The Gospel (2005) User Reviews

The Prodigal Son...with terrific music!

[gradyharp · 5/10 · 4 January 2006]

There is something about THE GOSPEL that makes you want to like it: some fine actors (Boris Kodjoe, Idris Elba, Clifton Powell, Tamyra Gray, Aloma Wright, Nona Gaye) and some really terrific gospel singing. Writer/director Rob Hardy stretches the biblical tale of the Prodigal Son to the updated story of the son of a bishop of an evangelical church who runs away to become a R&B singing star only to return to his father when cancer of the prostate signals the end of his life. The 'other' son has inherited the mantle of the bishop with special interests deflecting his commitment to the bishop's origins and the Prodigal Son finally finds acceptance in offering his talents to further the original dream of his father.

The script is conversationally pedestrian but the actors do their best to make credible characters. There is a sense of commitment from the cast of extras that leaves a warm afterglow, but in the end this is a slight story saved by some fine music. Grady Harp, January 05

Bad Actor Alert!

[marbleann · 4/10 · 22 August 2006]

This was a pretty generic movie. If you like Gospel music this will set the mark. But do not look for anything but a text book prodigal son returns story to go along with the music. I probably could of wrote this review without seeing the movie because of the formula for this sort of the movie is the same the players just change.

1) Two boyhood friends

2) Something catastrophic happens to make one of them go astray

3) One stays home and basically becomes the either a Priest, A social Worker, a teacher or a policeman or some other pillar of the community.

4) The other one either became a harden criminal, or rich and famous who has lost his way and has rejected his previous life

5) Something catastrophic brings him home again, Either they are running from the cops. There's a death in the family or a little brother is out of control and is one step away from being on the Top of the FBI's Most Wanted List

6) Man returns only to find his best friend is either bitter or or to good to be true. Then neighborhood is in shambles and the Prostitute or the dope fiend at the corner is his ex girlfriend who left when he ran out of town. Oh and a family member is sicker then expected. And a beloved local landmark, be it a church, a park, a movie theater or high school hangout is being threaten with closure or is in shambles

7) the ending either consist of the person being captured by police in the case of the criminal, after saintly best friend turns him in. Or he decides to stay and use some of the millions he had made to thwart the beloved place from closing down. And if they do not get their ex girlfriend from turning tricks and taking dope they will fall in love with a new girl. Bitter buddy and him have mended fences. And they all live happily ever after. The End.

This movie has a little bit of each of the steps I mentioned with a few variations to the template. I believe the supporting cast was very good and the music was. But the following is a Bad Actor Alert from the Emergency Broadcast System. I loved him on Soul food but Boris Kedjoe was about as convincing as the Singing Nun playing a Usher type R&B star and was equally not convincing as a Gospel singer. That scene at his mothers grave toward the end of movie rivals the bad acting of Vin Diesel. This is a actor who IMO was good and good looking in Soul Food. But something was lacking here. He even looked strangely odd to me. His Co-star Idris Elba from The Wire on the other hand was very good. I think I could watch him in about anything.

I would recommend this move for people who love Gospel music. But for me because of the laziness of the script and the absolutely appalling acting from the lead the movie was barely watchable.

I wanted to comment on the comments about why people dislike this movie. I liked the Ten Commandments, The Fighting Temptations, Kingdom Come etc. My dislike for this movie had nothing to do with some anti religious sentiment. My dislike with the movie is because it was just a big music video with a generic script wrapped around it. Sort of like those bad Elvis Presley movies like Girls! Girls! Girls! when in the script was just added to the his singing. Being there are so little types of these movies being made I believe a lot of people crave them and are more then willing to over look the ineptness of this movie. We should expect more and demand it.

Thin, Predictable Plot, but Great Music

[chron · 6/10 · 10 December 2006]

This movie was every bit of what I expected. I didn't expect a profound and complex story. I didn't expect great acting, but I found some very good acting. I rented the movie mainly to see how Tamyra Gray had what it takes to carry a good share of a movie - and of course to hear her sing.

I think she pulled it off. Her acting skills came across quite well. I hope to see her in more mainstream films in the future. The other cast members did a good job of acting, too.

The music in this film is exceptional.

Although this is by no means a fantastic movie, I think it deserves more than the 2.7 rating that the IMDb members gave it.

what the heck is this?!?!

