"Film Forum: Lions, Luther, and Living In This World"

Following Holes, Secondhand Lions is the year's second unexpected family movie success story. Haley Joel Osment, Robert Duvall, and Michael Caine are impressing parents with their roles in director Tim McCanlies's whimsical story about a boy who finds much-needed father figures in his two eccentric uncles. The film has comedy, adventure, mystery, wild animals, and hidden treasure. It also has memorable performances, an unpredictable script, and a lot of heart. Last week, Film Forum featured early reviews. This week, more have come in, and so have impressive box office numbers.

At an early screening of the film, I joined other critics from the religious press to chat with Tim McCanlies and his cast. McCanlies does not look like a Hollywood filmmaker. He's an exuberant, down-to-earth Texan who clearly loves storytelling.

"I've been a writer for fifteen years in Hollywood and I had all these pent-up things I wanted to say," he says, referring to the many lessons learned by the young hero. "I guess I crammed it all into one script."

Young Walter is just the latest in a long tradition of big-screen kids who are either orphans or single-parented. When a critic asked McCanlies why this film and his previous family movie, an animated feature called The Iron Giant, have both been about fatherless boys, he explained. "When I was growing up, my father was in the military, so I was on my own a lot. People joke and ask, 'Why do kids in animated films have no parents, or only one parent?' And the glib answer is, "Well, that's one less person you have to animate."

There are a lot of themes weaving through Lions. Did the director have one central idea he was trying to communicate? "In this case, I was really trying to get at what it is that men teach boys. This is a story about men that are sort of used up—'secondhand lions' if you will—and this kid who really needs them and how they save each other."

At the centerpiece of the film, Robert Duvall's character, Uncle Hub, talks about ethics—but the audience is only privy to half of the speech. Several of us wondered what was in the rest of that speech. McCanlies sighed, shrugged, and said, "Well, it took me a long time to write that first half of the speech. What you hear is just a small part—I think it's really an eight-hour speech. It was all I could do to come up with the part you heard in the movie. If you just give a speech [in a movie]—'Always be a good person!'—it can be really boring. It needed to be something [Walter] really needed to hear, in a specific rather than a general way."

And yet, McCanlies' morals never reach beyond simple ethics of kindness or faith in other people. "Because my father wasn't around much, I learned a lot of my lessons from books and movies. … Phillip Marlowe [is] a very moral man in an amoral world, who sets his own code. So when I was trying to figure on what this movie is really about, and circled in on 'What Men Teach Boys.' As I circled that, [the speech] seemed to be about 'You should have your own sense of honor.' Like Raymond Chandler. Even if you're in an amoral world. Even if people are around you are succeeding from cutting corners and cheating on their taxes and screwing over their neighbors. You should set your own moral code. You can't argue with a kid that money and power don't mean anything, because they do. It's easy for a kid to believe that people are no good, but you should still act as if they are, and you should believe that they are."

An interesting, if frustrating, philosophy. I wanted to ask McCanlies how we are to know good from evil if every man is free to "set his own moral code." (Duvall echoed McCanlies' sentiment, saying that he would like to teach each young man to "be a law unto himself.") Does he mean to suggest that there is no established moral code to be found and agreed upon? Are we being encouraged to develop something illusory? I also wanted the director to say more about the film's central message—"Believe in good things even if they don't seem to be true."

But he had already moved on to explaining why the film is connecting with adult audiences. "I like movies with young protagonists in them, like To Kill a Mockingbird, that aren't really kids films. We adults … cynical adults, who are so jaded and don't sit still for much moralizing … when we're seeing the world through a kid's eyes again, we're more open to that sort of thing. We remember what it was like when we were kids. These movies tend to be period movies too. Maybe adults don't identify with kids these days because they listen to that 'silly rap music' and they dress with pants on backwards."

Finally, I asked McCanlies what he would say to those more conservative parents who would be offended by the film's harsher elements. Frankly, I found the portrayals of the two rough-edged uncles to be refreshingly honest. But surely there will be a few parents who complain about their liberal use of shotguns and rough language.

McCanlies replied, "I just write for me at the end of the day. We did that with Iron Giant … we were a bunch of adults making a kids' movie and we made the movie I wanted to see."

He quickly added, "I'm offended by certain things too. But if you were so completely scared [of offending people] I think you'd have a very bland movie sometimes. I don't think any of it is offensive. There are a lot of guns in this … but that's very Texan. If you drive by the Baptist Church in the area where I live … on Sundays, [you'll see] all of the pickups out there—which is every car in the parking lot—they all have a gun rack. Welcome to Texas!"

