I'm in Love with a Church Girl (2013) User Reviews

I'm in Love with Materialism

[DeusWar · 3/10 · 28 December 2013]

After a recent view of "I'm in Love with a Church Girl" this reviewer can readily see what is happening with American Evangelical Christianity's love affair with the materialistic world-view. From the very first scene one can tell directly that the film was made as an evangelistic tool to draw in a certain element of society caught up in the very real world of drugs and crime. However the portrayal of this world is presented in such an unrealistic way that it is hard to imagine that any goal could be accomplished in reaching this certain target audience.

What is clear, is that this movie sets out to establish that American Evangelical Christianity can give you more than the world has to offer; in fact, it can beat the world at its own game!

From the very first scene of presenting 'cool' Christian rap music that is portrayed as just as good if not better than the world's music without 'sounding lame' we can see the setup. Christian Rap is hardcore after all. When the main character Miles went to church as a kid, it had lame music after all. What? Not anymore. Christians got the cool music. Everyone wants to be cool after all. Duh!

How about the cool worship pastor with the white Lamborghini and gangsta clothing? Looks to me like he made it bigger than Miles with this game! He didn't even have to sell any drugs! Again, Miles was bored out of his mind as a kid with traditional worship, but now he has a cool guy that can relate to him! WERD! I need to get me some of that!

And the 'church girl'? It's okay to go date a thug, because missionary dating is cool! In fact, girls, get out there and get to work! It will all work out in the end! Just ignore your crazy strict mom when she asks your non-Christian boyfriend some simple questions. She does not understand! Mom, it will turnout all right! Don't worry so much!

To top it all off, once you get caught for your wicked lifestyle you can always just say a prayer, and it's all good! You can even keep your material goods! Because, it's all about you!

What's not to love about a Materialistic world-view?

Church girl dresses to kill

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 27 October 2013]

I'm In Love With A Church Girl gets an "A" for sincerity, but only maintains a "C" for the final result. Rapper Ja Rule stars as the real life Miles Montego of San Jose, California who through new found faith in God comes all the way out of his former life as a drug seller and a gang banger.

Now he's into concert promotions which is legitimate unto itself, but certainly is still an atmosphere in which Ja Rule's former profession flourishes. But Ja Rule meets Adrienne Bailon who is a nice church going girl and pretty soon he's not only liking her, but her wholesomeness and purity stemming from her devout Christian upbringing.

Of course law enforcement isn't quite buying Ja Rule turning over a new leaf and they've got Stephen Baldwin on surveillance checking him out throughout the film.

I'm In Love With Church Girl borrows from the old master of religious spectacle Cecil B. DeMille. Not that this film has a DeMille like budget, but DeMille was a big believer in selling religion with a little sex. Somehow I could not quite buy Adrienne Bailon as a church going born again with those skirts up to her privates and showing a most ample buttocks. Maybe I'm just a Philistine, but somehow I think that's what got Ja Rule's attention.

The cast gave some good performances and how much of it happened to Miles Montego in real life is a source of speculation. I know DeMille would have approved this picture.

Strictly for God-fearing church-going super-religious people!

[Seth_Rogue_One · 4/10 · 10 July 2014]

Gangster meets a church-girl and goes good didn't sound too shabby for a movie, and Ja Rule's name is a sure-shot to boost up the street-cred but... And I do mean but... This is one of the preachiest movies I have ever seen in my whole life... Granted, it's a Gospel movie company that did it BUT does that mean that they have to refer to God or the bible in 75% of all the scenes in the movie? They even gave God a executive producer spot for the movie lol... And there are no gangsterish scenes to be talked about either, Ja Rule is out of the gangster-life already when the movie starts so it's not as much of a "coming of age"-story as I expected either... Acting-wise Ja Rule is actually pretty good, but the script and dialogue is sometimes not even bearable due the writers trying to constantly push their Gospel-agenda down the viewers throats... If however you are super-religious and go to church every Sunday (like everyone should do according to the movie) then yeah you might like it...

Bad acting, no tobyMac, unfortunate movie overall

[aprilsweetpea26 · 1/10 · 26 October 2013]

As a Christian this movie horrifies me. Vanessa is basically Miles' counselor, and whenever they have conversations she has this "all-knowing" look as if she already knows the answers to the questions that he's asking and she's so much better than him. The actors are really bad at subtle emotion, and I feel as though this movie was highly unprofessionally made and produced - i.e, all of the aerial shots of the scenery and buildings. Do we really need a bird's-eye view of every scene? Also, the plot was confusing in the fact that the movie starts off with Miles being an active drug dealer and then immediately moving two years later to when he is supposedly a concert manager. There was no warning and the jump was without transitions. The music was too loud at some points in the way that it was less subtle than it could have been. Yes, we know this is a dramatic scene, but we don't need emotional classical music blasting through the speakers. Vanessa is a very skin-deep character and there is no chemistry between Miles and Vanessa. It seemed artificial when Vanessa didn't question Miles' million-dollar home and multiple cars, and was shocked when he tries to stop the fight in the parking lot with the others. Like, yes, he was a drug dealer, obviously his past hasn't completely disappeared. Sorry that this is long, but definitely don't take the time to see this.