[jpwarren78 · 1/10 · 14 October 2005]

I wish I could give this a -500 out of 10. I was completely baffled by how horrible this movie was. Okay, so the story line was totally predictable and lackluster to say the least. However, I do think if it had been done well, it could have pulled itself off as a decent movie. Instead, half the time I was thinking, "what?!?!" I didn't care about any of the characters, the plot was completely apathetic, and the editing was unbelievably choppy. The only part of this movie worth recommending would be the music, but you can just buy the soundtrack for that. I strongly do NOT recommend wasting your money or time on this movie!!!!

The Gospel is not awful but it left much to be desired.

[fannylois · 2/10 · 7 November 2005]

I did not enjoy this movie. There are many reasons why but I will mention only 2. If you are billing this as a dramatic movie then it should be less of a concert. Music in a script is used to push the story forward. Not just because you have famous singers in the movie. Even some gifted and seasoned actors could not do anything for this movie. The writing was disappointing to say the least. There was never a time when this screenwriter took the time to develop his characters so he cheated the audience. You had to just accept (or not) the premise and assume too much about the characters. As a writer, I must give props to the Director and Writer Rob Hardy for getting the support Financially and the talent to have this released in major theaters. But! I am very disappointed in the story line. As basic as it was, you didn't make it believable and you underestimated your audience. And as a gospel writer, the message was there but not interesting. Overall it needed more development in writing. It's insulting to underestimate your audience especially when they're Your peeps.

Top Notch Gospel

[woodyteegra-1 · 7/10 · 3 January 2006]

Its saddening that a lot of people have just voted '1' just to ruin the rating of this film on IMDb. I doubt if anyone really believes it is that bad as there are very few films (that I have chosen to watch) I would give ratings below 2. Equally a few people have given it 10 to counteract the 1's sadly they are out numbered. I have rated it 7 as I believe it had its highlights but also a few shortcomings.

I don't think you need to be a Christian to watch the film and not even black (I can remember seeing only one white character that spent more than two seconds on screen, what a change). One requirement might be to enjoy music though.

The film starts with a very good mass choir rendition of a popular gospel tune 'Our God is an Awesome God' (has about 5 minutes of screen time over the opening credits) and later there are at least 2 other performances of equal duration. Sadly the performance by Fred Hammmond of Commissioned fame was interspersed with acting. There was also singing from Yolanda Adams and Tamyra Grey (former American idol contestant).

As the story opens, Pastor Fred Taylor has a thriving church in Atlanta which his son David is leading in praise and worship. David's mother dies and he blames Fred for never being there for them. David leaves the church and 15 years later becomes a successful R&B Singer with a hit on the charts called "Let Me Undress You." David's friend, Rev Charles Frank (Idris Elba)who was also in youth ministry stays behind at the church becomes an associate minister and is now in line to take over the church which happens to now be having financial problems.

Pastor Fred develops cancer and David returns home to be with his dad and the rest of the film focuses on his internal dilemma whether he should focus on his music career or the church and the leadership battle between Frank - who has now developed a great ego - and Associate Pastor Terrance Hunter (Donnie McClurkin).

Boris Kodjoe (once voted as one of the 50 most beautiful people on the planet) was very good in the lead role as David Taylor however there were a few areas where his acting came across as being stiff when he was out of his comfort zone. I was impressed by his acting when he was leading the choir. Omar Gooding was also excellent as the Manager/sidekick. Other members of the cast were very good including Idris Elba, Clifton Powell and Donnie McClurkin.

The movie attempted to explore church politics in a very realistic way, however I was a bit disappointed at the sudden reversal of Frank. (Perhaps it will be explored further in the deleted scenes on the DVD. (And to the reviewer from earlier - yes some of us do want to see the deleted scenes).

I must admit I don't see links to the fighting temptations as that was mainly a comedy and this was a powerful drama.

My main criticism is that they tried too hard to give the film a happy ending that would please all but it didn't strike me as being very realistic. Overall though a very good film worth watching.

blaxploitation!blaxploitation!blaxploitation!

