The Book of Ruth: Journey of Faith (2009)

You won't be disappointed!

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Are there more exciting stories in the Bible? Definitely. But those who complain about the lack of excitement are missing the point. This is a love story, one of the most beautiful love stories of all time. The love of Ruth for her mother in law and the love of Boaz for Ruth. At first, I too, was surprised at the age of Naomi- until I remembered in Biblical times most girls were married off by the age of 15 many by the age of 13, so a woman could be a mother in law by the time she was 27! I highly recommend this story to anyone who wants to see a well told Bible story. The only complaint I had was the modern language they used some times but that was minor. ALL young women should see this show when they get married to remind them of how a daughter in law should treat her mother in law.

This is actually a nice little film. I felt that some of the actors did an excellent job. The viewer understood why Ruth was willing to follow Naomi to a strange town and leave everything she had never known. Naomi was extremely kind and good-hearted, and the actress was very good at portraying these qualities. Likewise, the actor playing Boaz was very convincing in his genuine love for Ruth. The music was absolutely incredible. Just beautiful. All of the scenery looked genuinely from that time period, and the clothing was very authentic. I did feel the movie dragged in several parts where there was no dialogue, but on the whole I feel that this is one of the better Biblical stories.

One would think that any film that takes the Bible for it's inspiration would be anything but boring. That is not the case. There is just so much nastiness going on in the Old Testament; mass killings, plagues, jealousy, hatred, etc. It would seem to be a gold mine of story ideas and hooks. The Book of Ruth proves that you can make a boring Bible movie. Granted, the story isn't one of the most compelling in the Old Testament, but the film makers have managed to take what little excitement and drama there is in the story, and leech it completely out. The actors are incredibly mediocre. They invest each scene with such blandness that it is hard to care about the plot or characters. At times they are so bad you would think they were given their lines a minute before they started to roll. I think the director wants you to notice that he has dressed up his actors in period wardrobe and that this is enough to create a Biblical flavor, so the acting is really secondary. It is not. Walking around in robes and sandals does not cover up poor acting and a lame story.

I can forgive the film makers for using the least offensive book from the Bible. You want the biggest audience you can and you lose that if you offend anyone. Or do you get more publicity that way? But anyway, least offensive can also mean least exciting. You might try Judges next time (esp 19!). So to begin with the story isn't exactly interesting or even mildly captivating. Yet faced with this kind of material to work with the director has managed to turn a bland story even more bland. The actors are out of place, out of character, and woefully unprepared for this period piece. The scenes are shot with little thought for dramatic effect or emotional emphasis. Not that there is much to be found anyway. The editing is uninspired, pedestrian, and often poorly executed. What you end up with is a weak story made weaker by a factor of ten.