The Problem with Christian Writers Who Direct

The problem with The Christmas Bunny, Kirk Cameron Saves Christmas, and so on, is Christians who are set out to make a Christian film get so dead set on the religious rhetoric that they don't know how to tell a story. The dialogue sounds contrived, and often unnecessary. Just because you are supposed to tell your kids to put on a jacket and wipe off their feet, that doesn't mean it should be said in the film every time. It becomes distracting. Why do we need to go into the details about the Dad's job offer? Couldn't it be left at "Hey, the offer still stands if you want to work for this guy" instead of getting into the laundry list of benefits and company statistics? It's because these movies have no depth and rely on filler dialogue in between moments where they can make references to the lord. The other thing is, Christian Writer-Directors will put in uncomfortable scenes, and treat them with so much time and realism that they forget they've made a family film and not an old testament torture scene. You want to say "HEY YEAH, WE GET IT. HER MOM IS A FLOOZY HEROIN ADDICT. NOW CAN YOU GET BACK TO THE BUNNY, MY KID THOUGHT THIS WAS ABOUT A BUNNY". The last problem I have is that if you ARE making a Christian film, label it a Christian film instead of tricking people into going to church on DVD. I understand that Christmas and Christians often go together, but any of the best Christmas films can teach you that you can allow the viewer to know the characters in the film are Christian, without having them constantly hint with "You think your guy up there is looking out for us?" "Thank the Lord" "oh yes, bless you"