Christian Comedian Hoodwinks the Box Office

"My, what big box office receipts you have, Grandmother!" "The better to ensure a sequel, my dear!"

The weekend almost had a fairy tale ending, as Hoodwinked!, writer/director Cory Edwards' fairy tale comedy, took a close second-place to Glory Road at the box office. Hoodwinked! earned almost $17 million, turning the Weinstein Company into an unexpected heavy-hitter in the competitive world of feature animation.

Kids were laughing, and even more surprising, their parents were laughing all the way through this inventive, fast-paced caper. Hoodwinked! dismantles the traditional tale of Little Red Riding Hood, uncovering the various untold stories behind each major player—Red (voiced by Anne Hathaway), the Wolf (Patrick Warburton), the Woodsman (Jim Belushi), and Granny (Glenn Close). A host of new characters play memorable supporting roles, including the funniest mountain goat you've ever seen (Benjy Gaither, son of the gospel music legends Bill and Gloria Gaither), a grizzly policeman (Xzibit), a hyperactive squirrel (Cory Edwards), and a frog who should get his own series on PBS' "Mystery!" (David Ogden Stiers).

Box office analysts had predicted a showdown between the basketball movie Glory Road and the Queen Latifah comedy Last Holiday. But now you can call Edwards' film "The Little Red Riding Hood that Could." Edwards, already working on a sequel, is something of a pioneer, as a Christian working in the world of big screen animation—as Peter T. Chattaway notes in his review at Christianity Today Movies, Edwards is also known for his stand-up comedy and for hosting Reasons to Believe with Hugh Ross.

Edwards recently told me that Looney Tunes cartoons were a big influence on him and his co-writers, Todd Edwards and Tony Leech. "People keep asking how you write for adults and for kids, and I still haven't figured out a good answer. All we did was write what we thought was funny." He points out that Chuck Jones and Pixar's John Lasseter have claimed the same thing. "We just write for us. I don't know if that means we're a little bit childish, but we wrote what was funny for us. And I think kids are faster and more quick-witted than we sometimes think. I've written kids' 'product,' but I never write down to children. Even when there's a few jokes they can't quite grasp, they're glad to be a part of it. They're glad to be laughing with the adults."

Edwards, who said he "never thought that my first film would be animated," had also served as producer on Chillicothe, a 1999 independent, live-action film directed by his brother Todd which won favorable reviews at festivals. He also created Wobots, a computer-animated sci-fi adventure for kids released on DVD. Hoodwinked! has made him think about more animated projects, and he describes the experience as "a control freak's dream. 'Can we move the sun over there? Can we delete these trees?'" But he confesses, "I can't wait to get actors in front of cameras again, after being in a room with computers for three years."

Christian film critics are especially impressed at how the film entertains without stooping to crass humor.

Chattaway begins his review by asking readers, "Looking for something a little like VeggieTales, only a little more grown-up and a little more mainstream? Looking for something a little like Shrek, but without the innuendo and other kinds of adolescent humor? Either way, Hoodwinked may be the movie for you."

He calls the film "a wacky, computer-animated riff on classic stories, with a few decidedly modern twists and a handful of pop-culture references. It's also safe for most kids." He points out that some of the jokes are "out of date" and that the animation is less sophisticated than what super-studios like Pixar and Dreamworks turn out. But he concludes that "there's something to be said for keeping the special effects out of the way and letting audiences enjoy the humor for what it is. Hoodwinked isn't a classic for the ages, but it's suitable entertainment for audiences of any age."

"It is a rare movie that is truly funny for both kids and their parents," says Stephen McGarvey (Crosswalk). "Yet the comical Hoodwinked is a surprisingly hysterical offering after a year of underwhelming computer animated films. [The movie] … provides a clever bit of comic storytelling while steering clear of the innuendo or crudity common in even children's movies these days."

Bob Smithouser (Plugged In) says, "Hoodwinked is clean, clever and fast-paced. … [U]nlike Shrek's shotgun tweaking of all tales fairy, this witty CG feature deconstructs a single fable and does it without resorting to crude language, double entendres or bathroom humor. Furthermore, I didn't feel like I was doing penance sitting through it a second time with my kids. Older, more sophisticated viewers will appreciate the story for its intricate architecture, snappy dialogue, outstanding voice work … and subtle cultural references."

