Well, Dave and I finally had a chance to sneak away from the kiddos for a date and we chose to go to a matinee of Bella. Since becoming parents, we don’t get to the movie theater very often. In our BC (“before children”) days, we were true movie buffs seeing virtually every flick that made it to the big screen. From high-octane, action films to sappy love stories, we’d mindlessly watch movie after movie. These days, time and finances don’t allow us to make it to the theater much. Consequently, we’ve become much more choosy about our film selections. A lot of the movies that do make it past our first cut and are deemed worthy of paying nearly eight bucks a ticket still don’t get a raving review from us. But Bella, despite what many of the mainstream film critics might be saying, gets our four thumbs up.
Dave’s exact words after seeing it were: “I just can’t see too many people not liking that movie even guys who like action movies.” (Yes, my hubby likes all those testosterone-driven flicks. In fact, the last movie we saw before Bella was the Bourne Ultimatum.)
It’s unfortunate that not everyone would agree with Dave. I recently saw a film critic who coined the movie as “simple-minded” and criticized it for never directly confronting a woman’s right to choose. Uh, Buddy, you’re totally missing the boat. This is not a movie about the right to choose; it’s a movie about the right to live.
Not that this is surprising. Did I really expect the Hollywood crowd to embrace a movie with a pro-life message and strong Christian undertones? No, Tinsel Town is far too busy spending millions of dollars making anti-war statements to welcome an anti-abortion film.
However, I don’t want to turn this into a pontificating rant against the movie industry. Nor do I intend for this to be a true movie review where I outline a synopsis or delve into the movie’s symbolism. What I do want to do is to encourage you to see Bella, if you haven’t already. Not only is it a well-shot film that’s often aesthetically pleasing to the eye even with its many gritty, city scenes, the acting is superb and it tells a beautiful (bella!) story of selfless love and redemption. And even if you’re not as entertained by the movie as Dave and I were, as Catholics, we have the responsibility to support entertainment that goes out on a limb, helps spread the Good News and sends the powerful message that life – from the moment of conception – deserves to be upheld.
Find Bella at a theater near you here. Oh, and bring some Kleenex.