SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Salubfoto It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

kellychitwood Ridiculous, stilted dialogue, wooden acting, less-than-one-dimensional characters...it's hard to see how this film could get much worse. Boy, am I glad I got this one for free on a rental store coupon, because I would hate to have wasted any money on it. For some reason, this turned up as a "New Release" in the video store, and I thought I had somehow managed to miss it in the theatres recently. Not so; it came out in 2004 and evidently was deserved ignored.Having read and been impressed by "The Story of a Soul," the autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, I hoped to see a professional rendering of her story that would expand my understanding of the saint. As a devout Roman Catholic, I was disposed to like the film and was pleased to see that the Vatican had endorsed it. What a disappointment! I do wish the Vatican had stayed out of it; it is positively embarrassing to have the Church associated with such an amateurish and poor production. This kind of tripe gives films with religious subjects a bad name.The sole redeeming feature is a rather nice musical score, composed by a cloistered Carmelite nun.As several reviewers have pointed out, the life of St.Therese could yield rich material for a film. Unfortunately, this isn't the one. If you want to learn more about St. Therese, read her autobiography or visit a Carmelite monastery. If you want to honor her, make a donation. But don't waste time and money on this smarmy, pretentious, and utterly unworthy film.

kjstarke Watch this movie if you are already interested in the life of St. Therese of Lisieux and are curious to see a representation of it on film. There is no pretense of cinematic excellence here. The movie is not entertainment in the true sense. It's almost like a page of the famous compendium "Lives of the Saints" come to life on screen.Moreover, the story of St. Therese may already be a bit distant to 21st century viewers, though she is a modern saint. St. Therese represents turn of the 20th century piety and devotion that probably seems quite strange to many of us today. The story would probably be most strange to non-catholics, still a bit foreign to less pietistic catholics, but probably closer to home to catholics who practice devotions such as to the Sacred Heart or the Child Jesus.I had always associated St. Therese with a sort of saccharine sweet piety, but watching this film showed a different side and made me admire her deep humility, a virtue that is truly strange to us now.

chche2 This is such a great movie to watch that I watched it twice. The young girl's love of God is so overwhelming that it touches my heart in a profound way. I cried and was in tears throughout the movie. It washed my soul. I can identify with her in many ways - her passionate and single-hearted pursuit of God and the joy thereof. She showed us how to love God in small ways and in doing seemingly "small" things for others. Love of God will transform to love of those around us. Saint Therese's simple way of life is such an inspiration! I would recommend this to any one who is searching for life's meanings and who is searching for the ultimate love and joy and intimacy - a deeper relationship with God, our maker and our eternal lover. Though I don't care too much about some of the Catholic practices in the movie, such as praying to Mary, etc., it is a good movie even for non-Catholics to watch, all because the love of God is so overwhelming and the main theme of the story won't be missed.

steed_02351 I have to say up front that I'm ignorant of the autobiography and the story in general.I just thought it was tedious and I truly didn't get it.I came in thinking it would be interesting but the pacing, acting, and point of story was just lost on me.If there is anyone out there that can point me in the direction of something that would clear things up I'll keep an open mind about it.I mean the poor father was ready to die and they wheeled him to the convent in the rain instead of the daughters visiting him. When he died they didn't seem to have any trouble going to the house to take what they wanted.I'll stop there.Adam