Grace is a quiet poetry that Catherine Hardwicke puts into pictures. The surprise is in the tremendously nuanced portrayals by Castle-Hughes and Issac (Mary and Joseph). To portray holier-than-thou icons with humanity and vulnerability is a brave and remarkable choice. Perhaps bolder than the Passion, where doubt is absent and the cinematic draw of epic violence over the emotional accessibility of the every-man leap of faith that we forget that we are all capable of each day in our choices of who we love, how we parent, how we choose to conduct ourselves each day. Kudos to the filmmakers for not selling out for a Hollywood high-octane version of a story that has its grace and its power in the daring of humble, real people with humor and fear to make a choice based on their faith, and not on glory. I hope that the subtlety of what a powerful choice the respect for the characters bravery and not cinematic spectacle is not lost on the audience. In my afternoon screening, I saw men and women look to the screen with tears in their eyes, and I hope the film inspires many to trust the quiet srength of the individual that is all but lost in our lives barraged with violence and information. It is an island of peace and hope in an ocean of self-doubt and self-obsession. See for yourself.… Expand

Filmmaker Catherine Hardwicke's relentlessly supercharged, passionate work on Thirteen, the downbeat but compelling story of a teenager's drug- and peer-pressure-fueled downward spiral, not only prevented it from potentially becoming this generation's answer to Reefer Madness but made it the most excitingly directed film of 2003. Unfortunately, Hardwicke then tried to repeat the jump-cut magic in 2005's Lords of Dogtown; the result was an instantly outdated disaster which at best made hundreds of moviegoers want to e-mail 1970s skateboarding wunderkind Stacy Peralta suggesting that he quit dwelling in the past and get a life already. Clearly Hardwicke needed to make a stylistic change, and I suspect that she took on The Nativity Story partially as a professional challenge: how could she tell the simplest, best-known--and to many, many people, the greatest--story of all time, employing the restraint it demands and yet still making it compelling? Very successfully, it turns out: Hardwicke's retelling of the birth of Jesus Christ isn't flashy at all, but it's extremely enjoyable, and all her moves are right on the money: her production designer's eye for the visual and dramatic value of rocky terrain, which makes this a consistently terrific-looking film (especially given its mid-size budget); her charming and tasteful use of the Three Wise Men as light comic relief, and especially her acknowledgement of what over half the globe already knows: that Jesus' earthly parents (and fellow townspeople) had complexions that were somewhat darker than the color of a piece of Bazooka bubble gum. And given that we all know how the story ends, it's truly surprising how much suspense and dramatic tension Hardwicke brings to its climax: when you realize the urgency with which Mary and Joseph needed to find an inn, a stable or someplace else so that Mary could not only have the baby but HAVE! THE! BABY! NOW!! you know that this is a movie that not only had to have been made by a woman, but by a mom. All of this should've made The Nativity Story a sure thing for believer, neophyte and secularist moviegoers alike, so why did it disappoint at the box office? My guess is that New Line was too limited in its marketing approach, relying too heavily on a Karl Rove "go for your base" strategy rather than employing Howard Dean's recently triumphant "50 states" one. Leaving aside those cheesy $1.98 mini-epics dealing with the end of this world and the beginning of the next one that conservative reviewers are always trying to convince us ended up more in the black than Star Wars did, the reality is that faith-based movie hits are born, not made. The two unqualified smashes of this relatively new genre over the last few years did well because, like The Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur in earlier generations, they skewed across the board: Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ benefited from lots of pre-release buzz owing to its sensationalistic subject matter and controversial treatment, while Disney's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, while not ignoring the Christian subtext, was first and foremost an engaging, skillfully told adaptation of a beloved children's classic. At least I'd rather buy into that theory than believe that droves of churchgoers stayed away from Nativity because its Mary, Whale Rider's Keisha Castle-Hughes, identified a little too closely for some tastes to her role by getting pregnant at a very tender age. If that indeed was the case, then these individuals need to remind themselves of something that The Nativity Story's subject grew up to say about trying to take the speck out of someone else's eye when you've already got a beam in your own!… Expand

What a huge dung pile. I was bored out of my mind for the duration of this crap.

