One Night With the King MPAA Rating: PG Entertainment: +2 Content: +3

Peter OToole (blink and youll miss him), Omar Sharif, John Rhys-Davis, John Noble, Tiny Lister and Tiffany Dupont as Esther. Adventure, Drama, Romance. Written by Stephen Blinn. Directed by Michael O. Sajbel. Opens in limited release 10/13/06.

FILM SYNOPSIS: Esther is a nice Jewish girl who gets rounded up by guards of a gentile king looking for a proper queen. Right away Esther shows promise; beautiful, she also reads and philosophizes. When shes chosen, she realizes God has placed her there in order to save her people, who are on the verge of being annihilated.

PREVIEW REVIEW: This was made by Gener8Xion Entertainment, a company under the umbrella of Paul and Jan Crouchs TBN network. I kept wondering why a company that produces Christian-themed movies (The Omega Code, Megiddo) would focus attention on a figure from the Old Testament rather than on Jesus. Still, the producers have managed to generate a great deal of buzz and many women are looking forward to seeing a movie about the one woman in the Old Testament who had a book named after her.

Sadly, despite all the buzz, (it is shamelessly promoted on TBN), the final version is disappointing. Though the production values are top drawer, as good as anything from Tinseltown, it has the feel of a convoluted TV mini-series. At times its nearly impossible to follow the plot. (A reading of the Book of Esther is recommended before viewing.)

Newcomer Tiffany Dupont is bright, pretty and believable, but her character in the beginning is more a cross between Gidget and Aladdins Jasmine than a true-life Old Testament maiden. And the villains are more obvious, overbearing and mustache-tugging than Snidely Whiplash. The production notes call it a film of remarkable scope and emotion. Well, I go back to the look. The filmmakers did a fine job there. It does have an epic look, but it feels like the director was more concerned with its look than its message. The intrigue is a bit too meandering and I was never truly moved by either the characters or what they had to say.

I keep questioning why Gener8Xion Entertainment would sink its revenue and energy into a film that salutes a person or a nation rather than Christ himself. That said, the main message is that God can chart our course and make use of us in any situation if we are open to His will. Thats a pretty solid message.

Preview Reviewer: Phil Boatwright
Distributor: Gener8Xion Entertainment, Inc.