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Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie continues to draw raves from critics who like movies to present a clear Gospel message. But concerning its craftsmanship, there are a few more mixed reviews sprouting up.

David DiCerto (Catholic News) says, "Much of the picture's shortcomings hinge on the inevitable comparisons to bigger-budgeted, animated features. In addition to taking a back seat technically to what Disney or DreamWorks release, Jonah unfortunately offers less-than-memorable musical numbers. The celery, asparagus and assorted crudites, while cute, are at times difficult to distinguish from each other and lack the endearing personality of a Buzz Lightyear or cowboy Woody. Several scenes are overly pedantic, with dialogue bordering on preachy. This moralizing may work better in an episodic series, but seems contrived in a movie."

Hannah Eagleson (World) says, "The movie presents a strong message of God's forgiveness and His command to forgive others. However, it softens a bit the crimes being forgiven. While it's clear that the Ninevites do evil, the film asserts that the king of Nineveh didn't know that the things they did were wrong. The movie also takes liberties with the biblical storyline, which Big Idea should have acknowledged in a disclaimer."

Moonlight Mile is a drama about parents (Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon) grieving the murder of their daughter and trying to figure out how to relate to her devastated fiancé, Joe (Jake Gyllenhaal.) Film Forum offered early reviews a couple of weeks ago. You will find more religious press reviews at Christian Spotlight, Ethics Daily, and Michael Medved's sites. Medved sums the film up as "honest but unsatisfying."

I caught up with the film this week, and I agree with Medved. It deals well with a sensitive, sobering subject. But the story ends up offering only meager encouragement. As the family and friends seem to have no faith or beliefs about life after death, they can only comfort each other and encourage each other to pick up and move on.

Having said that, Silberling's film is surprisingly willing to portray the humor that can be found even in the hardest, saddest chapters of the human experience. The talented cast strikes a delicate balance of comedy and drama. Young Gyllenhaal is a tremendous talent, turning in a performance every bit as complex and affecting as those offered by his veteran co-stars Hoffman and Sarandon.

One of the year's most extraordinary films, Spirited Away, continues to impress religious press film critics. Mike Hertenstein (Cornerstone) offers not only a rave review of the film, but an in-depth look at the life's work of master animator Hayao Miyazaki. "Miyazaki is a world-maker like Tolkien, like George Lucas aspires to be, and he continues to find new colors and pluck new notes."

Next week: Auto-Focus , a true story about the wages of sexual addiction. Plus, Heaven, The Truth about Charlie, and more.

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October (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46