[slinio · 2/10 · 3 October 2006]

why are all "black" films exactly alike? it's like they all use the same black dictionary to write scripts. does anyone know why everything is so foggy in the beginning. i don't think i've ever been in a hospital with a foggy hallway. anyway, this film is very self righteous. "i was here with your father doing god's work"? what does that even mean? how can you say what god's work is? is god your homeboy? also, you can basically tell how the movie ends about ten minutes in to it and no one in the movie can act very well.

however, i don't think this movie deserves to be on the 100 worst list. it's boring and predictable, but not that bad. Plan 9 isn't even on the list, that deserves to be on there way more than this film.

p.s. to the people that posted before. the reason this movie got bad reviews on here is because it's a cookie cutter film, not because we dislike christians. honestly, i couldn't care less about Christianity and this film solidifies the fact that i won't be walking in to a church anytime soon.

Surprise!

[jpoling3 · 8/10 · 18 October 2005]

This was by no means an outstanding movie, and if I didn't feel some professional obligation to see it (I'm a pastor) I probably would have passed. But then I would have missed out on a solid film telling a compelling story with some fine acting and even better music.

Yes, many of the characters are two-dimensional, and yes, the plot is predictable. But that's because it's telling an old, old story. Within that old, old story a variety of subplots bring up real-life issues in families, workplaces, churches...and excuses to bring on some very fine black gospel music (as well as gospel adaptations of popular "white" tunes).

I'm not a pastor in the black church, so I can't speak to the back rooms of that culture, but I can say that most pastors of whatever stripe do face the lure to "bigger and better," whether it be budget or attendance or campus acreage or book sales or conference registrations. And the wives of pastors face the constant challenge of being both honest and supportive, without losing their own integrity in what's a very difficult environment.

I would definitely recommend this film; for all its shortcomings it is a powerful piece.

Why this movie has been trashed.

[dgcasey · 7/10 · 17 March 2006]

The reason people will trash this movie is because it has religious overtones. Well, I guess I should say, it is a religious movie, no overtones about it. If you haven't been paying attention lately, anything that comes out of Hollywood with any kind of a religious message is going to be attacked, no matter the quality of the movie.

We should all remember the savaging of The Passion before it even hit the theaters. People were tearing that movie apart long before they had even seen it. The experience of this movie is no different.

Jim Rohn said many years ago that good will always be attacked by evil. Always. There is absolutely no reason for this film to be rated 2.9. While I wouldn't give it a 10, I would have rated it 7 or 8. But the story that this movie tells is that of good people struggling with their faults and trying to rise above them. But, they try to do this rising by calling on Jesus for strength and there are a lot of people in this country, and around the world for that matter, that can't stomach the thought of anyone turning their hearts towards God and asking for His help.

Those who were expecting some big budget, glitzy Hollywood blockbuster were going to be disappointed. The budget on this film was five million dollars. That kind of budget wouldn't even buy twenty minutes of screen time from someone like Jim Carrey or George Clooney, let alone shoot the whole movie. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was budgeted at twenty million (which is ultra-low budget by current Hollywood standards). Does that mean that it was four times better than The Gospel? Not by a long shot. I'll watch The Gospel again, but I don't think I'll feel any remorse or loss if I never see Eternal Sunshine again. And a lot of Jim's current movies will leave me quite satisfied, just not that one.

So, you ask why this film is rated so low here? This is your answer. Good will always come under attack from evil. Always.

R. Kelley shoulda played the lead....

[blakndn · 3/10 · 6 January 2006]

at least he could bring some realism to a story about a secular singer returning to the flock. Chppy editing, story lines left in limbo. I wish I could cut Nona Gaye and Idris out and put them in a different movie.

I commend them for getting the picture done, but it still kinda....sucked.

"The Preacher's Wife" would be a good example for Rob Hardy in terms of knowing how to use music as part of the storyline and not just random numbers popping up for no reason. T

The songs lose their power by having way to many song moments. Boris K. tried but you can't buy him being a singer.

Great PG movie

[qtkt620 · 10/10 · 26 April 2006]

At our recent church lock-in, I showed this movie to our teens at our church. Some aren't allowed to watch non-animated movies (sheltered), but they all watched this and enjoyed it. I like the verses and biblical application that isn't too forced on you. It's not pushed down your throat. This is a great movie for those who are just beginning to learn about Christ's love. Also, there is some great music--and I don't usually listen to gospel. For those who like cussing, action-packed, movies with lots of gratuitous sex scenes, this isn't the movie for them. However, I think the movie reaches the audience it was trying to reach quite successfully.

Gosh I wish I got rate it better! It's such a great Christian film!