My complete review of the film and interviews with Duvall, Caine, and Osment are featured in the new issue of Paste Magazine.

Meanwhile, Christian press reviewers continue applauding the effort. Caroline Mooney (Christian Spotlight) calls Secondhand Lions "a heartwarming but bittersweet movie with superb acting. Prepare yourself for a nostalgic evening, tears of joy, humor and even a few unanswered questions."

And viewers are writing in with their reactions. D. James says, "We loved the movie, but did not like some of the language. Our kids are elementary age."

T. Hollis says, "My family and my sister's family went to this movie together. We universally loved it. We are all Christians, and while the 'believe in something even if it isn't true' philosophy is wrong; the movie still carries a strong family message throughout. There was too much swearing, but don't let this detract from a great movie."

(Beware: Some minor spoilers are contained in the following responses.)

Herb Owen writes, "One thing missed by every critic I've read is what I perceive as the message of the film (as demonstrated by the title): just because you're old and a 'secondhand lion' (as was the case with the uncles and the lions), you may have one last job to do. In the case of the lion, it was saving Walter from his attacker. In the case of the uncles, it was raising Walter to be a man. This, to me, is the obvious message of the film and it certainly 'got through.' I loved it. I'm going back to see it again."

Fans of Robert Duvall's Oscar-winning role in Tender Mercies might find this particular letter interesting. It's from Allan Hubbard of Paris, Texas, who has an interesting connection to the actor:

"I couldn't wait to see Secondhand Lions … got there on opening weekend. The cast was great. The story idea was great. [I had] no problems with the production like continuity or anything like that. But the flow of the script? The actual lines delivered, therefore the writing of the film in general? Deplorable. I simply could not believe with so many other things going for it that the script's details got passed over. I'm really surprised to read the Christian critics are praising the writing.

"I was in a film with Duvall in 1982 … Tender Mercies. I was the little boy, Sonny. Now I'm 31 and still love to watch his very subtle yet amazingly gripping choices. The single most redeeming thing about Secondhand Lions is the speech he gives the punk in the bar about 'fought two world wars, led thousands of men into battle, and loved only one woman with a passion that a flea like you couldn't understand.' Great moment there."

In This World: A true-to-life escape to London from the Middle East

In one of the year's most suspenseful films, an Afghan child named Jamal tries to escape a settlement of refugees in hopes of finding a brighter future in London. With no I.D., a handful of cash, and only slight knowledge of the English language, he sets out on an adventure that will give viewers a compelling education on the sufferings of those who have been displaced and damaged by military action in the war on terror. Jamal holds his breath as guards question his identity on a crowded bus. He hides among stacks of orange crates on the back of a truck. He plunges down a snowy mountainside at midnight as border guards open fire on the illegal crossing. He gasps for air during a seemingly endless voyage in an almost airtight metal crate on the back of a shipping barge. He is not a terrorist. But, like Antoine Dunel, the young hero of François Truffaut's The 400 Blows, Jamal finds that the grownup world seems to have turned against him.

Most people will choose slick easy-to-swallow blockbusters over a film about the desperate lives of real people in the Middle East, even if those people are children paying the price of the West's war on terror. But those who go out of their way to watch British film director Michael Winterbottom's courageous movie will find a nail-biting suspense film. It is nerve-wracking to think of Winterbottom and his crew, using handheld video cameras on roads where they could not have been completely assured of their own safety. Viewers will thus come away with a renewed perspective, a view from the other side of the firing line in the Middle East. Dennison Howe (The Washington Post) calls it "a 90-minute newsreel with a broken heart." But in actuality, these are stories that the evening news usually avoids. It's not exciting like the sight of helicopters, missiles, and statues coming down. It's not very pleasant either.

Films like this could be celebrated by Christians for the way they offer us an understanding of the perspectives, problems, and longings of families growing up in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But many Americans merely view these people as "the enemy" in these days of terror threats and heightened security warnings. Even so, if we are to follow Christ's call to love our enemies, looking closely at them and listening to what's on their hearts and minds is one of the first important steps. In This World comes to us as an urgent message. It is in no way preachy—it merely shows us a picture and lets us come to our own conclusions. But you can sense that Winterbottom is trying desperately to give the Western world information that is not being taken into account as military action proceeds. The war costs more than the price of ammunition and American lives. There is also the cost of caring for those who must now live in the ruins.

