The word milagro means miracle, but don't expect any from this artificial staging of author John Nichols' comic Southwestern fable about a poor farmer in a sleepy mountain village who challenges a network of greedy real estate tycoons hoping to plunder the pristine New Mexican countryside. It's ironic that such an outspoken champion of independent filmmaking would produce and direct such a trite and simplistic movie, affecting a fanciful, light-hearted tone even while it falls victim to emotional and dramatic overkill. The issues are presented in a transparent conflict between noble, good-natured small town folk and evil ecological rapists, carrying an idealistic message wielded with all the grace and subtlety of a giant rubber mallet. The northern New Mexico scenery is postcard perfect, but everything in the foreground (characters, dialogue, and plot) is coated with enough sugary sentiment to make even the most dedicated liberal feel queasy.
Review of The Milagro Beanfield War