[Sherazade · 7/10 · 7 March 2006]

It could have been better but something went wrong along the way. Maybe the script was weak (doubtful) or casting Boris Kodjoe (David) in a singing and emotional role (ding! ding! ding!), something went horribly wrong! Nevertheless, the word of God is the main attraction in this very modern telling of the prodigal son. The cast is solid but not all of them pack a punch. For example, how is it possible for Idris Elba to steal the show from Boris Kodjoe? Looks-wise, acting-wise and everything! beats me but it happened. Elba sizzles as a conflicted but anointed Reverend and former childhood best friend of Kodjoe's character. Kodjoe is the prodigal son by the way, and due to his dislike of his father's devotion to God, he ventures out into the world on his own after losing faith in God during a family crisis. And just like an overnight makeover, 15 years fly by and he becomes a successful RnB singer, complete with the raunchy lyric songs to boot! But it takes another family tragedy happening to bring in to his senses and back home. American Idol runner up Tamyra Gray showcases some serious dramatic actress skills here, too bad her character was so painfully and shamefully underwritten and given too few lines. Gospel singing greats in the likes of Yolanda Adams and Donnie Mcclurkin make cameos during concerts. They had a good story to tell here but too much camera time was wasted on David and too bad Kodjoe was playing him. I feel David's character should have been played by someone who could actually sing and show real emotion unlike the way Kodjoe mimed, lip-synced and just acted like he was posing for the cover of GQ throughout the film. The ones who really shined were Idris Elba, Nona Gaye as his wife, Tamyra Gray, Omar Gooding (in a terrific sly-comedic sidekick role), the music and of course The Gospel!

Beautiful people, soulfilled message

[xwyld · 8 October 2005]

I have a confession. It was out of the pure, unmitigated desire to see Idris Elba, the delectably evil Stringer Bell from HBO's "The Wire", on the big screen that I agreed "to have church," via the movie theater on a Friday night. I must say, the guilt along with the redemption was worth it. And I know I'm a sinner in that I didn't know who to look at first, Idris in his wife-beaters and tailored suits or Boris Kodjo in washed jeans and black leather--too much glorious macho for one screen let alone one southern black church. Kodjo is warm, expressive, and impressively at ease in walking that line between saint and sinner as he uses his God given gift to save the church and at the same time is not above beating down the unrepentant if the situation demands it. If I have one complaint, it would be that the sexual rivalry was implicit but not fully heightened to dramatic ends, though I am sure such a heightening would have compromised the message. Nona Gaye's moments on screen, The Matrix, Crash, are always a visitation of nearly ethereal grace, nobility, and an uncompromising beauty. The audience applauded at movie's end, vowing to buy the soundtrack and pick up a prayer book.

Horrible Stay Away

[circlelink · 1/10 · 11 December 2005]

This movie was the most disjointed movie I have ever seen. The that the main character could not sing was so distracting - they had to play around him. As he had never done Hip Hop -- it was horrible. Who told this man he was good at this? The story line was all male -- no female connection at all - the preacher repented -- however he did not do it in front of his congregation -- the acting was horrible -- never did understand the distance between the preacher and his wife until the last part -- the quality of the shots were off and I never felt the connection in this show between the characters - it was not worth the money and the music was not even as good as in the CD - too many things were wrong with this movie -- Miss Desmond

A Modern Day Parable

[Sargebri · 17 October 2005]

As one person already said, this film is a modern day retelling of the parable of "The Prodigal Son". David definitely is the younger son who runs away and lives a life of sin while Frank is the older brother who stays behind and who tries to live a righteous life. However, the twist in this is the fact that even though Frank is now the the head of his church he has forgotten that his main mission is to spread the word of the Lord. However, he uses his position to pretty much alienate everyone, including his wife. This film pretty much looks as if it pretty much speaks to a lot of people on a lot of different levels. One is obviously the music and the other is the moral dilemmas that many of us face in our lives. It also takes a hard look at a lot of preachers out there who, like Frank, use their positions to promote themselves and don't care about the needs of their congregations. This is truly a good film and it definitely has a very uplifting story.

horrible.

[skoglio · 1/10 · 13 January 2006]

There has never been a movie that was bad enough for me to walk out on in the movie theatre, until this one. this movie was so confusing, BORING and (as one other posters said)Disjointed that i ended up walking out at the end of it. the writing in this movie was horrible. the dialogue was unbelievable and confusing. i sat through the whole movie wondering what the point of it was. i had no idea where the movie was going. i also didn't get any message from the movie. there were so many different things happening in it, that i just ended up confused. the music was only ooookaay...it wasn't great. to say the least, this movie was absolutely not forgettable. it was probably the worst movie that i have ever seen.

