The worst mistake you can make if you're making a dopey devil movie is to take the whole thing too seriously. Devil movies are silly entertainments at best, with The Exorcist being a rare exception. Movies like Roman Polanski's The Ninth Gate fail utterly because they take a cornball premise and treat it as high art. Bless the Child isn't a good movie. It certainly isn't a scary movie. But it moves along at a reasonable clip and, since it never pretends to be anything but light entertainment, it meets its modest goals relatively well.
The Story: Unto You a Child is Born
The story starts in 1993, with the first appearance in 2000 years of the Star of Bethlehem. Kim Basinger's character barely has time to state that she isn't sure if she believes in mystical events before her addict sister shows up, gives Kim her baby, and goes away. Saint Kim is a financially strapped nurse, but she cares for the child as her own, even though the girl displays signs of autism and needs to go to a special Catholic school- Kim's only concern is that the school might be too religious.
There's no such thing in this movie. Six year old Cody (Holliston Coleman)is a very special little girl who can heal dead birds. Her turn ons include rosaries and spinning plates. Turn offs are computer generated rats and Satanic child killers. Of course, the Satanists are really after this particular little dumpling. Fortunately, she will be protected by seminary student turned FBI agent Jimmy Smits and a host of angels.
Only the Bad Ones Are Old and Ugly
In this one, good is good and bad is bad. The good people look good. Basinger is such a personification of virtue that she never shows a moment of selfishness or even a second of sexuality. Never has Basinger so completely resembled a Barbie doll. Her character is often imperiled, but there's no need to worry about her. You can't really hurt Barbie. Even if Basinger's head fell off (as another character's does), I'm pretty sure she'd be able to stick it back on and flash yet another concerned smile.
Smits is just as virtuous, just as pretty, and just as tough to hurt.
The bad people look bad. You just know Rufus Sewell is going to be bad from the first time you see him because he has a creepy eye. Watch out for people with creepy eyes! Especially if they are running odd cults and wear too much black. Sewell is actually pretty fun- he's a little callow for a Satanic bigwig, but he plays the tired old tripe with some energy and even a modicum of humor.
Not surprisingly, the most interesting performer is Christina Ricci in a small role as a young woman who is trying to break out of the Satanic cult. Not only is Ricci the most talented actor in the film but her role actually shows some shades of gray. It's easier to play a character who is more than just a black or white hat.
He Has Not Abandoned You
One thing I genuinely liked about this movie is that Christianity is treated with some respect and affection. I enjoy stories that exploit Christian mythology much more if they include angels as well as demons- shouldn't God and the Devil work as sort of a package deal? I mean, you can have a story about God without including Satan, but going the other way always strikes me as cheating. This is a movie where prayer works. I wouldn't have been surprised if the determined little nuns had helped to defeat Satan's minions by removing the spark plugs from their car (hey- it worked on Hitler's guys.)
Personally, I think this one should have had a PG rating. I think young teenagers would enjoy it. The violence is cartoonish, and the special effects are completely unconvincing. A PG rating would also have helped to prepare audiences from being disappointed by how tame Bless the Child is. Anyone looking for real scares or any originality will be severely disappointed.
If you like silly devil movies, this one is okay. If you don't, you'll want to skip it. In any case, it's probably a good idea to wait until it's on TV. You won't miss any great spectacle on the small screen, and your wisecracks won't bother anyone but your friends and family.
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