Despite the fact that this film does deal with the face of Jesus appearing on the side of a house, it doesn't say 'the face appeared, so you must believe.' In fact, there seems to be a message concerning overall faith, even on a secular level, in oneself. Though it fails as it becomes a jumbled affair with too many characters sending too many mixed signals.
The movie begins with an apathetic, unshaven Luke Wilson buying a rather pricey small house in California, literally drinking his life away. We find halfway through the movie (and on the back of the DVD case) that he supposedly only has six weeks to live. In the midst of all this, the face of Jesus has appeared on the side of his house, believed to be a miracle by all in the neighborhood but him.
For me, the film was a predictable affair. Perhaps by the mere description you can call how it ends. I did. The trip there was a little rough and a little fun. The good was in the acting, particularly Luke Wilson. Wilson plays the "down on his luck" everyman fairly well. He also gets a good little emotional scene that's removed from his more recent comedic outings.
And while the story is intriguing, it's muddled by too many characters that sometimes detract from the film's theme. Perhaps the writer didn't realize they were doing this. At certain points, it seems like its wearing it's religious beliefs on its sleeve, like in the priest character on in the supermarket girl Patience (which I'm sure has some meaning in this film). By the end of the film, I felt the message had a universal appeal, in spite of the supporting characters. The many characters muddled the themes.
Overall, the film is worth a watch, particularly for the always dependable Luke Wilson. It incites a little discussion and while others have felt it a little too religious need to remember that some films do require a little thought, and I personally feel that this film does speak on a more universal level, not just on a religious one. The trick is not to let the many characters distract you.
The movie begins with an apathetic, unshaven Luke Wilson buying a rather pricey small house in California, literally drinking his life away. We find halfway through the movie (and on the back of the DVD case) that he supposedly only has six weeks to live. In the midst of all this, the face of Jesus has appeared on the side of his house, believed to be a miracle by all in the neighborhood but him.
For me, the film was a predictable affair. Perhaps by the mere description you can call how it ends. I did. The trip there was a little rough and a little fun. The good was in the acting, particularly Luke Wilson. Wilson plays the "down on his luck" everyman fairly well. He also gets a good little emotional scene that's removed from his more recent comedic outings.
And while the story is intriguing, it's muddled by too many characters that sometimes detract from the film's theme. Perhaps the writer didn't realize they were doing this. At certain points, it seems like its wearing it's religious beliefs on its sleeve, like in the priest character on in the supermarket girl Patience (which I'm sure has some meaning in this film). By the end of the film, I felt the message had a universal appeal, in spite of the supporting characters. The many characters muddled the themes.
Overall, the film is worth a watch, particularly for the always dependable Luke Wilson. It incites a little discussion and while others have felt it a little too religious need to remember that some films do require a little thought, and I personally feel that this film does speak on a more universal level, not just on a religious one. The trick is not to let the many characters distract you.