Everyone knows that unwed, teen pregnancy is a social problem that's affected every society since the dawn of time. It occurs for a variety of reasons (okay, one main one, but various mitigating factors clearly lead to that and the related repercussions), and public and government reaction can and does vary wildly.
While it's not as much of a shock in today's society (despite most women waiting until later in life to marry and start a family), it was nothing short of scandalous in days of old. That's mainly due to stronger and stricter religious morals back then where such developments were considered by many to be an affront to God.
That is, except for one teen by the name of Mary who learned long ago from the angel Gabriel that she would bear the child of God in the form of Jesus Christ. While most practicing Christians believe in the Immaculate Conception, that wasn't known back in Mary's day, thus casting doubt on her word of being a virgin, not only by the local townsfolk, but also her parents and her betrothed, Joseph.
It's a compelling story and one that Christians have accepted with blind faith for several millennia. Now that aspect, as well as Mary and Joseph's arduous journey to Bethlehem, King Herod's attempts to kill the prophesized ruler of men, as well as the travels of the three wise men all arrive in "The Nativity Story."
Considering such material is highly reverential, any such adaptation from outside of a religious body carries with it the potential to elicit controversy (just ask Mel Gibson before "The Passion of the Christ" was released). Accordingly, some conservative types might be a bit worried upon hearing the resume of the film's director, Catherine Hardwick.
After all, she helmed the fictional version of the wild skateboarding documentary "Lords of Dogtown" as well as the disturbing and graphic look at teen girls gone bad in "Thirteen." For others, however, that latter film would seem to be -- in a sort of roundabout way -- something of an interesting tie-in with this film as both feature young teens having to deal with societal and familial expectations of them.
Yet, and before anyone gets worked up in a lather that this adaptation of the famous Biblical story will be some sort of post-modernist retelling of the tale, it should be noted that it's done in pretty much of a straight-forward and reverential way. The film begins with King Herod's soldiers enacting male infanticide in Bethlehem before flashing back a year or so where we meet Mary, her parents, and Joseph.
Due to hard times resulting from Herod's rule, her parents agree to marry her off to Joseph, and that's when she also receives heavenly word that she'll soon bear God's child. As portrayed by "Whale Rider's" Keisha Castle-Hughes, Mary is appropriately taken aback and concerned.
Yet, Hardwick and screenwriter Mike Rich show that more thru her voice-over narration and some pensive looks rather than anything resembling true emotional depth or a realistic response. In fact, the overall movie bears that same cross in that it's a by the books look at the historic event.
Which is too bad considering all of the built-in and rather compelling material. That includes but isn't limited to the arranged marriage, the Immaculate Conception (and reaction thereof from her parents, Joseph and the locals), the royally ordered infanticide, the arduous journey to Bethlehem, and all of the historical and religious implications of what occurred.
Due to the potential of ruffling feathers, such material is obviously handled with kid gloves, but the result is surprisingly inert from a dramatic storytelling standpoint. The devout will probably appreciate the straightforward, reverent approach, but others might feel as if they're watching a rote, Sunday school type presentation (albeit one with good production values and an obviously decent-sized shooting budget).
Oddly, the one "risk" the filmmakers take is in slightly playing the three wise men as something resembling comic relief. Sadly, none of that's funny, and that effort somewhat cheapens the otherwise competent feel the film possesses.
Beyond them, the performers - from Castle-Hughes to Oscar Isaac and Ciarán Hinds - are generally fine, but the straightforward way in which the characters are written pretty much limits anything interesting from developing in terms of character exploration. Tech credits are terrific, with the film being shot on location in Matera, Italy (a stand-in for the real locales).
Okay, but nothing special from a movie standpoint, the film will probably play well to those looking for a respectful telling of the familiar tale, but that very approach robs the film of some potentially interesting insight into the event and/or greater humanization of those involved. "The Nativity Story" rates as a 5 out of 10.
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