Ticking off religious groups when you make a movie about religion is de rigueur in Hollywood.
The latest religious riff is between Catholic League president William Donohue and director Ron Howard, who are sparring over Howard’s movie “Angels and Demons.” In response to Catholic protests, Howard posted a defense of his film entitled “It’s A Thriller, Not A Crusade,” on The Huffington Post. In it, he argued that the film is not anti-Catholic and people should still see it. Donohue responded to Howard’s treatise by accusing the film of anti-Catholic propaganda and calling Howard “delusional.”
Nice try guys, but this tension is really child’s play compared with the polemics that surrounded “Passion of the Christ.” Can we get Mel Gibson to comment? Please?
And while I completely appreciate Howard’s defense of his film – it’s a movie! It’s fiction!—there is someone Catholics can get mad at: The author. Millions of people have bought Dan Brown’s book, but have they read it? Not exactly a sparkling portrait of the Catholic faith. But a really fun read!