J. Robert Parks (The Phantom Tollbooth) praises the film as one of the year's best and Winterbottom's "bravest and most successful film to date. If In This World were just a road-trip movie, it'd be an interesting tale. By situating it, though, in post-war Afghanistan and Pakistan and then threading through the Middle East, Winterbottom forces his Western audience to confront the human dimension of places we only seem to bomb, to understand the people whom we stereotype and vilify."

Parks calls the ending "one of the more powerful conclusions I've seen this year. The movie achieves three of the highest goals art can accomplish—to portray the lives of real people, to tell stories we otherwise wouldn't hear, and to move us to thoughtful prayer and action on behalf of those less fortunate than us. And it does all of this with beauty and grace. In This World is a tremendous artistic achievement."

Responding to Parks review, Doug Cummings, host of FilmJourney.org (formerly of the Christian film review site Chiaroscuro), says, "I think this film really conveys the atmosphere many refugees must experience day to day—the endless waiting and hurrying using every available kind of transport, the split-second decision making choosing which smuggler to trust with your life savings, the dangerous travel—one error and you may not live to regret it. Many don't. All in all, a very strong film, not to be missed."

But Movieguide's film critic responds to the movie merely by declaring that the Middle East is just a "devastated" land. The reviewer explains, "What makes England so attractive is the direct result of its Christian heritage. Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq can all be recovered if they would shake off the horrors of Islam and accept the free gift of grace in Jesus Christ."

Movieguide's critic also says the film is "tedious and boring, just like real life itself. Some of the movie is unwatchable."

Mainstream critics are responding with praise and even astonishment at Winterbottom's accomplishment. "Winterbottom informs us that, though fictional, his story represents thousands of real lives," writes Elizabeth Weitsman (New York Daily News), "and there is a hardly a false note, which makes this both a difficult and exceedingly memorable film to watch."

A Fiennes portrayal of Martin Luther wins over critics, though some Catholics are skeptical about the details

Director Eric Till's new film about Martin Luther has film critics in the religious press cheering that there is yet another worthwhile film this year that focuses on faith. But when it comes to the historical accuracy of Luther, several Roman Catholics are pointing out some misleading aspects of this period piece about the papacy and its protester.

Holly McClure (Crosswalk) says that the movie explains "in a detailed and wonderful way exactly what Martin Luther was all about and how God used him to change the Church."

Exactly? Steven D. Greydanus (Decent Films) begs to differ: "[Luther] is … one-sidedly positive in its view of the Reformation [and it] distorts Catholic theology and significant matters of historical fact, consistently skewing its portrayal to put Luther in the best possible light while making his opponents seem as unreasonable as possible."

He explains that the film tends to "avoid Luther's notorious anti-Semitism." Further, "It was solidly in the midst of the film's events that we find the historical Luther declaring that no man can be saved unless he renounce the papacy; that Luther's own doctrine cannot 'be judged by anyone, even by the angels. He who does not receive my doctrine cannot be saved'; that those unconvinced of Luther's views must 'hold their tongues and believe what they please'; that even 'unbelievers should be forced to … attend church, and outwardly conform.' Needless to say, such pronouncements go against the film's portrayal of Luther as a champion of 'religious freedom.'"

Still, he concludes, "For a well-made, dramatically compelling historical drama that … takes seriously matters of Christian doctrine even to be made in Hollywood today is an event worthy of note. Luther … is such a film."

David DiCerto (Catholic News Service) agrees that the film is seriously flawed, but worthwhile. "Till's well-crafted biopic veers steadily from balanced historical accuracy toward hagiography. Till deflects blame away from Luther, glossing over his shortcomings with a gilded revisionist glaze. The film also promotes an erroneous understanding of indulgences. While it is certain that abuses involving their dispensation did occur, the film mistakes those abuses for official church teaching. [However,] the historical importance of the subject matter and its central character offer much in the way of thoughtful discussion. Luther is worth seeing."

Movieguide, on the other hand, "can find little or nothing wrong, factually speaking, with the historical portrayal of this part of Luther's life. The movie is engrossing throughout."

"If Luther suffers from anything, it's ambition," says Matt Kaufman (Plugged In). "In trying to cover so much ground, it sometimes moves too quickly, passing over story points that need developing—especially Luther's own process of recognizing God's grace. Even so, the finished product is quite an achievement—a memorable tale of a remarkable man and of the Gospel which transcended all the powers and principalities of this world."