What a mess

[jazza923 · 2/10 · 2 January 2006]

This is a perfect example of how to make a bad film. The editing is horrendous, amateurish cinematography, poorly acted by all. Sloppy uninspiring direction by Rob Hardy. (Ed Wood - move over!) There are goofs all through the film. To make matters worse, the singing isn't even very good and the choreography is downright bad. The sound is poor. Everything about the film is poor. It drags, making it's 111 minute length seem more like 1111 minutes. A cliché ridden mess. Attempts at style only turn out laughably stupid. I can't believe they included deleted scenes on the DVD! Who on earth would want to see more?!

Overall a good movie...

[johnnyz71 · 7/10 · 13 April 2006]

Maybe a little cheesy with some of the acting...but truth doesn't lose it's value in the messenger. I think that in the end it makes a good movie because of it's message. I am speaking from experience...and I know truth when I see it. I do understand that everyone's entitled to their opinion and all...I mean, I don't like everything Ebert says is "good stuff"...so with that in mind, if you like music, if you have an ounce of Christian faith, you'll enjoy this film. If you've been to a church in the south, I mean a "full gospel" church, you'll be able to relate tremendously...enjoy! If you are not a "person of faith", I hope you give this movie a chance to see what it's about...faith and the movie...that is. It's worth the time, in my opinion.

The Gospel is Embarrassingly Embarrassing

[dartanian32 · 2/10 · 5 January 2006]

After watching the movie, I still wasn't too sure of the storyline and the point of the movie. I've heard now that it was a modern day version of the bible story, "The Prodigal Son". It was? Then it must have been a very very extremely extremely very very loose loose version of it because this movie was HORRIBLE! The biblical story that I know has a rich father with two sons, one of which leaves home, goes out into the world to make it on his own, finds out that life is pretty rough and comes back home down trodden into the welcoming arms of his father. The other son, the good son, stays at home and is angry when his father gives the "bad" son riches on his return, not understanding why the bad son is getting all the attention when the good son has been the apple of his fathers eye. Its all about love, forgiveness, taking the sheep back into the fold type of thing. Believe me when I say that that storyline does NOT play out in THE GOSPEL.

Boris Kodjo's character as the "lost" son is not built up in this movie, actually when i think about it, none of the characters truly develop so the audience cannot really get a connection with the characters and empathize with the things that happen in their lives. As for Boris, he is as good looking as he can't act; has hair in this movie (as opposed to his bald head) which looks like a wig (maybe it is) and can't act. He does NOT bring to life the whole story of the lost son who has gone out in the world and returns home. The funny thing is, he is one of the main stars of this movie. Why did they do that to him. To us? The "other" son, Idris Elba somewhat saved the movie with his performance and the portrayal of his character but overall the plot was quite thin and I asked myself many times throughout the film "What exactly is this movie about?" I think this movie was about the producers getting as many gospel artists, gospel songs and celebrities into this film as they could with "notable appearances" such as Tom Joyner, Donnie McClurkin,Myra J, Fred Hammond and Hezekiah Walker and a few others. But I will give major props to the music and especially to Yolanda Adams who's performance of her song "Victory" allowed this movie to get my rating vote of 2.

There really isn't much more to say about THE GOSPEL except that it is "notably forgettable". Oh, I forgot to mention that Boris can't act.

A feel-good film. Why the negativity?

[sethn172 · 10/10 · 17 February 2006]

Why is movie given such bad reviews? Why is a movie as nice as "The Gospel" considered bad by most users? Why is this movie given so much negative opinions? Why do so many movie people shun this film oh-so-much? Why are people even crazy enough to not even like this movie that is so nice, so uplifting, and so friendly that we Christians and many families come together to watch this highly-approved film? Why? Why? Why? Because people need a reality check. Because people need to watch more nice movies like this often. Because most people need better morals. Because people need better outlooks on movies as nice as these.

And guess what? I am not one of these unlucky persons that qualify!

Clap Your Hands

[hupfons5 · 6/10 · 18 November 2006]

A story of redemption, pride, jealousy, and reconciliation.

Fine cast with a stirring gospel soundtrack.

Although others have criticized the camera work and editing, those aspects of the movie neither bothered me nor detracted from my enjoyment of this uplifting film. I found that the acting, music, and story were engaging and enjoyable.

