2 out of 5

Directed by: Mark Pellington

I’m sure that title lends itself to some kind of easy mockery, so I’m not going to try.

There are some things that are okay with this movie.  First is that, for a “faith” film, I think they mostly allow our unfaithful Mr. Poole to retain his cynicism.  I mean, of course, cute child and just-so-happens-to-be-gorgeous-and-understanding-and-single next door neighbor mom help Henry to find his way to relative redemption, all hunky dory, but outside of the generally clunky dialogue – meaning everyone speaks in heavy-handed nonsense – the movie doesn’t try to sell us on Christ, per se.  And Luke Wilson, as Poole, and Radha Mitchell, as mom lady, handle said clunkers like pros.  …There’s also an appreciative over-the-shoulder sense to the camerawork at points, a moodiness not expected in these feel-good types of things, and maybe that’s why people liked director Mark Pellington’s Arlington Road and Mothman Prophesies; I dunno because I watched those like ninety years ago and I didn’t pick up on no nothin’ that made me take notes.  Lastly on the “I guess it’s okay list” we have the way the film tosses in background details for Poole – a broken car window; a constantly bickering family – but doesn’t expound on them beyond, mostly, visual flashes.  That’s an appreciated dose of (sorta) subtlety that, again, we normally wouldn’t see in Hallmarky movies.

But, y’know, otherwise… this is a script I can imagine a high schooler writing.  If only my heathenous schoolmates would accept Christ!…  I’ll write this clever parable in which perpetual doubter Henry Poole’s house develops a water stain that the locals start to worship as an imagine of Jesus; Poole shouts all the believers away until he can no longer ignore the little miracles piling up around him.  Oh, and there’s the most bug-eyed cute little girl to tug on the ol’ heartstrings.  Oooh, ooh, and because I don’t really want to have to worry about grounding this, all of the characters will seemingly not work any jobs, and yet still have money to have free time all the time, and – here’s the most cleverest bit – there’s a reason Poole is so grump grump, but I’ll keep it really vague!

So goddamned clever, and not obvious at all.  Cue Poole berating people on their faith; crying children; etc. etc.  It’s okay.  Until you get to the end, when that delicately balanced pile of nothingness ups its own skirt and discovers there’s nothing there, then titters nervously and disappears into the credits.