Mainstream critics aren't quite as enthusiastic. Some are discrediting it for not living up to the animation standards of a Pixar or Dreamworks picture, but this was a hurriedly made, lower-budget feature from an fledgling animation studio. The fact that the film is consistently funny, clever, and entertaining in spite of its B-grade CGI makes it a worthwhile time at the movies.

Glory Road: Inspiring? Formulaic? Both?

This week's box office champ was about, well, champs.

Like Remember the Titans, The Rookie, and Miracle, Glory Road is a true-story sports movie that aims to inspire you by giving you courtside seats to thrilling games, intimate views of the players' personal dramas, and a widescreen perspective of the historical context during which these events made headlines.

Is it formulaic? Yes, and that has some critics complaining. But it's also true … for the most part. Josh Lucas plays the vigorous coach, Emily Deschanel plays his wife, and the team is made up of fresh-faced and athletic actors, including the always-impressive Derek Luke.

"It's a movie with a big heart, about young men showing a lot of heart, with a storyline that goes straight for the heart," says Mark Moring (Christianity Today Movies). He cautions viewers that "'inspiring' doesn't necessarily mean 'warm and fuzzy.' Like Remember the Titans, this is a story about breaking barriers in a climate of intense racism, and depicting those tensions is sometimes disturbing."

But he concludes that "it's a joy to watch the black and white players learn to overcome their differences and stereotypes, ultimately forming a camaraderie that will not only forge lasting friendships but also a more immediate goal—playing great basketball. Director James Gartner … captures both—and more—with aplomb."

Christian Hamaker (Crosswalk) is also impressed. "Glory Road is formulaic but effective, touched with a fondness for faith and religion. The energy of the first hour dissipates by the time of the big tournament—just when it should be ramping up—but this story of young men blessed with a great opportunity, and their forced camaraderie through shared circumstances, makes for an entertaining film."

Joshua Martinez (Christian Spotlight) writes, "Glory Road is much more than a basketball story; it is a civil rights story where the basketball court becomes the back of the bus."

Not everyone is thrilled with the results.

Steve Beard (Thunderstruck) calls it "intense and uplifting." But he has some serious gripes with the film. "As any sports fan would attest, it's about time somebody made a film about the most monumental college basketball game in history. The storyline is phenomenal. … The tricky part about making a movie about such a tumultuous time in our nation's history is avoiding stereotypical caricatures and attempting to stick to the facts. That only seems fair, especially since most of the principal players in this historic drama are still alive. That is why I was so disappointed in a few major aspects of Glory Road. Two of the most jaw-dropping, tear-jerking racist events in the movie never took place. I am fully aware that other horrible events took place that were not portrayed. Nevertheless, the screen writers did a tremendous disservice by creating composite incidents of the era instead of actually using true-life examples."

And Marcus Yoars (Plugged In) is less than enthusiastic. "As far as effectively relaying the heart of such racial defiance … Glory Road comes though in the clutch. But in the process … it tries too hard. Scenes, characters and impacting messages feel forced and formulaic, as if Disney gave director James Gartner a Hallmark-moment-per-minute quotient to fill. I'm not complaining that a movie can be too positive. I'll take Glory Road over Any Given Sunday any day. But where Hoosiers worked as both a classic sports flick and a life lesson because of its combined subtlety and heroism, Glory Road opts for a little stylistic hot-dogging and a lot of predictability."

Mainstream reviews have been mostly positive.

Tristan and Isolde: Olde classic, not-so-classic spin

Tristan & Isolde is the latest adventure from Kevin Reynolds, the filmmaker who brought us Kevin Costner in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Waterworld, and Jim Caviezel in The Count of Monte Cristo. This time, he casts James Franco (Spider-Man 1& 2) and Sophia Myles as legendary lovers, and Rufus Sewell (Dark City) as the man whose marriage to Isolde complicates matters.

Many Christian critics were enthusiastic about Reynolds' Monte Cristo, but they're not so thrilled with Tristan & Isolde.

Peter T. Chattaway (Christianity Today Movies) glances back at earlier film versions of this story, and says, "The time may be ripe … for a new movie about these passionate figures of folklore, but Tristan & Isolde is not the best that one could have hoped for. It's not that the film is particularly bad; it just isn't all that good. Much of it is predictable and pedestrian, right from the opening scenes."