The singing performances of the choral groups and such gospel stars as Yolanda Adams, Fred Hammonds, Mom Winans, and Martha Munizzi combined nicely with, and elegantly complemented, the dramatic work of Idris Elba, Omar Gooding, Nona Gaye, and Clifton Powell.

American IDOL finalist Tamyra Gray shined in her acting and singing roles and showed that she has a bright future.

Not an award winning film, but quite entertaining.

Let's Be Honest ...

[conn_stew · 3/10 · 14 October 2005]

It was not the best movie I have ever seen, and neither was it the worst movie that I have seen. But let's not be so hard on ourselves! We've got a lot of 'catching up to do!' So let's hear from those writers out there who "for such a time as this' God placed on planet Earth to bring the 'Message' to the forefront and "tell it like it is!" I was disappointed with the story-line and directing. We can do much better than this! We have it in us! But it was good to see Black People working! Next time, let's get a great director, like Denzel Washing and a great screenwriter like???

Let's not stop trying to 'get it right!' We all have a story to tell! And God made sure that we Black People have plenty 'material' to tell a positive strong inspirational story of how 'He Changed Me.' And you may use that title ... but I better be compensated! hahhaaa

This was what the Fighting Temptations should have been.

[brenring · 8/10 · 24 October 2005]

The Gospel was a nice movie. It was what the Fighting Temptations should have been. Unlike the Fighting Temptations, this movie dealt with real situations and showed people going through real struggles. It showed people who were flawed and who were struggling with their faith but who persevered and grew. It was not a groundbreaking movie but there were surprises. Some of the characters went in different directions than I expected. The ending could have been made a little clearer. The director choose to end with flashes of scenes that you had to look at quickly before they went away. But it was a nice movie. The music was nice too, although I would have liked to have seen more variety in the songs they picked. Most of the songs came from only one composer.

Good, but some parts were lacking

[preppy017 · 6/10 · 18 March 2007]

I wouldn't rate this a bad movie. I mostly enjoyed it. However, I was still somewhat disappointed. My expectations may have been higher than this movie entailed. Based on the cover photo, I was originally expecting not only "the prodigal son" to return, but also take his father's place on the pulpit. In the end, I found the movie was supposed to promote salvation--key words: "supposed to." The plot shares similar ideas with "The Fighting Temptations": A young man leaves the church, and comes back several years later, after achieving success in the world. Not surprisingly the man finds love in someone (who coincidentally, is also a single mother), who's not impressed by his celebrity status. And, as in several movies, the woman has a change of heart. Both characters of Boris Kodjoe and Cuba Gooding Jr., are involved in the church's music ministry, and run into the conflict of bringing in secular ideals. The only difference between the two movies being one of the main characters indicated a need for a complete life change. However, this point didn't become clear until ninety minutes later.

My biggest criticism: The ending needed more work. The series of scenes towards the end were hard to follow. It was as if the director was avoiding the 2 hour mark, and compacted all the remaining details into the last three minutes.

All in all, I'd give it a six for its content. Even with the unoriginal plot line, it's still an enjoyable film.

Rent, don't Buy.

[beefshaker · 4/10 · 4 February 2006]

After being absolutely appalled with how weak 'The Fighting Tempatations' was, I approached this movie with a "don't expect too much" attitude , although it was difficult not to expect a lot from a movie showcasing a who's who of Gospel music on the movie trailer.

The plot parallels the biblical parable of the prodigal son with some shallow sub plots thrown in. These sub plots are never really explored in any depth which leaves you somewhat empty and thinking 'okay... so that was a waste of time..".

Cameo appearances from Gospel Giants such as Mother Winans, Fred Hammond and Yolanda Adams are nice little thrills but they *feel* cheap as if they were thrown in just to give the movie a little more glitz.

The concert where all the stars gather and perform is pretty uninspiring although there are some great songs in there. The song by the Main Character is the weakest song in the show - I don't think that's the way it's supposed to work.

The worst thing for me in this movie was the ending, where an altar call is led by the character who has been the story's primary antagonist. Although this characters flaw is 'redeemed', his repentance is so fleeting and shallow that when our hero and other characters respond to the altar call, it feels like injustice instead of redemption.

Most Christians will probably like this. Some won't. Some people who don't have any experience of church life won't get this movie at all.

Music good. Movie bad.