'One Night With the King' recounts story of Esther

Based on Tommy Tenney's novel "Hadassah," "One Night With the King" (Gener8Xion Entertainment) tepidly recounts the Old Testament story of Esther (Tiffany DuPont), a devout Jewish maiden who becomes a queen when she is chosen as the bride of the powerful Persian King Xerxes (Luke Goss).

Though hiding her Hebrew identity out of fear for her life, she uses her elevated station to save her people from extermination by dissuading her husband from ordering the slaughter urged by a vengeful court adviser, Haman, the Amelekite (James Callis). Haman is driven by a genocidal hatred of the Jewish people stemming from an ancient enmity. The deliverance won by Esther's trusting in God is celebrated to this day in the Jewish festival of Purim.

The biblical drama has impressive production value and cameos by Oscar-pedigreed actors such as Omar Sharif and Peter O'Toole, but it's handicapped by an inferior screenplay by Stephan Blinn -- which makes some changes to the story -- and awkward, if earnest, direction by Michael Sajbel.

Still, the power of the tale's enduring theme of faithful witness in the face of persecution isn't completely diminished by the filmmaker's uninspired telling.

The film contains some discreet violence and sensuality and mature thematic elements. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

-- David DiCerto

Bobby (MGM/Weinstein)
Fact and fiction are deftly blended in a multistoried drama about the intertwining lives of guests and workers at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles -- played by an all-star cast including William H. Macy, Anthony Hopkins, Sharon Stone, Laurence Fishburne, Demi Moore and many more -- leading up to Robert F. Kennedy's assassination. The presidential candidate is only seen sporadically in newsreel footage but director-writer Emilio Estevez's characters -- despite conflicts -- ultimately come to reflect the noble ideals of brotherhood and forgiveness expressed in some of Kennedy's stirring campaign speeches. Though there is some oversentimentality, on the whole it's a compelling dramatization with a worthy message whatever one's political stripe. Some rough expletives and an instance of profanity, drug use, brief side and rear nudity, brief violence and an adulterous affair. (A-III, R)

The Cave of the Yellow Dog (Tartan)
Gentle tale that chronicles the daily life of a family of nomadic Mongolian sheepherders and centers on a young girl's efforts to conceal a stray puppy she found, defying her father's orders forbidding her from keeping the dog. Once again using indigenous, nonprofessional actors (all are real nomads), director Byambasuren Davaa blends documentary and narrative storytelling less successfully than in her previous effort, "The Story of the Weeping Camel." Despite virtually no plot, she nevertheless manages to craft a simple yet lovely and gracefully shot fable that explores themes of family bonds and modernity's encroachment into traditional ways of life. Though underpinned by a cyclical Buddhist spirituality -- particularly its central belief in reincarnation -- the story and its affirmation of the supreme value of human life should resonate with Catholic viewers. Subtitles. The scene of a dead sheep being skinned may upset very young children. (A-I, not rated by the MPAA)

Fast Food Nation (Fox Searchlight)
Absorbing albeit bleak multiplotted expose excoriating the fast food industry for its dangerous, unsanitary and exploitative working conditions, from the perspective of a fictitious burger franchise's marketing executive (Greg Kinnear) who goes to Colorado to investigate conditions at their plant; a young cashier (Ashley Johnson) whose uncle (Ethan Hawke) urges her to improve her life, despite the complacency of her unmotivated mother (Patricia Arquette); and a young Mexican immigrant couple (Catalina Sandino Moreno and Wilmer Valderrama) struggling to build a better life. Director Richard Linklater's skillful dramatization of Eric Schlosser's nonfiction book (they co-wrote the script) is sometimes preachy and the ending intentionally inconclusive, but the issues raised are timely ones, while the cast (including Bruce Willis, Bobby Cannavale and Kris Kristofferson) offers solid, selfless performances. Partly subtitled. Rough and crude language, a couple of briefly intense, if nongraphic, sexual encounters, fleeting partial nudity, innuendo, some gruesome slaughterhouse shots and drug references. (L, R)

Happy Feet (Warner Bros.)
Computer-animated fable set in the Antarctic about a young emperor penguin (voiced by Elijah Wood) whose inability to carry a tune and propensity for tap dancing gets him banished by the puritanical elders who blame him for the colony's dwindling fish supply, prompting the misfit to prove them wrong, get to the bottom of the food shortage, and hopefully discover his "heartsong," the mating call unique to each penguin that will help him find true love. Director George Miller combines terrific animation and voice talent (that also includes Robin Williams, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman) but packs too many themes -- tolerance, conformity, environmental responsibility -- into the sweet yet slender story. There are some dark and intense moments laced throughout and an unflattering view of religious authority, but the broader themes of love and self-worth should melt most objections. Some mildly rude humor and innuendo, as well as some menace and two frightening sequences that may upset very young viewers, but probably OK for older children. (A-II, PG)

Harsh Times (MGM)
Grim and gritty urban drama about a psychologically unstable soldier (Christian Bale) who, returning home to Los Angeles after serving in Iraq, reverts to his former street-thug ways and whose fracturing mental frame precipitates a self-destructive spiral of violence and crime into which he drags his best friend (Freddy Rodriguez), much to the dismay of the latter's lawyer girlfriend (Eva Longoria). Bale's explosive and scarily credible performance notwithstanding, the action is bleak and brutish, compounded by the script's nihilism and morally problematic ending, which undermines whatever writer-director David Ayer may be trying to say about the culture of violence, including its desensitizing effect, especially on those in combat. Pervasive rough and crude language and profanity, intense and graphic violence, some disturbing images, a mercy killing, drug content and a suggested sexual encounter. (O, R)

The Nativity Story (New Line)
Dramatization of the New Testament birth narratives from the Annunciation to the birth of Jesus, focusing on the relationship between Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes) and Joseph (Oscar Isaac) and their arduous trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem, with subplots tracking the journey of the three Magi and the efforts of King Herod (Ciaran Hinds) to prevent the prophecy of a messiah from coming to pass. A composite of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, embroidered with apocryphal traditions and the imagination of the filmmaker, the Bible story gets the prestige treatment in director Catherine Hardwicke's artful, reverent and affecting retelling, with soulful performances from an excellent international cast -- including Shohreh Aghdashloo as Elizabeth -- and impressive production design. Mike Rich's screenplay manages to flesh out Mary and Joseph while remaining faithful to Scripture, poignantly suggesting the humanity beneath the halos. Some violent images. (A-I, PG) Editor's note: A complete review of "The Nativity Story" by Sister Rose Pacatte will run in The Tidings Dec. 1 issue.

The Return (Rogue)
Bland supernatural thriller about a young woman (Sarah Michelle Gellar) who returns home to Texas where she is tormented by fragmented memories of a brutal crime that took place years earlier. It involved a town loner's (Peter O'Brien) murdered wife with whose restless spirit she is somehow connected. Director Asif Kapadia neatly ties up all the loose ends, but the payoff isn't worth the slog through the dragging and muddled plot that lacks much suspense. Some violence, brief blurred sexual images, suggested self-mutilation, one use of the f-word, a few crude expressions and instances of profanity. (A-III, PG-13)

David DiCerto is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. More reviews are available online at www.usccb.org/movies.