Bless the Child (2000)

Omens and concepts of good vs. evil have no place in Maggie O'Connor's well-ordered, practical universe. Her life revolves around her job as a nurse at a busy New York hospital, until one ... See full summary »

Director:

Chuck Russell

Writers:

Cathy Cash Spellman (novel), Thomas Rickman (screenplay),

Stars:

Kim Basinger, Jimmy Smits, Holliston Coleman

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kim Basinger	...	Maggie O'Connor
Jimmy Smits	...	Agent John Travis
Holliston Coleman	...	Cody O'Connor
Rufus Sewell	...	Eric Stark
Angela Bettis	...	Jenna O'Connor
Christina Ricci	...	Cheri Post
Michael Gaston	...	Det. Frank Bugatti
Lumi Cavazos	...	Sister Rosa
Dimitra Arliss	...	Dahnya (as Dimitra Arlys)
Eugene Lipinski	...	Stuart
Anne Betancourt	...	Maria
Ian Holm	...	Reverend Grissom
Helen Stenborg	...	Sister Joseph
Matthew Lemche	...	New Dawn Kid at Van
Dan Warry-Smith	...	New Dawn Kid

Storyline

Omens and concepts of good vs. evil have no place in Maggie O'Connor's well-ordered, practical universe. Her life revolves around her job as a nurse at a busy New York hospital, until one rainy night, her sister Jenna abandons her newborn, autistic daughter at her home. Maggie takes the baby in, and she becomes the daughter she never had. Six years later Jenna suddenly re-appears with a mysterious new husband, Eric, and abducts Cody. Despite the fact that Maggie has no legal rights to Cody, FBI agent John Travis, an expert in ritual homicide and occult-related crime, takes up her cause when he realizes that Cody shares the same birth date as several other recently missing children. The little girl, it soon becomes clear, is more than simply "special." She manifests extraordinary powers that the forces of evil have waited centuries to control, and her abduction sparks a clash between the soldiers of good and evil that can only be resolved, in the end, by the strength of one small child...

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Plot Keywords:

omen | nurse | fbi | dead cat | bus | 

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Taglines:

Fear the Darkness. Fight the Evil. Bless the Child.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, drug content and brief language

Details

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 August 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Filha da Luz

Filming Locations:

Burlington, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£505,468 (UK) (5 January 2001)

Gross:

ESP 447,559,152 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

BTC Productions KG, Icon Entertainment International, Munich Film Partners & Company (MFP) BTC Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Ego fum papa" roughly translates as "I am the Pope".

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Goofs

During the scene in Eric Stark's New York apartment, the Skydome (located in Toronto) can be seen in the window.

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Quotes

Eric Stark: You're not like other children, Cody. Do you know that?

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Connections

References The Lion King (1994)

User Reviews

Well crafted movie that allows you see the good...

Bless the Child was a good movie. I have to admit that when this movie came to theatres, it was one of the few times that negative reviews kept me from seeing a movie. After watching the DVD last night, I was kicking myself for missing a chance to see this movie a year earlier.

Bless the child is full of new or unknown actors, but reguardless it is well acted... Kim Basinger and Jimmy Smits both play their parts well and the script and their acting allows the viewer to see something that may be chemistry building between the two, but doesn't throw it in our faces. The problem with most movies of this type is that the villian is flat and poorly acted... That is not the case in Bless the Child. Rufus Sewell does an excellent job portraying the evil Eric Stark. Although she has a nominal part in the movie, Angela Bettis played the part of Maggies drug-addicted sister so well, I was absolutely hating her. Even with all of this, the movie would not be what it is without the superb acting of Holliston Coleman who plays 6-year-old Cody. At 7, Holliston has more ability than many adult actors. She definately has a future.

The story and directing were both done well. Although it is not the most original story line, it is done a different way. Rarely, if ever, is the force of good allowed to manifest itself in a visible presence. In Bless the Child, however, the good can be seen along with the evil. Although I not by any means a very religious person, this struck a cord with me. There's a sense of hope within this growing evil... The world may just have a chance, not because a big guy with a big gun blew away Satan... no, because there is good out there. The battle between good and evil does have two sides... It's just nice to be able to see the good for a change.

The special effects are also good in this movie. It is by far a special effects movie, but they are used in a smart fashion to provide a glimpse at the battle that goes on all around us, although we don't see it... Only the rat bedroom sequence left me somewhat disappointed, the rest provided a eery mood to the film.

Bless the Child is a great film for what it is and maybe be known as the starting point to the great career of Holliston Coleman. 8/10

Although it may not be a perfect movie,