Paul McCain (Hollywood Jesus) likewise declares, "The movie is stunning, dramatic, powerful, and beautiful. The movie takes a few liberties with the sequence of certain events and even some details, for the sake of making sense out of things for the viewer. Where the movie does portray an actual event and relate actual details, the level of fidelity to the actual history is remarkable and powerful."

Michael Elliott (Movie Parables) calls the film "a fair and balanced look at one of the most important figures in all of history."

Angela Aleiss (Religion News Service) says this portrayal of Luther, compared to past productions, "might very well be the most passionate." Her article includes an interview with the director.

At BreakPoint, Charles Colson is pleased to a movie with "an unmistakably Christian worldview that avoids the poor production values and forced religiosity that often turn off even Christian moviegoers. You don't need me to tell you how rare this combination is."

Andrew Coffin (World) calls it, "ambitious in scope, particularly for an independently financed religious movie. The highlights of Martin Luther's life … are vividly wrought here. Luther hits most of its historical marks. The overall product is captivating in a way that most paint-by-numbers Christian-themed movies are not."

Chris Armstrong (Christianity Today) argues, "If there is any misstep in the film, it is the relentless niceness of its Reformer. Throughout we see Luther filling the void left by the old, corrupted symbols of late medieval Catholicism with the simple 'Jesus loves me' theology of a mainstream Sunday school class." But Armstrong concludes, "The film is … historically even-handed. Luther matches grandeur of vision to excellence of execution. The resulting drama packs spiritual as well as entertainment power."

The responses of mainstream critics—quite an array of arguments—are archived here.

Wrestler turns action hero in The Rundown

Famed pro wrestler The Rock plays a restaurateur in The Rundown, but he's not in the kitchen for long. He is soon recruited as a "retrieval expert" and sent to Brazil to retrieve an amateur archaeologist (Sean William Scott) searching for the Gato del Diablo, which is (unlucky for him) an ancient golden idol, not a foreign food establishment. To make matters worse, the locals believe the idol is their only hope for salvation from a wicked slavedriver named Cornelius Hatcher (Christopher Walken).

The Rundown is an action/comedy in the tradition of 48 Hours and Midnight Run, and it is being hyped as the movie that will help Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson transition from being known as primarily as a wrestler to being the new supreme action hero. The film even includes an inside joke suggesting Johnson is the heir-apparent to Arnold Schwarzenegger's throne.

The Rock's character, Beck, is a man with a strong inclination toward nonviolence, and only resorts to it when provoked. But this, according to religious press critics, does not amount to an anti-violence message.

David DiCerto (CNS) says, "The peaceful philosophy to which he subscribes is little more than lip service, a cleverly scripted smokescreen to amp up the applause when his inner ticking time-bomb finally explodes, unleashing his pyrotechnic fury. And while it does suggest several lame violence-is-bad public service announcements throughout the carnage, Beck's path of least resistance leads to the same old Hollywood destination: Mayhem, U.S.A."

Bob Smithouser (Plugged In) agrees: "[The] character's reluctance to carry a gun and his commitment to remain a man of his word are honorable. He's not vindictive or over-the-top. Granted, choosing his brand of action violence over his predecessors' is like choosing a brand of cigarette because it has a better filter. The PG-13 conflict may throttle back, but it's not exactly healthy, either."

Nevertheless, Holly McClure (Crosswalk) blurbs, "This movie rocks!"

Michael Elliott (Movie Parables) says the movie "isn't really that deep. But … the character relationships are fresh and enjoyable. Berg … not only keeps the action lively but he infuses the action with an abundance of humor. [The Rundown] is a fun popcorn flick and as summer distractions go, what's better than that?"

Lisa Rice (Movieguide) calls it a "white-knuckled action film with sporadic moments of breathtaking beauty and laughter. The writing is good, and the comedic scenes are tight. The movie's tone is humanist, with the strength of man and the power of his weapons being the all-important answer to the social ills of third world countries. As with many action films, however, there is no overt preaching to the story."

ThisDuplexis condemned

In Duplex, Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore play a couple whose living quarters become a nightmare when they discover the troublesome elderly woman next door. The only way they can figure to end the nightmare is to devise a way to bring the woman's life to an untimely end.

Critics feel that the best way to bring the nightmare to an end is to get up and leave the movie, or else never to buy a ticket in the first place.

David DiCerto (CNS) says the film is "frequently funny," but director Devito "subscribes to a problematic brand of pitch-black humor that tickles viewers' funny bones with a feather of murderous cruelty."

