a 'buddy' film, with the two opposites joining together to fight the system. Secondly, by making Sunday a largely sympathetic character—his initial racism is much less severe than others around him and even that quickly dissipates—the tremendous prejudice Brashear faced is mitigated. Furthermore, because Sunday is portrayed as a spectacularly courageous man and because Brashear can't pass his final test without Sunday's help, the former's outstanding achievement is diminished." Other critics groused at the sentimentality; the U.S. Catholic Conference says the "heavy-handed direction backed by swelling patriotic music reduces a complex struggle to simplistic terms," and Movie Reporter Phil Boatwright quips: "Inner torment, alcoholism, marital woes, bigotry, injustice—man, there are fewer problems on a year's worth of Days of Our Lives episodes."

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November (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44