I was not too crazy about the plot or the subject, but I gave this movie 4 stars because the execution was impeccable.  This whole idea of Prodigal Son has been done to death.  There is just so much of Biblical allusions and sugary Norman Rockwell nostlagia that you can take in one seating.  It's really a challenge for the director to take an overprocessed idea and present it in an interesting fashion.  The photography and the costumes kept me stimulated.