Faith on Film: The Bucket List

Most would probably assume The Bucket List fits in the Faith on Film Festival because it’s got one of those Bible-thumpin’, televangelist-themed confronting your own mortality messages, where you could have the following conversation after watching it with someone you know:

“Jack Nicholson’s looking old.”
“He is old.”
“This wasn’t his best role.”
“Yeah, I liked him better as the Joker.”
“Heath Ledger was a better Joker though.”
“He was. But Jack’s a better actor overall. He was great as that Marvin guy in As Good As It Gets.”
“There were a lot of good people in that movie.”
“Yeah—Helen Hunt, Cuba Gooding Jr., Greg Kinnear. Even Skeet Ulrich.”
“It’s freaky how much he looks like Johnny Depp. Too bad Skeet can’t act as well as him.”
“Yes, it’s a shame. But Johnny Depp can’t act as well as Jack Nicholson either.”
“I don’t know, he’s a really talented actor.”
“Well let’s compare their bodies of work.”
“As long as we’re not comparing bodies—that would give me the willies. Let’s have at it.”
“Should we start with Depp’s role in 21 Jump Street or Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare.”
“OK, you win.”
“Speaking of Freddy’s dead, and given that we just saw a movie on making a list of stuff to do before you kick the bucket, and you mentioned Heath Ledger who left this earth way too soon, have you considered what might happen to you after you die?”
“I’ll be gone for good? Like Cuba Gooding Jr.’s career?
“Um, right… but where will you go?”
“Hopefully not to a place where I’ll be forced to watch Daddy Day Care or The Land Before Time XIII again and again for eternity. Because that would be hell.”

But I’m not going down that road here. Instead I’m focusing on what Morgan Freeman says: “Either get busy living or get busy dying.” Oh wait, wrong movie—that one involved digging tunnels and a self-righteous prison warden, though it certainly had its major share of faith-based elements too (maybe we’ll tackle that one eventually).

For those who haven’t seen The Bucket List, Jack and Morgan are two cancer-ward roommates who make a list of things to do before kicking the bucket. They were things like go sky-diving, travel the world, and for some strange reason, drive some old hot rods really fast on a race track, and then crash them (I’m thinking that would dislodge a catheter, but that part of the plot remained unexplored). What was so relevant here was that doing everything on their list wasn’t what brought them the fulfillment and closure they were seeking in life. It was the relationship stuff. For Morgan, it was re-building his marriage. For Jack, it was re-connecting with his long-estranged daughter.

With faith, like in real-life, it’s not a matter of “do.” It’s a matter of “is.” “To-be’s” are much more important than “to-do’s.” I’m a firm believer in the concept that to be connected with God, one must experience Him relationally. Checking things off a list to draw closer to Him just doesn’t do it. It’s rote. Sure, you can do things God-related that can reflect or express a relationship with Him: Jesus healed the sick, people give money, guys walk old ladies across the street, and missionaries travel overseas. But experiencing an act is very different from experiencing the “person” of God. You can do an act of service, read the bible, or say a prayer, but all of that has to be about Him rather than you, the action, or what you get out of it. It’s all about the source of your focus.

There’s a poignant scene where Morgan Freeman is in Hong Kong, and Jack sets up the opportunity for him to spend a night with the woman of Freeman’s dreams—one who is beautiful, intelligent and full of adventurous experiences, such as scaling Everest, the pinnacle feat of his Bucket List. It’s at that very moment that he realizes being with his wife is what brings him the most contentment. He abruptly stops his preoccupation with his list, the “to-do’s” that had wedged him even further away from her than he already had been, and he runs right back into her loving arms—the very place that provided exactly what he was seeking: peace and contentment. He stops “doing.” He “is” with her. He is hers.

It’s a tear-jerker (though I didn’t shed any—no really, I’m serious), but it also has its funny moments too, particularly when Sean Hayes is in a scene. Overall, though, it’s a great representation of faith on film. And it has a great theme song.

FAITH ON FILM: Children of Men

Kicking off the so-called Faith on Film Festival is one of my favorites: the film adaptation of P.D. James’ Children of Men.

