I have many quibbles with the movie but the payoff is very powerful and strong. It's sure to be a big hit for the season. The girl who plays Mary can't act a lick, though.

The movie fails for me when it is trying hard to humanize and develop the backstory, but much more successful when relying on the familiar iconography. Very good sets and locations. Although the scenic route to Bethlehem from Nazareth strains credulity.

Also the music selection is superb. Don't let O Come O Come Emanuel pass you by, nor Of the Father's Love Begotten, one of the most beautiful songs written in recent time. I used to enjoy it in my church choir when I played bass. It always brought me to tears for the exquisite melody and harmonies (we had a good SATB group).

The Passion, Narnia, and this should do more to wake up Hollywood to the great audience dying for such movies.

Also, my wife and I couldn't help but think at times that the Muslims got nothing like this. Nothing to really offer humanity and a lost and searching world. Nothing like this.

Buddhism does (see Little Buddha, a fine movie), but Islam has got nothing on Jesus and it's a shame we don't evangelize Muslims in this country and elsewhere more.

Islam is such garbage when compared to what contemporary Christianity offers to hearts and souls. There really is no other faith like that in Jesus. Blake was terribly wrong when he said all religions are one.

It doesn't matter if the Mary and Joseph story is true as such. What matters is that it glorifies the truth that Jesus was born a human being, that God became man and offered real hope, and not wishful thinking to humanity. This movie helps make the old story fresh.