"The Nativity Story" surprised me, perhaps even moved me. At its core is the story of a teenage girl steadfastly trying to keep her honor against a wave of admonishment by her family. The casting of Keisha Castle-Hughes is key because she still looks like a young child. From their viewpoint, you can understand their confusion and heartbreak at the thought of her laying down with a man. And poor Joseph(Oscar Issac), talk about your bizarre love triangles. At a bazaar, en route to Bethelehem, a vendor rhapsodizes about the joy of seeing your face in a developing one. You can almost literally see the air go out of Joseph; his defeated countenance is priceless, and the consoling hand that Mary offers is a beautiful grace note(now, now, there, there, I'm with you, Joseph, not God). The journey of the three wisemen, and the tyranny of King Herod's rule are necessary evils, essential subplots to keep the Bible-thumpers happy, but the story of Mary and Joseph is for everybody.… Expand

Took the family to see this movie right before Christmas. What an absolutely wonderful rendition of the nativity story! The cinematography alone is worth going to see this flic! Once again the critics are panning a religious movie because it's popular to do so.

Exactly what I went for. Awesome movie. It's exactly what the title says it is. And it's very well done. Telling this story in movie for is powerful and seeing the humanity behind the greatest event in human history is very important.

I really think that this movie is what we need right, now; it's a story of family and love, as opposed to pain and anger. It makes a great counterpoint and compliment to Passion of the Christ.

This film was awfully boring. Why doesn't someone come up with an original idea anymore? If the makers had argued that Joseph really impregnated Mary, then maybe I'd have paid attention. As it was, I fell asleep three to four times during the screening. I had a dream in which someone created an interesting movie about Jesus. Then I woke up and had to watch this drivel.

I really enjoyed the movie. I was surprised and pleased to find the film-makers stayed true to the message of the Bible.

I watched this movie for the second time today. As usual (!), there were people talking in the theatre, but (quite unusual!) they were saying things like, "Oh, that shot is gorgeous!" and "The photography is stunning, and so is the music." I agree. The movie is very beautiful. Some of it does look like a Chirstmas card, and some looks more like (for instance) National Geographic, but every shot is beautifully composed. I also found the acting very good, and I think the whole thing was very intelligently done. The movie does have two strikes against it (neither of which mattered to me very much). The first is that it sticks very closely to the biblical story. Those who expected it to contradict the tenets of Christianity in some way will of course be disappointed. Also, it's rather contemplative. Some people will automatically find that boring. In fact, it reminded me of "The New World," one of my favorite movies of last year. It is similarly beautiful, similarly measured in its pace, and similarly from a woman's perspective -- and I loved it! For what it's worth, I liked it the first time I saw it, but loved it the second time, when I was able to notice even more. BTW, the scenes with Gabriel were some of my very favorite, and I loved that they used a falcon to herald him. That just has so much symbolic resonance -- like a lot of the other details in the film. (I think it was a Lanners, but maybe a kestrel -- does anyone know for sure?). One of the things that impressed me more the 2nd time was the score. Yes, it's Christmas carols, but how interestingly they are used! And they used Anonymous Four for the vocals! How great is that! I loved the movie -- I think it's very intelligent, beautifully photographed and acted, and not at all boring. Of course, your mileage may vary (and I won't mind!).… Expand

Film was Ok but oh so rushed at the end. I can't see how people think it was Biblically accurate. Surely the Wise Men saw the star and then moved to investigate, asking Herod "where is He", because presumably by the time they arrived the star had gone. They would arrive long after the birth, by which time the shepherds would have returned to their sheep and Joseph would have found somewhere to stay other than the stable/cave where the birth took place. Where was the presentation of Christ in the Temple and his circumcision? Why have the Holy family rushing off to Egypt? Why kill all infants under two years if you know the Child was born just the other day? And why didn't the Romans build roads in Palestine - they built good roads everywhere else in the Roman empire! Why be so lazy in Palestine? The other interesting thing about the film was that we saw this the day after its UK release and only two other people were there to watch it. Just as well Christ wasn't born today, because if any angels had come to tell people "go see! A Saviour is born!" they'd have replied "wha? I'm watching the telly, too busy mate...does he save goals mate?" A sad indictment of the spiritual health of UK.… Expand

What a bad movie!!! the bad acting was so evident, they needed to hire better actors, and maybe than i would only raise my grade to a 4, because this is about the 100th time another christmas movie about Jesus has come out.

