Mommy Movie Review: Beauty and the Beast

 Hi Friends! Be sure to visit Suzette's blog and read her review on Babe.

One of the many reasons why I love this movie is because of the clear message that beauty is truly found within.  We all have ugly, wicked, hearts, but only by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ can we be truly beautiful and clean on the inside.  When we give our life to Jesus he makes what was ugly and dirty and cleans and beautifies it with his love and his light.  How often have you met someone who was attractive on the outside but after spending only a few minutes with them you realized they were really "ugly"?  Our outer appearance is temporary, and is only one part of us.  Our inner lives are eternal and what we should really be focusing on.  I know plenty of people who work far too hard on perfecting their outer appearance and pay little or no attention to their inner person.

Kristi's Positives:

* Belle is finally a Princess who is not only beautiful on the outside, but beautiful on the inside as well.  She doesn't judge people by the way the look but rather by the way they treat people and care for others.  As a believer in Christ I constantly need to ask God to give me eyes to see people the way He does.  Eyes that are blind to the outside looks but eyes that are open to the core of  a person's soul and needs.

* The Beast was once a handsome Prince who treated a stranger very cruelly and would not allow the old haggard looking woman in for help, she warned him not to be deceived, because true beauty is found within, but it was too late, because of the way The Prince treated her he was put under a curse, he and his whole household.  It reminded me that our sins affect the people around us and especially affect the people we care about the most.  It also reminded me that we should be kind and loving and hospitable to all people because we never know who may be "entertaining".  Jesus says when we are kind to the least of these we are really showing our kindness and love to Him.  When we go out of our way to minister to the people who need the most help and who cannot repay us, that is when God is truly glorified.  It's easy to be kind to the kindhearted and loving to the lovely, but it's a lot harder to be kind to difficult people and it's very sacrificial to be loving to poor people who will not necessarily be able to repay us or give us a pat on the back.

* I love how Gaston, the man who wants to marry Belle, is so over the top in love with himself, he is so prideful and conceited and it is easy to show our children how we SHOULD NOT behave or treat people.  There are so many lessons we can teach them about being humble, and gracious.  Yes he was handsome and strong, and powerful but he used all of his "gifts" for his own glory and not to bless anyone else.  God calls us to use our gifts and talents for His glory, not just to pridefully strut our stuff!

* I like how the characters in the castle like Mrs. Potts and Lumiere and the Clock all try to help the Beast be kind and welcoming and gentle to Belle.  They want to see the Prince fall in love with Belle so she can help break the curse.  The Beast learns to stop being selfish and learns to love someone else and put their needs before his own.

* Belle learns to love this Prince who may not be your typical "handsome" bloke, but he's gentle, and fun, and he loves books, and he loves making Belle happy.

* I love that Belle is not a typical beautiful princess with no brain.  She loves to read, and imagine, and loves adventures, she doesn't want to settle for what everyone else says she should do.  She is confident and defends and sticks up for her father and his inventions.  She loves her father very much and that is why she offers to take his place in the castle so he can be free.

* I think it is beautiful how The Prince sacrifices his life for Belle, and she realizes how much she cares for him.  And it's wonderful how just at that very moment the last rose petal falls and the curse is broken.  And they could live happily ever after.  Very good timing!

Kristi's Negatives:

* I wish this movie could be entitled Beauty and the Ugly Prince (The Beast has very negative connotations when you look in the book of Revelations Satan is referred to as the beast)

* The candlestick character Lumiere is always flirting with the broom girl in the castle and their behavior is a little off color.  I would have liked those parts deleted out.  They were not necessary for little eyes.

My Rating: 9