Steven Isaac (Plugged In) says, "Does your family really want to spend the evening giggling guiltily while watching a little old lady with a target painted on her back?"

Michael Medved (Crosswalk) calls it "a pointless ordeal." And Brett Willis (Christian Spotlight) concludes, "I don't really recommend it to anyone."

Sceneryoutshines story Under the Tuscan Sun

Diane Lane, who won her first Oscar nomination last year for Unfaithful, stars this week in Under the Tuscan Sun, an adaptation of the popular memoir penned by Frances Maye. In this version of the story, recent divorcee Mayes (Lane) embarks on a tour of Italy. Although the tour is officially a "gay tour", Mayes is looking for a man. What she finds instead is a fixer-upper villa with a view of the breathtakingly beautiful Tuscan countryside. She purchases the place, goes to work repairing it, and starts her life all over again. Before long, she finds what she's looking for in the form of a handsome neighbor (Raoul Bova). Are you surprised?

Michael Elliott (Movie Parables) cautions viewers about the film's frequent sexual references. But he adds, "The real meat of the story … can be found in the personal growth that Frances experiences. We see her develop from a broken woman to the strong matriarchal head of a makeshift family. It is important to note that she doesn't change until she begins to reach out to help or serve others. It's a fundamental principle of the Word of God."

Loren Eaton (Plugged In) says it "moves along like a sleepy summer's day in the Italian countryside: Beautiful sights are everywhere and the mood is one of languid relaxation. At its heart, Tuscan Sun is a warm and artful little morality tale that proffers much encouragement and wise counsel to the down-and-out, calling viewers to never give up on life. [However,] nods to licentious hookups and homosexuality will leave adventurous—yet discerning—families wishing they'd picked a different destination."

Movieguide's critic calls it "a depressing movie" and condemns it for portraying a homosexual relationship. "Liberals might condemn us for pushing our morality on homosexuals, but why are homosexuals pushing their morality on us?"

Religious press critics review American Splendor, The Gospel of John

Posting on past releases, Michael Elliott (Movie Parables) and Loren Eaton (Plugged In) ponder the insights available to viewers in American Splendor.

The Gospel of John, a film that follows John's Scriptural account word by word, is gaining more praise from Christian critics. David DiCerto (CNS) applauds the efforts of director Phillip Saville (Metroland): "Beautifully shot on a modest budget and with a running time of three hours, the film … eschews biblical pageantry in order to paint an intimate portrait of Christ true to its source material. The film's tasteful handling of Jesus' death achieves equilibrium between the salvific suffering and the redemptive triumph of the cross, without fixating on its more grisly aspects."

Similarly pleased, Michael Medved (Crosswalk) writes, "The Gospel of John represents such an honorable, even heroic effort that it seems almost unfair to focus on its cinematic shortcomings … but the carefully crafted images never take on a life of their own beside the solemnly recited Biblical narrative and dialogue. [It] inevitably feels like a very high class Sunday school film strip rather than an emotionally satisfying cinematic experience."

Then Medved asks a troubling question: "Why has this New Testament story failed to produce the hysterical denunciations that have already greeted Mel Gibson's upcoming (and superb) crucifixion epic, The Passion? Having seen both films, I can report that neither project deserves condemnation for anti-Semitic messages, though Jewish audiences should feel far more concerned about The Gospel of John."

On the festival front lines

Earlier this month, J. Robert Parks (Phantom Tollbooth) attended the Toronto Film Festival, which is second only to Cannes in importance on the stage of international cinema. He sends back word to the rest of us about great films we should endeavor to see when they come through town or arrive on DVD. "My pick of the fest," he reports, "was a Japanese film entitled Shara. It's directed by Naomi Kawase (Suzuku) and is a moving family drama told with grace and power. Focusing on a teenage boy, his pregnant mother, and artistic father, the movie develops its tale of loss, love, and rebirth with perfectly paced scenes and moments of exquisite beauty."

He was also quite impressed by the documentaries, including Errol Morris's Fog of War, a film on the life of Robert McNamara. "McNamara himself provides some startling admissions and thoughtful reflections. The score by Philip Glass is brilliant, but even better is Morris's gripping editing and sense of pace. What could've been a dry history lesson becomes a powerful exploration of war and the men who wage it."

This week, Peter T. Chattaway is beginning coverage of The Vancouver International Film Festival at Canadian Christianity.

Next week: Jack Black becomes an elementary school substitute teacher and transforms it into the School of Rock.