Touching, real and a breath of fresh air. Perfect timing for such a movie. Thank you for making it and releasing it at Christmas. Delivered new persepctive of what a young girl and a loyal man must have went through, being asked to do such a holy and unexpected task. Kudos to the writers and actors.

There's something missing from this film, even though the quality is good and the Biblical storyline is accurate. There seems to be little sense of purpose in the acting, and the cinematography adds to the drab feeling...no vibrant colors at all, even with the Wise Men and their outfits. Way too much brown and gray. Even the greens were flat. At least some vibrant colors could've added some spark to this dull visual spectacle. Even critical parts, like the angelic appearances and the Holy Spirit appearing in the form of a dove, come off flat. The flights of the dove almost look like file footage! You're hardpressed to know if it's a dove or a pigeon. It's strength is in the Biblical storyline, but unfortunately, the screenplay and the acting don't flesh out the urgency of the story. I really appreciated the focus on Joseph's character as a young man...character in the sense of the man himself, and his importance in this story. If there's one thing the movie exposes, it's the background story of this man who lived through such an historic event. And you're able to feel a bit of the tension and fear of the unknown that both he and Mary experienced. As a young couple from a small village, they truly had to trust God that everything happening to them was working together towards the birth of Jesus, the Savior for all mankind. Would you and I have had that type of faith?… Expand

Please go see this film! It is a beautifully told story! The acting is phenomenal and the scenery is gorgeous. You witness the sacrifice and humility that Mary and Joseph endured. It is truly inspiring! The Nativity Story transcends generations and nationalities. This film will become a classic and shown every holiday season for years to come!

This was a visually and spiritually beautiful telling of the nativity story, completely character driven rather than event driven. The scenery, music, and costumes were beautifully rendered. The performances by Oscar Isaacs and Keisha Castle-Hughes were particularly moving and appropriate to the characters. I thought Castle-Hughes caught Mary's "pondering all these things in her heart" particularly well with her expressions and gestures. Isaac brought Joseph alive to me as a good man, who deeply loved Mary, and wanted to believe the angels prophecy that her story was true. I believe this movie will build momentum as Christmas approaches and that people will watch it for years to come at this time. I have already seen it twice and enjoyed it as much or more the second time.… Expand

This is one of the most realistic, non pretentious and possibly most accurate versions of this classic story I have ever seen. My hats off to all those who helped bring this to the big screen again.

If you really must watch a wildly boring religious drama, atleast make it one of the classics like Ben Hur, which used influential techniques in film making (this movie does nothing new or remotely impressive). This is just ridiculous. Apparently since millions wanted to watch Jesus die for a couple of hours, they also wanted to watch his beginning for another grueling couple of hours. But while the Passion was popular for a while before becoming a joke, this one has been a joke from the beginning. And rightly so. The film makers used promising actors and religion as Oscar bate, but no one was biting. I hope to become a film maker, and I know that there are right ways to handle religion and wrong ways (sorry if I sound abnoxious). So Jared B, if you want to know how no one except for the super christians have been giving this a good review, there's my reason why.And anonymous guy, historically accurate might be the wrong word for a movie based on different stories from a book, which disagree with each other on major points (lets just pretend not to notice that, and yes, I have read the Bible, so I'm not talking out my butt). March on christian soldiers and batter my review if you want. This movie sucks, and I'm sorry your strongly biased eyes keep you from seeing that.… Expand

With good scenery, good costumes and a classic story it had everything right but was a little below par. The Nativity Story had some dramatic scenes but it missed that unexplained edge that makes you feel for the characters. One reason for this though was that for one reason or another Mary didn't show any emotion. You waited for her to be strong, cry, smile something but no, a frown never left here face and it was almost frustrating. This and other things didn't help the story move along and in the end it very much tilted to the boring side. Someone who is very religious however may find it to be remarkable and breathtaking.… Expand

I Loved this touching Story of The Birth of Jesus and the rich Background into the times of his life. A must see!