Bless The Child

Release Date: Aug 13th, 2000

Cast :

Director: Chuck Russell 

Bless The Child presents a great moral dilemma.  Its not the battle of good versus evil or Satan versus God as the movie’s premise and idea attempt to convey.  Actually, it’s the dilemma of does a movie this bad deserve the time and energy to write a fitting review, or should I just say, this movie a mess, a terrible waste of 2 hours, avoid the theater and the surrounding roads in case its stench emanates outside the multiplex.  A great dilemma indeed, but one that must be undertaken, so that hopefully I can sway at least one person reading to avoid this cruel and unusual cinematic punishment.

The movie attempts to be so many things and achieves none of them.  It wants to be a religious drama (ala Stigmata, End of Days, The Exorcist and writer Mace Neufelds own The Omen), it wants to touch on the effects of religious zealots on society, the evils of the occult, serial killers, paranormal communication, other worldly presences and abilities, just to name a few.  A movie with that much on its plate needed a super director just to balance and do even one of those topics well.  Unfortunately, Chuck Russell undertakes and accepts this task, and should have all of his Hollywood credentials pulled.  The result is a confusing, lethargic vision, which lacked potential from the beginning.  The movie careens through chase scenes, holding them together with confrontations, throwing in cameos (Ricci, Holm) for unknown reasons, other than maybe to announce and attempt to explain the plot, and ultimately showing that all Max Von Sydow in The Exorcist, needed to exorcise Satan was some gasoline and a high caliber pistol.

The plot doesn’t deserve the energy it will take to type this sentence, but in all fairness, here goes.  Basinger is, conveniently enough, a mental health nurse who ends up caring for a young child when her strung out sister leaves the child in her care.  Flash ahead throw family growth and bonding sequences, to 6 years later.  Thanks to Basinger’s perfectly positioned newspaper, we learn that the town is in the throws of a serial killer, who is murdering kids, all born on the same day.  Also, since Basinger watches TV, we are introduced to Eric Starke, a former child star (another in a long line of unnecessary points) who leads the New Dawn, a religious enlightenment group.  Tying it all together, Smits plays an FBI agent, brought in to solve the murders, and who is suspicious of Starkes activities.  Lost yet?  Care anymore?  Neither did I.  The characters are never developed beyond a few lines thrown in (Smits is a former seminary student, who will no doubt “find God again” during the investigation into the child’s kidnapping, Basinger has relationship problems, and cannot bear children.  In the words of the Church Lady, “how conveeennient.”  Nothing in the story is ever focused on for more than a passing moment.  Occasionally, Russell shows that he has a big budget, by throwing in some visions of winged beasts, or dreams of rat filled rooms.  More money should have been given to the editors of this story, who obviously held some kind of grudge against someone, in order to have let this drivel make it onscreen.

Debating the inability of Kim Basinger to carry a movie would be akin to discussing the merits of movies starring professional wrestlers.  It is a redundant point, but it can be a lot of fun. Basinger should take that little gold statue, disappear like a thief in the night, and wait for her turn on the E! True Hollywood Story on talentless Oscar winners.  She spouts the most ridiculous lines with a conviction that seems like she actually thinks what she is saying matters. If she read this script, and actually thought, “Hey, this will be a good career move” then she is indeed as clueless as she is talentless.  Then there’s Jimmy Smits, who left NYPD Blue to broaden his career and talents.  There was hope after Price of Glory, but playing a cop onscreen, after playing one on TV does not show much versatility, ask David Caruso.  Thankfully, Christina Ricci and Ian Holm get to leave early, thus not tainting their resumes too much, they should be thankful.

Ultimately, Bless The Child is a disastrous mess. The attempt to ride the coattails of The Sixth Sense, and add a religious touch, fails miserably amidst a script that lacks any intelligence, and a story that lacks any cohesion or flow.  Even a blatant plagiaristic theft from the Usual Suspects, an all-time favorite, could not anger me, because at this point, I was frustrated that I actually took time out of my day for this one.  Granted, I do this, so others won’t have to, but this movie really tested that principle.  This movie should be given its last rites, and banished to the dark corners video oblivion forever. (0 out of $$$$)

Agree? Disagree, Questions? Comments?

Tell Me Here

Also see my reviews at:

Cast information and links courtesy of

Go To Reel Rambling Page