The Son of God, In My Opinion

Have you ever seen the episodes of The Good Wife when the lawyers get the "In My Opinion" judge?

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They are hysterical.  No matter what the lawyers present or how they present it, she always asks snootily, "Is that...your opinion?" and they have to stop in their tracks, lose all their momentum, and mumble, "Yes, your honor.  That's...my opinion."

So let me tell you about the latest Jesus movie.  In my opinion.

The Son of God

I should let you know what, as a Christian, drives me crazy about Christian movies: they make each and every scene so heartfelt.  The Velveeta flows out of the screen regardless of whether Jesus is healing someone, rebuking someone, turning over the tables in the temple...it's like everyone goes too far in trying to imbue everything with so much passion and meaning.  Jesus was a person.  He interacted with other people.  Truthfully?  I don't think the day-to-day business was that remarkable.  It was probably normal.  Maybe even boring at times.  Because that's human life.

But I also think Jesus was all kinds of fun to hang around because he attracted the sinners.  The fun was not with the religious folk then, and a lot of times, it's not now either.  I don't think he attracted the full attention of prostitutes and tax collectors and liars and thieves by being cheesy and heartfelt.  He was loving, sure, and he performed miracles.  But I'm sure what tugged on their little sinner heartstrings was that he treated them with dignity.  He dealt with their flaws and let them see his frustration, and in the end, his fear, and in the very end, his submission, and in the new beginning, his Godliness.

And that didn't make them cheesy, either.  It made them powerful.

So why portray him this way on film?  Grrrr.  Son of God is a pretty good movie, and I'll tell you the actor who did the best job: the guy who plays Pilate.

Pilate

I like how Pilate is portrayed in the different gospels.  Sometimes he strikes me as brutal and political, other times, as confused and weak-minded, a puppet.  In this movie, though, he is fed up.  He is done with the Jews and their squabbles and really just wants to wash his hands of them.  He doesn't care about Jesus enough to kill him, and is somewhat affected by his wife who has had a telling dream that he kills an innocent man, a good man.  You can see in his every movement, without a hint of humor or overacting, just how done he is with these people.  

Pilate's reactions, and the occasional snarky-ness of Jesus, was worth watching.  The effects of the movie are well done and the acting is, too.  Just be ready for the cheese.