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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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21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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For a film about the birth of Jesus, there's nothing particularly joyous or inspiring - just dull, disinteresting details that too strongly disconnect from the human frailty and folly that is hinted at in the story.

Full Review Source: State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL) | comment Comment
12/08/06
Nick Rogers
Nick Rogers
State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)

Perhaps this disappointing movie will inspire an up-and-coming filmmaker to sense the true potential of this story, and to deliver the first great film about the nativity.

Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
12/07/06
Jeffrey Overstreet
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer

Just about as perfunctory and old-fashioned as can be.

Full Review Source: Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus | comment Comment
12/06/06
Bryant Frazer
Bryant Frazer
Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus

A motion picture depicting the birth of the Savior ought to stir the soul, not just pass time during a frantic holiday season.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
12/06/06
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

There's a reason why Christmas pageants tend to clock in at about 20 minutes -- a reason that Hardwicke's 100-minute film demonstrates with tedious tenacity.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
12/06/06
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Hardwicke should have looked to the animated The Prince of Egypt, which made the visual and storytelling possibilities of Bible movies breathtaking. This one's just cashing in on a target audience's debt to its faith.

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
12/04/06
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Call me a Scrooge, but director Catherine Hardwicke's rendition of Silent Night, Holy Night plays like a dirge.

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
12/04/06
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

We just haven’t had too many films that concentrate on this story.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
12/04/06
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper

The faithful will be satisfied (if not exactly inspired)...

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
12/04/06
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

You have the feeling that if the camera panned just a little to the left or right you'd see a a catering truck and trailers for the actors.

Full Review Source: KPBS.org | comment 2 Comments
12/03/06
Beth Accomando
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org

The film is made with intelligence, restraint, and it shows proper respect for the story.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
12/03/06
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

A glossy, cinematic creche.

Full Review Source: www.susangranger.com | comment Comment
12/02/06
Susan Granger
Susan Granger
www.susangranger.com

...a filmed Sunday-school lesson that favors a dry, by-the-Book approach over even a suggestion of dramatic interpretation. It's more Christmas pageant than movie.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
12/02/06
Keith Phipps
Keith Phipps
AV Club

Many moments are overpowering and humbling, thanks to the source material. This is not a great film or an especially good one, but I don't have to remind you where its story ranks among those ever told.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
12/02/06
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

A complete surprise: Joseph comes across in this Biblical drama as a more engrossing and mysterious character than Mary.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
12/02/06
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Hardwicke takes scripture that is at once deeply troubling ... and filled with profound hope, and renders it inert on both counts by playing things so safely that the result is almost irreverent.

Full Review Source: Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas) | comment Comment
12/01/06
Mark Collette
Mark Collette
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

Everything is handled with an anvil-like importance, forgetting that, in essence, this is tale of great joy and hope.

Full Review Source: OhmyNews.com | comment Comment
12/01/06
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
OhmyNews.com

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

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

Tailor made for future Sunday school classes everywhere, this by-the-numbers account adds nothing new to the story but has lots of pretty pictures

Full Review Source: Maxim | comment Comment
12/01/06
Pete Hammond
Pete Hammond
Maxim
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
all

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November 29, 2007: Box Office Guru Preview: Mr. Skywalker and Ms. Storm in New Thriller
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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
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