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Movies / On DVD / The Nativity Story
The Nativity Story

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The Nativity Story (2006)

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Reviews Counted:125

Fresh:47

Rotten:78

Average Rating:5.3/10

Consensus: The Nativity Story is a dull retelling of a well-worn tale with the look and feel of a high-school production.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for some violent content.

Runtime: 2 hrs 41 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:08-12-2006

Synopsis: A cinematic journey into the heart of history's greatest story, The Nativity Story is poised to come to the big screen for the first time in a major motion picture event. New Line Cinema's The... A cinematic journey into the heart of history's greatest story, The Nativity Story is poised to come to the big screen for the first time in a major motion picture event. New Line Cinema's The Nativity Story chronicles the arduous journey of two people, Mary and Joseph, a miraculous pregnancy, and the history-defining birth of Jesus. The dramatic and compelling film traces the perilous journey of a young couple who must travel from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem, Joseph's ancestral home, to register for a census ordered by King Herod. It is a journey of over 100 miles, through treacherous terrain, made much more difficult by the fact that Mary is nine months pregnant. A New Line Cinema Presentation of a Temple Hill Production, The Nativity Story stars Academy Award® nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider) as Mary, Oscar Isaac (upcoming Guerrilla) as Joseph and Academy Award® nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog) as Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. The international cast also includes Hiam Abbass (Munich, Paradise Now), Shaun Toub (Crash), Alexander Siddig (Syrianna), Nadim Sawalha (Syrianna), Eriq Ebouaney, Stefan Kalipha, Said Amadis, Stanley Townsend and Ciarán Hinds (Munich). The film is directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, Lords of Dogtown) from a screenplay written by Mike Rich (The Rookie, Finding Forrester). The producers are Wyck Godfrey (I, Robot) and Marty Bowen.The executive producers are Toby Emmerich, Cale Boyter, Tim Van Rellim, Mike Rich and Catherine Hardwicke. The co-executive producers are Judd Funk and Michael Disco. The film also features an outstanding production team which includes cinematographer Elliot Davis (White Oleander, I Am Sam, Out of Sight), Production Designer Stefano Maria Ortolani (Art Director on Gangs of New York and The Talented Mr. Ripley), Film Editors Robert K. Lambert, A.C.E. (Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees, Ask the Dust) and Stuart Levy, A.C.E (Any Given Sunday, Jesus' Son), Costume Designer Maurizio Millenotti (The Passion of the Christ, Tristan and Isolde, Immortal Beloved) and composer Mychael Danna (Little Miss Sunshine, Capote, The Ice Storm). New Line Cinema will release The Nativity Story (rated PG by the M.P.A.A. for "some violent content") in theaters nationwide on December 1st, 2006. -- © New Line Cinema [More]

Starring: Shohreh Aghdashloo, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Eriq Ebouaney, Ciaran Hinds

Starring: Shohreh Aghdashloo, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Eriq Ebouaney, Ciaran Hinds, Alexander Siddig, Shaun Toub, Tim Van Rellim, Oscar Isaac, Stanley Townsend, Star, Stefan Kalipha, Farida Ouchani, Alessando Giugglioli, Said Amadis

Director: Catherine Hardwicke

Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Producer: Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey
Composer: Mychael Danna
Studio: New Line Cinema

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Reviews for The Nativity Story

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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Catherine Hardwicke (Lords of Dogtown, Thirteen) may seem like an unusual choice for a Biblical epic, but she proves an inspired choice, choosing to focus on the authenticity of the story, primarily through Mary.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
12/30/06
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

With a fresh approach to the birth of Jesus, Hardwicke (Thirteen) tells the biblical story with energy and spark, adding layers of meaning that give the film a bit of a kick.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
11/30/06
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Surprisingly sedate telling of the rather well-known tale from Catherine Hardwicke.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
11/29/06
Ian Freer
Ian Freer
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
12/30/06
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
12/30/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
01/02/07
David Edwards
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
12/30/06
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

... The Nativity Story sticks to the familiar details of the narrative and dramatizes them with sincerity and good taste.

comment Comment
11/30/06
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It might not hook nonbelievers, but the choir might sing hosannas.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
12/01/06
Amy Biancolli
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle

This drab exercise in glum piety slumps where it should soar, sapping the story of its mystery and transcendence with an overriding sense of literality.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment 2 Comments
11/30/06
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post

Director Catherine Hardwicke pays attention to details about simple things like clothes, food and activities that make 'The Nativity Story' seem so real.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
12/01/06
Betty Jo Tucker
Betty Jo Tucker
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

The Nativity Story becomes the anti-Passion, a movie that makes a statement against violence rather than exploiting it.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
11/30/06
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic

A refreshingly unadorned example of straightforward storytelling.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
12/01/06
Bill Zwecker
Bill Zwecker
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Nativity Story is a thoughtful addition to the Christmas movie canon. It tries to locate the spiritual in the everyday, and it has an open, welcoming heart. You don't have to buy anyone's creed to know that that's good.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
12/01/06
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

With only twenty-four praying days left before Christmas, New Line opts for the filmmaking commandment "Thou Shall Not Seek Controversy."

Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
12/01/06
Brent Simon
Brent Simon
FilmStew.com

Yes, there is something about Mary. Something inspiring. Something hopeful.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
12/01/06
Carrie Rickey
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer

The Nativity Story is refreshingly original, an inspiring version for our age and, maybe, for the ages.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
11/30/06
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune

True believers deserve better than this lazy lump of holiday coal.

Full Review Source: Miami Herald | comment Comment
12/01/06
Connie Ogle
Connie Ogle
Miami Herald

...allows us to think of the parties involved as real human beings and not just characters from a Sunday school lesson.

Full Review Source: Beaumont Journal | comment Comment
11/30/06
Danny Minton
Danny Minton
Beaumont Journal

How moved you are by this holiday fare depends, beyond basic human empathy, on your piety (or nostalgia for childhood readings and Nativity plays).

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
12/01/06
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
 
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Latest News for The Nativity Story

November 29, 2007: Box Office Guru Preview: Mr. Skywalker and Ms. Storm in New Thriller
Only one new film ventures into wide release. Studios typically avoid opening worthwhile pics during the weekend after the Thanksgiving frame since moviegoing subsides and... More...

November 30, 2006: Critical Consensus: "Nativity" Is Too Safe; "Turistas" Not Worth Trip
This week at the movies, we've got a new take on the first Noel ("The Nativity Story," starring Keisha Castle-Hughes), endangered Americans in Brazil... More...

November 30, 2006: Box Office Guru Preview: "Nativity" Leads Trio of New Releases
The post-turkey blues will kick in as the North American box office should slump this weekend following a busy Thanksgiving holiday frame. More...

November 10, 2006: The Weekly Ketchup: "Borat" Great Success, A New Sarah Connor, "Transformers" Travails, And More!
In this week's Ketchup, "Borat" blows away the box office competition, a new Sarah Connor is set for the small screen "Terminator," and Shia LaBoeuf... More...

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