November 12, 2006

Conversations with God Movie Review

I had known for sometime that there was going to be a Conversations With God movie, and a month or so got some information on the release dates and where it would be, but I never saw it listed for my area. I had forgotten about it since then, figuring that maybe I would catch it on DVD if I ever found it at a rental store in my area.

So it was only by luck that I found out it was playing in my area when I went searching for what movies would be playing Friday. There were only two showings that day, but thankfully I had the day off so I could easily make the earlier time.

I wasn't completely sure what to expect from the movie, wondering how they would make the book into a movie. After seeing the trailer, I gathered that it would be showing author Neale Donald Walsch's path to finally having the "conversations with God." The story of Mr. Walsch really didn't come out until the later books, so a major portion of the movie does come from the later books, but the conversations come from the first book.

I found the pre-conversations biography part of the movie to slow down the movie for the most part, which is not good considering it made up most of the movie. It felt like it only picked up the pace and got more interesting near the end. I found myself wanting more of the messages that came from the book. At the same time, I do see the challenge of making the book into a movie - basically trying to show that Mr. Walsch is only human and does not see himself as being "holier than thou" for having the conversations, which I think it did a good job of. It's a part that is important so the message that comes across does not seem overly preachy to those unfamiliar with the books. Those messages from the book that did come through the movie really just came through as words. I would've loved to see stories of situations that people can identify with to go along with the messages to really drive home the messages for that. The movie would probably have to be longer to do that, which would hurt it only for those people who can't stand long movies.

It would probably work better as some kind of mini-series, potentially leading to a show, on television. But with what we see coming from television these days, my chances at the casino are probably better. I'd give the movie 3 out of 5 stars.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

watched Conversations with God recently... i appreciate the point that Neale Donald Walsch makes about having freedom to admit that he's not perfect so he can move on from where he is.