Stuart Hazeldine’s nondenominational, magical realist, faith-based drama stars Sam Worthington as a wayward soul and Octavia Spencer as God. Rating: 2 stars out of 4.
If Octavia Spencer is God, then Lord, take me to church.
A folksy Spencer serving up homemade baked goods is the vision of the divine in “The Shack,” Stuart Hazeldine’s nondenominational, magical realist, faith-based drama — an adaptation of the best-selling novel by William P. Young. But it’s a dark and windy road to get to that beatific image, delving into the personal history of “Mack” Phillips (Sam Worthington), a wayward soul who’s been dealt a few bad cards in life and needs a restorative stay in order get right with himself.
Adapted by John Fusco, Andrew Lanham and Destin Cretton, the story is nested inside a flashback narrated by Tim McGraw’s character, a pastor named Willie, and takes a leisurely nonlinear path to get to where it’s going.
Movie Review ★★
‘The Shack,’ with Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer, Avraham Aviv Alush, Tim McGraw, Sumire, Amélie Eve. Directed by Stuart Hazeldine, from a screenplay by John Fusco, Andrew Lanham and Destin Cretton, based on the novel by William P. Young. 132 minutes. Rated PG-13 for thematic material including some violence. Several theaters.
Mack had a rough childhood marred by domestic violence, forging his understanding of God as wrathful, punishing and judgmental. That worldview is only further exacerbated by the abduction of his youngest daughter, Missy (Amélie Eve), snatched from under his nose during a family camping trip.
Most Read Entertainment Stories
Plunged into depression, Mack receives a mysterious invitation in the mail: a note from “Papa” (his wife’s name for God) asking him to a weekend getaway at the shack where his daughter was likely killed. Seeking revenge, or at least some answers, he heads to the woods. There he’s greeted by a trio of groovy spiritual teachers in a tropical wooded paradise: God, aka Papa (Spencer); Jesus (Avraham Aviv Alush); and the Holy Spirit Sarayu (Sumire). Is this heaven or this is Burning Man?
It’s easy to have some flippant fun with the premise, and it’s needed, since the framing story is profoundly dark and depressing, rendered in the style of a soap opera or TV movie — heavy on the voice-over, the flashbacks, the haunting memories. But once Mack is at the God Spa, despite all the hokey walking on water and magical gardens, the things that Papa, Jesus and Sarayu have to say are pretty profound.
Though the dialogue is written with all the finesse of a self-help book, and the visuals are a garish Technicolor explosion, there are some nuggets of wisdom that do resonate, regardless of personal belief.