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Movie Review - The First Temptation of Christ
Spoof on Christ's formative years and divinity guaranteed to offend most of the faithful and amuse many of the rest
The First Temptation of Christ minus ***** for the devout; plus ***½ for the rest (NR) This subtitled Brazilian spoof will offend millions, while amusing at least an equal number in its 46-minute running time on Netflix. The premise is that everyone from the Nativity and a few others are gathering again to throw a surprise 30th birthday party for Jesus, who’s just returning from a 40-day desert journey of self-discovery. What he learns about his desired life goals is quite different from his Son of God and Savior destiny, or his parents’ expectations.
Those who aren’t outraged somewhere in the early going can stick around for a lot of heretical silliness that obviously was never intended to be taken seriously. By anyone. The tone is somewhat to the left of an extended Monty Python sketch, toying with the concept of Christ’s divinity far more crudely than their Life of Brian. The spoof on religion is mixed with other cultural references for an entertaining little visit to the realm of the absurd. Admittedly, the gag wears thin even in this short product, so those who go the distance will be glad it’s not longer. Gauge your own tastes for such fare and either shun or seek this unique experience that Netflix was courageous enough to offer.