Reminder:
ABC's Have No Fear: The Life of Pope John Paul II airs tonight at 8:00.
CBS's Pope John Paul II airs Sunday night at 9:00 and Wednesday night at 8:00.
WaPo pans ABC's (a "dry downer") and praises CBS's. I'm not sure I trust WaPo to provide guidance on a Catholic film, but the review strikes me as even-handed. Here's an excerpt:
The ABC and CBS films portray John Paul as a progressive who brought much-needed modernization to the church; they avoid what some considered his reactionary views on birth control, abortion, gay rights and other hot topics. But there's no need to make either film a shopping list of controversies. Besides, CBS's film gets into weightier issues, matters that are genuinely spiritual, and explores them intelligently. It's provocative but in a deeper way than is usual for a TV movie. . . .
CBS got guidance and a seal of approval from the Vatican, but if that implies the film will be all scrubbed and syrupy, it's anything but. ABC's film profiles a historical figure, while CBS gives us a portrait of a real human being.
