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I suppose even Sunday school needs chum to keep the tots occupied, so here’s The Star to take up that space. I’m not opposed to films with religious themes, The Last Temptation of Christ is one of my favorites, but this doesn’t explore anything interesting, wondrous, magical, or enchanting about the story of Christ’s birth. It just gives a cutesy animal point-of-view and provides a cavalcade of “wait, what?” star appearances to voice them.
Although, if you ever wondered who self-identified as a Christian in Hollywood, then The Star’s voice cast should answer that question. Yes, that includes Oprah Winfrey as a sage-like camel that drops the movie’s heaviest pieces of religiosity. If that casting choice both confuses and somehow makes sense, then Kelly Clarkson as a singing horse, Kristin Chenowith as a mouse, Tracy Morgan and Tyler Perry as the other two camels (guess who is riding them!), and Ving Rhames and Gabriel Iglesias as King Herrod’s (Christopher Plummer) hench-dogs.
Sure, there’s also Joseph (Zachary Levi) and Mary (Gina Rodriguez), but they’re merely supporting players in this spin on the greatest story ever told. Aside from that top layer of religion, there’s nothing here to differentiate the film from the tumult of other children’s animated features. Our main through line is a donkey named Bo (Steve Yeun) embarking on an action-comedy adventure, and yes, you know from the first minute that he’ll eventually wind up in Mary’s possession and function as the donkey she rides to the stable in Bethlehem.
And that’s why The Star is so damn dreary in the end. There’s no personality here, there’s no sense of art or deeper meaning. It’s a plug-and-play thing that is given a borrowed sense of elevation thanks to its biblical themes, settings, and characters. It’s as banal and meek as an overly saccharine rendition of “Silent Night” pumped into a mall during the holiday season.
