The Nativity Story

This drab retelling of Christ’s birth is notable only because its 16-year-old star, Keisha Castle-Hughes, was actually unwed and pregnant at the time of the film’s premiere. (That’s just crazy.) As for the movie itself, it’s a real downer, and while many know of the biblical details behind Christ’s birth (the manger, the three wise men, that rat bastard King Herod), the presentation here is morose and dull. My hopes ran high for this one, because it’s a great story, and it was directed by Catherine Hardwicke, who made Thirteen, a film that had a nice, maverick style. This time out, she goes the safe Sunday-school route and manages to render the birth of Christ into a real sleep-fest. The look of the movie is washed out, and none of the performances are notable. It’s as if the cast had a real miserable time making it. It’s quite the feat to make the story of Christ’s arrival this uninteresting.