(CNN) -- Can a secular, Hollywood insider make a religious movie Americans can fully, warmly embrace and -- wait for it -- actually learn from? We'll find out for sure on March 28 when the movie "Noah" opens in theaters nationwide. But, at first glance the answer is -- no. Paramount, eager to appeal to the religious crowd, arranged screenings of the movie before its release. Officially, some competing versions of the film "tested poorly." Sounds to me like audiences hated most of what they saw, although it's not clear exactly what version of the film they hated. Critics "lucky" enough to see early versions of the movie were sworn to secrecy. But, we do know their reaction prompted Paramount to not only recut the movie several times, but to take the extraordinary step of schmoozing the president of the National Religious Broadcasters group by agreeing to issue this disclaimer: "The film is inspired by the story of Noah. While artistic license has been taken, we believe that this film is true to the essence, values, and integrity of a story that is a cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide. The biblical story of Noah can be found in the book of Genesis."
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Carol Costello: Will Americans embrace Hollywood version of "Noah" story? Probably not
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Detractors say story should stick to sacred text. Director says that's not his goal
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She says many religious movies take artistic license; why is that so wrong?
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Costello: With belief in God declining, isn't it at least good to stoke conversation?
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