As a warning, though, this is not a movie for the easily offended. Still, Children of Men is quite a feat. You can go on and on about its cinematography, the action sequences, the seven-minute cut-free take of a frantic run through an urban battle zone, the recurrent symbolism of background minutia, and of course, the fine acting performances by Clive Owen, Michael Cain and Julianne Moore. But it's the message of sacrifice and the sanctity of life that's so incredibly illustrated. The dark, futuristic setting where no human has been born in twenty years for reasons undiscovered has the U.K. government initiating a holocaust of sorts with non-British segments of the population, elitists valuing preservation of the arts more than human lives, and no one caring a thing for their neighbor. Underground revolutions brew violently in guerilla-styled attacks against the imperialists while the rest of the fragile society clings to little more than apathy and whatever intoxication methods available, seemingly intent to fade away into mankind's extinction.

Yet in the end (spoiler alert), each segment—oppressed victim, soldier, rebel, bystander—is completely awestruck at the sound of a newborn's cry, the first in nearly two decades. Humbly, the warring crowds part sides as the mother carries the little miracle between them. Then, in the blink of an eye, anarchy ensues once again.

I also love Clive Owen's every-man who's lost his faith and reason for living, stuck in the doldrums of a meaningless, hopeless existence, until he discovers the one who can literally save humanity. Instantly, he finds his purpose, letting nothing stand in his way to shepherd them to safety. It consumes him, and a handfull of others, regardless of never even really knowing the mother--but that matters little with what is at stake. In the end, blood is shed to the ultimate degree, a sacrifice made on behalf of another so that new life is made possible.

Too bad not many saw this film—if you didn't, go rent it. Just be cautioned it’s not for everyone (my wife did not like it) because of the excessive violence, f-bombs and a grueling childbirth scene. But it’s amazing, not just as a piece of artwork, but also because of the messages of hope, life and sacrifice it contains. Definitely not a positive, happily-ever-after story—in fact, to say it was bleak would be a gross understatement. But so is saying it's a good flick. Based on its overall theme and message, Children of Men is, without a doubt, a glaring representation of faith on film, and gives a heavy dose of discussion fodder.

FAITH ON FILM FESTIVAL

Much of the Religious Right claims that Hollywood has this thing against Christians. I’m sure there are some legitimate merits (such as The Golden Compass), but for the most part, I really disagree. If there’s a bias against believers in Showbiz, I think a lot of it is self-induced, and also has more to do with the world in which we live rather than Tinseltown specifically. So instead of calling for more faith-based flicks to be released in theaters each week, such as Facing the Giants (which I liked but was pretty hokey), or railing against the system for reasons that are often more political than genuine, what everyone really needs to do is just open their eyes: faith is on film everywhere.

I certainly agree there is a huge void of family fare, but the last thing we need is an onslaught of movies stamped with a fish sign that are full of diluted quality for the sake of presenting a message. Also, as believers, if we really want the world to listen, we don’t need any more movie efforts seeking to draw the line even deeper in the sand with a single audience in mind. While I’m sure those types of movies are well-intentioned, all they really do is segregate the Gospel’s open message of hope, grace and redemption from the rest of society. It’s just a die-hard truth that your next door neighbor who doesn't give much thought to religion isn’t going to plop down ten bucks to go see some faith-based flick like The Last Sin Eater--which was an excellent novel from Francine Rivers, but I didn't quite buy it as a movie (maybe it was the incredibly cheesy special effects). But chances are that non-believing neighbor sees a lot of mainstream films on a regular basis. If we want to have intelligent, comfortable, yet relevant conversations with others about what we hold most important, we've got to be on level ground with them, and movies create that shared medium.

So in that vain, I’m establishing a virtual film festival (cue the orchestra...) celebrating the faith-based messaging we see in movies more often than we probably realize. While there is a niche in which a studio or two caters to the Jesus crowd with offshoots like Fox Searchlight after The Passion box-office phenomenon, overall, including biblical themes is not an agenda most Hollywood producers carry. Yet, it’s impossible for them to avoid, because these elements are deeply woven within the very fabric of human life. Some of the greatest films ever made, and many of my favorites that are not quite as critically acclaimed (The Three Amigos anybody?), are anchored by aspects of faith: redemption, sacrifice, unconditional love, grace, truth, purpose, hope, the sanctity of life and more.

So that’s what will be recognized here: movies that either blatantly or unintentionally present these elements in varying degrees. OK, it's not really a film festival--it's just me sitting in the recliner tapping away on my laptop in between glances at the TV screen. So it won’t ever be Sundance, Tribeca or Cannes, and you’ll have to get the popcorn, Twizzlers and coke on your own. But check these movies out if you get the chance, look for the aspects of faith on film, and use them as a springboard for conversation.

We'll kick things off with one of my favorites, a movie that was brilliantly adapted from the pages of a well known novelist. Tune back soon.