The Celestine Prophecy is a 2006 American film directed by Armand Mastroianni and starring Matthew Settle, Thomas Kretschmann, and Sarah Wayne Callies. The film is based on James Redfield's best-selling novel of the same name. Because the book sold over 23 million copiesDubecki, Larissa. Addressed to the nines, picking up good vibrations, The Age, March 22, 2008. Accessed September 30, 2008. since its publication and has thus become one of the best-selling books of all time, Redfield had expected the film to be a success. However, the film was widely panned by critics and was a box office failure, with a total worldwide gross of $1.5 million.
Cast Matthew Settle as John Thomas Kretschmann as Wil Sarah Wayne Callies as Marjorie Annabeth Gish as Julia Héctor Elizondo as Cardinal Sebastian Joaquim de Almeida as Father Sánchez Jürgen Prochnow as Jensen John Aylward as Dobson Cástulo Guerra as Father José Obba Babatundé as Miguel Tequan Richmond as Basketball Player Vinicius Machado as Spanish Conquistador (uncredited)
Plot Having lost his job as a middle school teacher, John Woodson (Matthew Settle) finds himself at a turning point in his life. He takes a vacation to Peru, where he spends his time exploring and searching for the ninth scroll, lost from a set of eight ancient texts, rumored to reveal the future of humanity.
Reception Box office The Celestine Prophecy grossed $1.2 million in North America and $286,444 in other countries for a worldwide total of $1.5 million.
Critical response On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 5% based on 22 reviews, with an average rating of 2.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Adapted from the bestselling self-help tome, The Celestine Prophesy is indifferently directed and acted, and its plotting is virtually tension-free." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 23 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".
Film critic Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle called the film "clumsy -- not merely unconventional but awkward in its narrative development and dialogue", and added: "characters are sketched in shallow terms".Mick LaSalle. Smarmy take on 'Celestine Prophecy' isn't very fulfilling, San Francisco Chronicle, April 21, 2006. Accessed September 30, 2008. In his top ten list of the worst films of 2006, LaSalle called it a "misbegotten film, an awkward, undramatic effort", and ranked it third on the list.Mick LaSalle. From Bad to Worst, San Francisco Chronicle, December 31, 2006. Accessed September 30, 2008. Mark Olsen of the Los Angeles Times said "the movie is flatly acted and extremely ill-paced, lacking any sense of urgency, momentum or fun".Olsen, Mark. The Celestine Prophecy, Los Angeles Times, July 21, 2006. Accessed September 30, 2008.
Bibliography
See also Cinema of the United States List of American films of 2006
References
External links