A film has been made that so embodies the holiday spirit that it will be thought of for years to come as the quintessential Christmas movie. It will be a part of the American December ritual forever, an irreplaceable piece of the national consciousness. That film is It's a Wonderful Life. On the other end of that spectrum is The Nativity Story, which, despite its promising premise, falls short of its goal to become a yearly must-see.
2,000 years ago, a young woman named Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes), betrothed to Joseph (Oscar Isaac), a man she doesn't love, is impregnated by the spirit of God and told she will give birth to a Messiah. No one believes her story but Joseph, and as the two travel to Bethlehem, Mary falls in love with her new husband. Finally, in the presence of three wise men and a whole lot of sheep, she gives birth to a son, Jesus.
The film is the first to premiere at the Vatican because of its supposed message of peace on Earth and good will towards men. Instead, however, the film is mostly a convoluted history lesson broken up by moral sound bites that have no real bearing on the plot. Where the film truly fails is in its attempt to psychologically profile Mary and Joseph. It starts to delve into the holy couple's minds before, unsure of itself, it backs away and returns to its textbook formula. The Nativity Story, though it tells of a miracle, is strikingly ordinary.
