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There’s a pretty good chance that you already know what happens in The Nativity Story. At some point, no matter what your religious background, I’m sure you’ve heard the story—about Joseph and Mary and the wise men from the East and the shepherds and the star and the baby, Jesus. You’ve probably seen it acted out by small, giggly children. Perhaps, like me, you were once prodded to dress up in robes and carry a big stick and give an on-stage performance as one of the shepherds in your fourth-grade Christmas pageant. But no matter how many times you’ve heard the story, The Nativity Story will manage to bring it to life again.
The Nativity Story tells the familiar Christmas story, starting around the time when Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes), a young girl from Nazareth, becomes engaged to Joseph (Oscar Isaac), a local carpenter. Shortly after her marriage to Joseph is arranged, Mary is visited by an angel (Alexander Siddig), who tells her that she’ll become pregnant—and her child will be the Son of God. The problem, however, comes when Joseph and Mary’s parents find out that Mary is pregnant. The people of Nazareth see her as a disgrace—but as Joseph tries to decide what to do about the problem, he, too, is visited by the angel, who tells Joseph that Mary’s story is the truth.
Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, King Herod (Ciarán Hinds) becomes more and more concerned about the old prophesies that a king will come from the line of the great King David to save his people. Determined to stay in power as ruler of the Jews, Herod consults his advisors. But Herod’s not the only one who knows about the prophecies. Three Magi from the East, too, have been studying the stars—and when they realize that the prophecies are about to be fulfilled, they go in search of this new king.
So when Caesar decides that everyone in the Roman Empire should be counted, Joseph takes Mary on a journey to Bethlehem, Herod sends his soldiers to Bethlehem in search of a Jewish king, and the Magi head to Bethlehem to find the promised Messiah.
It may be a story you’ve heard before, but The Nativity Story gives it a face. The setting, the characters, and even the smallest of cultural details come together to bring the Christmas story to life. As is often the case with religious films, it does sometimes tend toward the melodramatic and the obvious, but it’s easy to overlook that. It might actually be harder to overlook the occasionally wisecracking wise men, whose light comic relief doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the movie. While Castle-Hughes’s performance is a bit bland at times, Isaac is marvelous as Joseph. Though Joseph’s part in the story is often ignored, Isaac’s performance will give you a new appreciation for the important supporting role that Joseph played.
You won’t find The Nativity Story to be an exciting, suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat kind of movie—because it’s a familiar old story with a well-known happy ending. And it’s not an exhaustingly emotional experience, like The Passion of the Christ, either. Instead, it’s one that you can take the kids to see—and it’s one that you can look forward to watching with your family each year. Don’t skip the annual Christmas pageant to watch it—because there’s nothing cuter than little kids dressed up in their holiday finest and singing “Joy to the World”—but watch it nonetheless. It’s a beautifully crafted film that will remind you that there’s more to Christmas than fighting the crowds at the mall.
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