Am I Missing Something?

A Disappointing Continuation

A Brilliant Conflict

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

It is tempting to criticize it. and real easy. because each viewer has his perspective about Therese Martin. and , at first sigh, Lindsay Younce is far to be the perfect choice for the lead role. but... . the film has few significant virtues. the first - the atmosphere of Martin family. and the flavour of French XIX century. and, sure, the life of convent. for a not believer, it could seems be too sweet and pink and conventional. for a Greek - Orthodox like me, correct translation on screen of the biography of one of the most loved saints of Romano-Catholic Church. in fact, it is a beautiful portrait. moving hommage. for many reasons. one of them - the performance of Leonardo Defilippis in the role of Louis Martin.

It's been a long time since I've seen the movie. I saw it twice right after it came out. I am a big (if not the BIGGEST) fan of St. Therese! Her story is a story that NEEDS to be made known to everyone, whether Catholic or non, because her doctrine of the "Little Way" is for everyone, all "little souls" as she referred to us all, including herself. True, as one reviewer put it, she was ordinary and the movie may have seemed ordinary. It's hard for me to review the movie these many years from seeing it. People need to know that she did countless acts of love, charity, and humility, for Our Lord. These things were all hidden from those around her, but were made known after her death in her autobiography, which was written only under obedience, not of her own accord.What is interesting is that I heard that they originally had another actress selected as the lead, someone who looked quite a bit like St. Therese, but they changed their mind and went with Ms. Younce, supposedly because she was more attractive. I have wanted to see what the original actress looked like and wondered how the movie would have been if they'd kept this original actress. Surely this other actress would have had her feelings hurt hearing about all of this. Since we've not heard a word from her, she must be practicing St. Therese's virtue! All things happen for a reason.What must be understood is that it was nothing short of a miracle to get a religious movie such as Therese into mainstream theaters! This movie, this Saint, this Message of Love, managed to slip through the cracks of materialistic, capitalistic violence, to shed a soft, sweet light...the light of God. However 'bad' or 'poor' the plot or cinematography may have been according to some of the reviews here, I believe that God works in spite of all that, just to make his sweet princess of a Saint---Therese---known to a world that desperately needs to hear what she has to say. It's TIMELESS! And the soundtrack is phenomenal too! Those voices in harmony raise my mind and soul to God. Isn't it about time that Our Lord has a place in our theaters, where many hundreds of thousands of us sit on our duffs for two or three hours at a time? If we haven't come to Him in awhile, He finds a way to come to us. Pretty cool!

Have you ever seen one of those films where it is bad to the point that it has redeeming comedic values? This is not one of those films, its worse. This film is not only bad, it is one of the worst films I have ever seen. This is one of those films you buy just to feel safer in that there is one less copy in stores for people to buy. The acting in this film was akin to someone poking me in the face until I wanted to destroy the DVD, the player it was played on and, just for safe measure the TV on which it was watched. The musical score, wow... was it just me, or did they play this ultra-generic music every second of the film? The cinematography is annoying at best, with some outdoor shots being used repeatedly and the "shaky-cam" effect being used in the most obnoxious of circumstances.I would normally say "nice try", but I cant this time.

Last weekend I rented this DVD from Blockbuster. I was excited because recently I made trip to Lisieux, France and rediscovered the beauty of St. Therese there. Her relics and memorial chapel were all beautiful, but it was her sweet presence being so closely felt that touched me. Something clicked deep inside me, and I become fascinated by her life and spirituality ever since. I already had DVD of French movie with same title made in 1986, which I watch with admiration for the director Alain Cavalier and actress Catharine Mouchet. It was such deeply spiritual and artistic gem, made with reverence to the solemn simplicity. So I naturally expected a little different perspective from this 2004 movie. But as I turned on the DVD player, it didn't take too long to get disappointed... as movie was dragging on, the disappointment changed into frustration- and anger. On the DVD case it says the film is being endorsed by Vatican. In terms of culture, when did Catholics become such tasteless creatures? I heard that this Luke film's work was made on donations.. what a waste. 1986's Therese has minimal set design and without any lavish costumes, and virtually no outdoor shootings, but it became a masterpiece. Comparing with it, 'low-budgeted project' cannot be an excuse to justify a less than mediocre movie. I even tried to turn on the french subtitle to desperately search for some kind of genuineness of the story...but it was no use. Actress who played Therese doesn't have any resemblance with Therese and acting was amateurish. It must be the director's fault who failed to capture and convey from the depth of little way of St. Therese. i feel insulted by the film, because I love Therese' life so much and her life was a simple but mysterious union with Jesus in midst of horrendous suffering. Her story should be honored in better work of art, in order to be correctly understood.