Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Lucia Ayala It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

daviddaphneredding Of the few movies I've seen about different Old Testament heroes, I do believe this is my favorite. Morocco looked much like Canaan, Matthew Modine did an excellent turn as the deceiver and conniver Jacob, Sean Bean was excellent as the bitter brother Esau, and Lara Flynn Boyle was a very drawing Rachel. I, a minister, have read the Genesis account of Jacob's life many times, and I was very pleased with the way it was dramatized in this TV movie. I was impressed with the visual effects, especially with the dream Jacob experienced when he saw the ladder go up to Heaven. Additionally, I was taken with the dramatic scene of Jacob fighting with the angel when his thigh was painfully dislocated. When I considered all this movie entailed, i have a positive feeling about it. It was truly an excellent bible drama

zspira98 In response to #1, who didn't understand how Jacob could be with his grandfather: Jacob (Yaakov) and Esav were 15 when Abraham died. The reason Jacob was making lentil soup was because lentils as well as other round type foods are the traditional foods Jews eat upon returning from burying an immediate family member.The time line is as follows: Abraham lived 175 years and was 100 when Issac was born. Isaac lived 185 years and was 60 when Yaakov and Esav were born. This would make Abraham 160 when his grandchildren were born and 15 when he died.As for the "dowry," that was taken from him by Elifaz the son of Esav as he was sent to kill Yaakov. The problem Elifaz had was that he used to study with Yaakov and as such was looking for a way not to actually "kill" his uncle while at the same time listen to his father. The way around that was to take all of Yaakov's possessions and according to the Talmud, a destitute person is considered dead, thus he "honored" his father.You were correct that the "accuracy" to the Torah was quite good. I would not go ahead and compare the Torah story of Yaakov to anything else you did as there can be NO comparison.

Cristi_Ciopron Reading many reviews by a fellow IMDb writer that prefers the sword and sandals movies and the antiquity/Middle Ages epics (so many sub-genres that in fact are substantially different and only randomly brought together by a common label,in the lack of a real common denominator),I remembered this small and decent TV feature that I have seen almost 14 yrs. ago on a videocassettes.Other epic/biopics /antiquity renderings seen in the same period were "Moses the Lawgiver" (1974),Joseph (1995) (TV) by Roger Young -- modest and unassuming TV productions that meant to instruct and to relax .If there was any creation in them,it was performances--wise (e.g. Ben Kingsley and Martin Landau in the star--studded Joseph (1995) (TV),or Burt Lancaster,Anthony Quayle and Irene Papas in Gianfranco De Bosio's "Moses the Lawgiver" ,1974).They pretty much delineate a class of films, a TV genre--not epics, not adventure films,but honest straight decent productions,sometimes with a surprising cast.They are conceived rather as small relaxing films, without ambitions or pretensions.Taken as such,they're fun to watch.They are not very colorful, exotic, neither mystical—rather standard family TV.One can find pleasing things in them;I hope I have pointed to some. Modest and instructive, educative, they do not resemble nor the big—budgeted spectacular lavish Hollywoodian blockbusters (or the Italian ones, assembled at the beginning of that national school of cinema …),nor the cruel violent brutal SALAMMBO style (in terms of _sapidity), nor the properly speaking religious movies (i.e., those made by Dreyer, Bresson, Gibson, Mrs. Cavani, etc.). Their aim is chiefly educative; they narrate as movie Biblical events. Jacob (1994) (TV) was the one that stood out, for me at least;I liked it the best.I have seen it during a time when I was willing to watch any movie with LF Boyle. She and Drew B. and Shannon T. and Lysette A. and Tanya R. were my goddesses. To them I owe much of my knowledge of the '90s B cinema.

rosettarosetta I had to watch 'Jacob' for my freshmen religion class. While it is interesting enough, I don't think anyone would find it a 'fun' movie. I think the movie requires that you have some sort of religious background. The story of Jacob and Esau is interesting, but I don't think it translates well into film. I'll give it a B-.