Mary and Joseph make the hard journey to Bethlehem for a blessed event in this retelling of the Nativity story. This meticulously researched and visually lush adaptation of the biblical tale follows the pair on their arduous path to their arrival in a small village, where they find shelter in a quiet manger and Jesus is born.
It's not exactly the dullest story ever told, but it's certainly not the greatest.
– Claudia Puig,
USA Today,
1 Dec 2006
fresh:
I have to hand it to Hardwicke: I was a lot less bored by The Nativity Story than I feared I'd be.
– Stephanie Zacharek,
Salon.com,
1 Dec 2006
rotten:
...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.
– Keith Phipps,
AV Club,
2 Dec 2006
fresh:
We just haven't had too many films that concentrate on this story.
– Richard Roeper,
Ebert & Roeper,
4 Dec 2006
rotten:
Of course there is nothing inherently wrong with preaching to the converted -- secular Hollywood does it all the time. But I confess I wish the movie had some of the passion of The Passion of the Christ.