The Exorcism of Emily Rose

We rarely go to movies in our house – or, to be more exact, I rarely go to movies – mostly because I find most films currently offered to be overly-cgi’d or too bombastic, or intelligence- insulting…and because when I don’t like a film, I go to sleep. My husband got tired of paying good money for me to doze off.

Last Friday, though, we went to see The Exoricism of Emily Rose and I stayed awake! It is an intelligent, gripping courtroom drama that doesn’t tell you what to think about faith, evil, science or anything else; it completely allows you to make your own decisions on the matter and – miracle of miracles – it does not make sport of Christianity.

It helps when the director of a film is a Christian, I guess! But you know what? It shouldn’t require a Christian director to make a film that is respectful of Christianity. But I guess that’s where we’re at, these days.

Add to all of that the terrific lead performances of Laura Linney and Tom Wilkinson, and you’ve got yourself a reason to be bothered going to the movies again! I recommend it highly.

Chiller alert: it’s not THAT scary, but it does have its moments. A few times the young adults in the audience, who were clearly not up on supernatural themes, would begin to giggle at themselves and their own reactions to some scenes. Overheard some interesting conversations in the lobby afterward.

Hugh Hewitt will be interviewing the film’s director, Scott Derrickson, today.

Btw…the film opened at 30million this weekend, which is unusual for an early-September offering. The film industry has been crying all year about the bad box office. Do you think they might come to realize that a good film that doesn’t preach to its audience, but respects its intelligence, and that offers actors who are not outsized glamour-pusses who can no longer convincingly play anything but themselves on screen, and whose political opinions are all-but-unknown? Helllooooo!

Here’s a hint, Hollywood. If the same story was made by Oliver Stone and Starring Julia Roberts and Harrison Ford…well…aside from the fact that Stone would have disrespected and talked down to his audience and Roberts and Ford would have stunk up the screen those roles, I wouldn’t have plunked down ten bucks to see the thing. Think about it.