I think I get increasingly wary when I see or hear about upcoming movie adoptions of biblical stories. Especially when it’s done by Hollywood. I can already smell the inaccuracies coming a mile away, and I’m drained even before I see the film. I guess the same can be said when there’s a movie adaptation of a historical event. I get that it can’t all be perfect, and a few things can be added, but can you not make it weird, please?
Anyway, which is why I practically had to brace myself for impact when I saw this movie on Netflix. No offense but Tyler Perry having anything to do with it made my trepidation worse, but now it’s been about three weeks since I finished this film, and I guess it’s time to tell you all how it went down.
Ruth and Boaz (2025)
Ruth is a singer and performer, and the beginning scene is when she and her friend/music partner are about to sing at a show. The performance is rather provocative, and this does not endear her to her boyfriend’s mother who, just like her son, is present at the show.
Ruth doesn’t like what she’s doing or the songs she's singing, and she feels like God has called her to something else. After the death of her boyfriend and his father, and the imminent danger she’s in because of her manager who hates that she's on a different path, Ruth realizes that relocating to Tennessee with her late boyfriend’s mother may be in line with the lath God has for her.
It is through this that she comes in contact with Boaz.
My Thoughts and Rating
Now, if you’re a Christian, or at least have had some form of Christian background, you will be quite familiar with this story, and the first thing that caught me off guard was Ruth being a girlfriend instead of the wife she was portrayed as in the Bible. Because of this, I’m afraid I didn’t quite feel the emotions I was supposed to feel, both with his death, and Ruth’s decision to relocate with her mother-in-law. I mean, you barely had two interactions with this woman, and you weren’t even married to her son. What’s happening?
The story in itself was okay. Naomi losing trust in God, the relocation being a way to bring back her faith, Ruth being the hardworking and resilient queen who brought sustenance to the duo, how seemingly natural her interaction with Boaz felt. Amongst other things. The acting also wasn’t bad. A bit over the top in some parts, and some cliché lines, but I wouldn’t like to sound too much of a complainant. It really was fine...a bit.
I think my issue is that it still all felt forced. The dialogue didn’t have that flow that it should have, and there was this tension and lack of fluidity that just did not tie things up as neatly as it could have been. I detested the fact that I could already predict most of what was going to happen, and that the love and chemistry that was supposed to be nearly palpable with Ruth and Boaz felt missing. Now, I don’t want to reveal spoilers as to why I think this is so but I mean, would It be hard to see if there was, in fact, chemistry?
I’m just going to skip right to the ending, and sadly, I didn’t feel any better. I guess they found a way to make it all okay, and give it a happy ending but it didn’t feel natural or realistic enough. It is functional, don’t get me wrong, and it allows the movie to have that dramatic ending, but what can I say, it just didn’t feel earned to me. Like they started at A, and skipped all the other letters, and are somehow at P.
I would say, in all honesty, that it’s quite a forgettable film. And you really don’t pick up on much. On love, and definitely not on spirituality. At least that’s what I think. But you know, everyone sees things differently, and you may just see it as your favourite film of 2025. Who knows? Give it a try, and let me know how it goes. 2.8/5 stars from me. I hope I see better adaptations of Biblical stories, or better still, none at all. The scriptures are enough, lol.
Jhymi🖤
P.S: Did I add that the only highlight of this film for me was seeing Babyface?
Images from IMDB.
Posted using CineTV