Wrong About Critics, Wrong About Movies, Wrong About Faith
Posted on October 20, 2014 at 2:36 pm
I am not going to give the people behind the idiotic and offensive press release I recently received the recognition of identifying them by name, but the claim that they make is one I have heard often enough I need to respond. The headline: Film Critics Don’t Get Faith Films. This shows no understanding of critics, movies, or faith. It disingenuously uses Rotten Tomatoes’ audience score to “prove” that audiences can like a film even when critics do not, overlooking two key points. First, the audience score will always be higher than the critics score because by definition the people who buy tickets are already interested enough in the film to make a commitment of time and money and once having done so, are even more likely to be fans. Furthermore, the audience score can be influenced by relatively few numbers, especially if the filmmakers get their friends to cast positive votes.
Films like “The Identical” and “Left Behind” do not get bad reviews because critics don’t “get” faith-based films. They get bad reviews because they are awful films. These films are not just decidedly below average by any standard of drama or aesthetics; they are also bad theology. Referring to a couple of Bible verses and omitting sex and bad language is not enough to make a film “faith-based.” And, more important, it is not enough to make a film spiritually challenging or nourishing. “Faith-based” movies should be held to the same standards of critical review as any other film. And it is fair to expect them to meet or exceed those standards. Note that critics for faith-oriented publications have given bad reviews to these films as well.
I love to see movies that inspire audiences to make a deeper connection with God or to live a more humble and compassionate life. But too many “faith-based” films have the shakiest of theologies and are more interested in perpetuating a narrow, claustrophobic, smug brand of Christianity than they are to exploring the teachings of Christ.
I object to the notion that “faith-based” refers to only one narrow segment of Christianity. Even within that category, however, many of the movies fail in what should be their primary purpose: to challenge viewers to become better Christians. Unfortunately, instead too many of these films serve only to congratulate the audience for their superiority or promote a culture of victimhood. Instead of inspiring generosity toward others, they fuel divisiveness and prejudice.
I have found a lot to admire in some “faith-based” Christian films like Christmas with a Capital C, 
I encourage everyone to read the thoughtful essay by Steven D. Greydanus, a longtime critic for Catholic publications, called Do atheists and agnostics make the best religious movies? His excellent list omits my favorite movie about Jesus, however, The Gospel According to St. Matthew
“Faith-based” should apply to any movie that seeks to deepen our connection with the divine. And “faith-based” or not, all movies should be evaluated on the quality of their story-telling.
Thanks for highlighting Pasolini’s Gospel According to Matthew, Nell — the one film I most regretted omitting from my piece! If I hadn’t already been well over word count, it would have gotten a paragraph at least.
Thank you both! Steven, your list was superb and had some titles I did not know. But more important was the underlying point, that it is the content that matters and that sometimes those who grapple with the most profound questions can provide more illumination than those who do not engage fully. And Stephen, much appreciated as well, and I agree entirely with your comment.
Great stories from both of you, and very happy someone responded to that lunk-headed PR pitch. (And always nice to see Pasolini name-checked, as well as “The Last Days of Sophie Scholl.”) I think the problem may be that too many “faith-based” filmmakers are thinking of simple sermons first and complex cinema second; too often their films’ message seems to boil down to “Everything Is For the Best.” And while that’s a comforting thing to tell ourselves, to be sure, it leaves very wide areas of faith, and doubt, unexplored.
I really enjoy Stephen Greydanus’s reviews and essays and I agree with your point here… However, many evangelical people I know really, really do like “faith-based movies,” just as they like “Christian” fiction. Things that you (and I) find off-putting, such as throwing a Bible verse or a scene of Scripture reading or a moment when a character prays and gets a prayer answered, really MAKE a film or book for them. They do not find these things to be add-ons, or trite, or unlikely. They find them to be welcome acknowledgments of how they really live and expect the world to work. I don’t like that kind of film or book either but I understand my friends’ point: They read Scripture every day, they pray about literally everything, they go to church and Bible study and prayer groups… these ordinary parts of their lives are missing from nearly all television shows, movies, and novels. While it is important that their movies and books get better, it is not unreasonable at all for millions of people to be happy to see things they do every single day of their lives appear as normal, positive parts of life in films, television, and novels. The fact that established writers and directors apparently don’t have enough imagination and/or understanding to do so is a failure on their part.
Thanks for a great comment, Ms. Finke. I agree entirely. I am in no way suggesting that anyone, believer or not, is not entitled to form his or her own opinion about a film for any reason, from the fact that a character prays to the color of an actor’s eyes or the splashy special effects. My only point was to respond to the attack on critics and the implication that our reviews are biased or ignorant. I am challenging the makers of “faith-based” films to do exactly as you suggest, tell stories with greater imagination and understanding. I am a person of faith who writes for Beliefnet, and I would like to see faith portrayed honestly and meaningfully in movies.