Christopher Lyon (Plugged In) says the movie "feels sluggish, obvious and a little stagey." He criticizes Franco's performance, and says the narrative "seems designed to make our heroes less and less likable as things progress." He sums it up: "Some will see it as a cautionary tale for chastity and fidelity. But the movie ultimately mixes its messages, making it unclear whether Tristan and Isolde's actions are destructive and self-absorbed or something for the mythological record books—worth celebrating through the ages."

Michael Karounos (Christian Spotlight) says the movie "poses the same problem that Isolde confronts: should we, in our love of entertainment, satisfy our own desires or should we adhere to a morality of principled behavior in all things? If we grow accustomed to condoning adultery on the screen between pretty people we may not be inclined to condemn it in life. At the risk of seeming both prudish and bookish, I think the price of admission is better spent reading Hillaire Belloc's translation of The Romance of Tristan and Iseult."

Mainstream critics agree that this version of the legend is less than legendary.

Last Holiday outlasts its welcome

What would you do if you were told you had only three weeks to live? You'd probably have better things to do than go to the movies. But Wayne Wang's comedy Last Holiday has a thing or two to say about how to enjoy your life while it lasts.

Queen Latifah plays Georgia, who finds herself in just such a predicament, in this romantic comedy loosely based on the 1950 film starring Alec Guinness. As she lunges into risky adventures with gourmet cooking, skiing, and love, the film seeks to inspire people to get out and seize the day. But this Holiday is only inspiring about half of the mainstream critics who have seen it, and Christian film critics are divided as well.

Camerin Courtney (Christianity Today Movies) says, "The problem here … is the fact that too much of Last Holiday is too predictable and unbelievable and tidy. I mean, the willing suspension of disbelief we all initially grant a movie flies out the window when Georgia is snowboarding down an expert slope, supposedly recklessly out of control and yet amazingly displaying skills that would make Olympic snowboarders applaud. This is all the more unfortunate because the plot had potential. If the people responsible for the lovely Euro-gems Dear Frankie, Italian for Beginners, or Bread and Tulips had gotten hold of this script, grated off a couple pounds of cheese, and handled what was left with a much more subtle and nuanced hand, it could have been charming. Instead, it's cheesy and ridiculous."

But she admits, "The flick does have a lot of heart. I can't remember when I've seen a film work so hard to encourage viewers to carpe diem and so determined to provide a happy ending."

Steve Beard (Thunderstruck) calls it "thoroughly enjoyable" and says it's "filled with moments that make you smile. You get the feeling that the cast and crew enjoyed making this feel-good film. In its own comedic way, it does provoke the question of how you would spend your final few weeks on the planet—which I suppose is a good way of discovering what you really are passionate about in life."

Cliff Vaughn (Ethics Daily) writes, "The humor works for several reasons, not the least of which is Latifah's screen presence. … Director Wayne Wang keeps the movie fairly tame in terms of content. Holiday isn't as squeaky clean as Winn-Dixie—there are a few remarks about sexual activity—but it's not far behind." He concludes that the movie "may even inspire you to be more like Georgia—embracing each day as if it were your last."

But Tom Neven (Plugged In), while admitting that it's "a good-hearted movie with lots to say about seizing the day and using the gifts God has given you to help others," concludes that the "gratuitous language and sexual situations" are "especially disappointing."

More reviews of recent releases

Grizzly Man: Steven D. Greydanus (Decent Films) says, "Herzog's efforts to make sense of Treadwell's life, to articulate the meaning that Treadwell himself sought, range from intriguing to banal. The filmmaker's own philosophical resources seem inadequate to the task he's set himself." And he concludes, "At turns fascinating and banal, Grizzly Man is in a sense a fascinating failure, a film that dances around vital questions about the human condition that it is barely able to articulate, let alone address."

Munich: Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin (Cinema in Focus) say, "This documentation of the journey into the hellish depths of vengeance is masterfully done and is one of the most powerful moral messages on film. Munich is a significant film which many may avoid due to its violence, and for understandable reasons, yet it is nevertheless a message needed in our terrorist-plagued and vengeance-ridden world."

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