Bad example to young people, bad acting, and just bad.

[Mike-maddix · 1/10 · 19 October 2013]

This move uses the "Christian" card to appeal to an audience. If this movie is not "a wolf in sheep's clothing", I do not know what is. One of the unfortunate messages this film gives to decent Christian women is to date below your level and you can change a looser into a winner. This is rarely the case and is a bad message to send. I met the person who produced the movie in his promotion effort of "if you are a Christian, you need to support this movie"... that is not enough. The movie message was bad, the acting was even worse.

Do not waste your time or money on this movie and by all means lock up your daughters before they think they can date scum and they will turn into the elect of God.

so bad

[brna-fdan456-596-258118 · 1/10 · 29 May 2020]

This movie was so silly and full of nonesense. church girl was with him for his money, his character was piece of crap and all of the movie is about money talks idiom . I don't know but I got GTA san andreas vibes from main character

A "God"-awful movie

[adriel-matos · 2/10 · 10 October 2017]

I found this "movie" on Netflix and the first thing that caught my eyes was the title. I thought to myself, "Is this real?". I couldn't believe it, so it was my job to check it out, and what a surprise! It's not good. Matter of fact, it's incredibly boring. For being about drug dealing, FBI investigations, and also might I add being based on a true story. The overall execution was flat and uninspired. How can you mess it up? Well, to start it all off in the credits "GOD" is the executive producer. I wish I made this up, but it's real! Look it up for yourself! You know what? Scratch that, don't do it.

The positive parts: T-Bone and his music. I remember listening to his album "Bone-A-Fide" when I was little and it was my favorite album back then. Now my knowledge for music has grown immensely and I don't find him to be that good of a rapper, but still I find him very enjoyable. It was a surprise to see him in the movie and he was actually not that bad. I could see him portrayed as a drug dealer and it was a joy to see him. Also, Michael Madsen was okay.

The negative parts: Everything else. No seriously, everything. The cinematography was bad, the movie looked like a TV-movie, the movie is unnecessarily long, and the acting was horrendous. Ja Rule was so bad. I know that not that many rappers can act, but my God was he bad. BUT! In some scenes, he did manage to give a "so bad it's good" type of performance. The only problem is that it takes such a long time to see him give his "all" (I use that term lightly), that your already bored or you're looking at your phone from the boredom. Adrienne Bailon lost her charm from the "Cheetah Girls" movies and was instead lackluster. I was shocked seeing Michael Madsen, Martin Kove and Stephen Baldwin in this movie. They could have done something better or at least give a good performance. They could have been the stand-outs, but instead they came for the pay-checks. Even though, the movie was a big flop. I thought that this movie was going to be a "so bad it's good" type, and boy was I wrong.

In conclusion, the movie is long, boring, and the acting is horrible. However, most importantly the movie lost its potential to be a "so bad it's good" movie. T-Bone was surprisingly okay and so was Michael Madsen. These small positives those not at all overweight the negative parts about the movie. So, I would say skip it. You're not missing out anything.

I would give 0, if it would be possible!!!!!!!

[bsz-92449 · 1/10 · 1 October 2018]

Horrible acting to begin with, all the way. Church girl??? That wasn't a church girl, it was more likely a bling bling lover, material girl, who dresses and talks like a jealous, ghetto prostitute. Also, if she suppose to be poor, than don't put her in a "silver convertible"!!! The characters have no character, they try to act like they are smart, but they are dumb as hell!!! They don't have really much to say... the story Escalates from 0 to 100 in 2 seconds, but still there's no actual "action/conflict/drama". Who in this world calls a person they just met "babe" in the first date, confessing about he and his friends being drug dealers on the second and saying "I love" you on the third date??? The doctors and nurses are all incapable morons in both of the hospital scenes. I mean In the dying scene of Miles mother when the line goes straight, the nurse runs in and just stands there, instead of trying to rescue her!? when V wakes up from coma, also they do the same and worse: they literally lean up on the bed, instead of doing their protocol!!! Not to even mention Miles's friends, who seem weirdly overjoyed to be in prison instead of him and the 2 DEA agent... they are just weird! DID I MENTION HOW BAD THE ACTING WAS AND SO DRY, IM COUGHING UP SAND eversince I've seen the movie 👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼

Destined to be underestimated (for good reason) but reveals itself to be something more than its subgenre would suggest

[StevePulaski · 6/10 · 28 May 2014]

As one can maybe infer from the title, I'm in Love With a Church Girl exists in that strange little subsector of American cinema that I probably should be getting tired of, but still find myself weirdly interested in - contemporary Christian cinema. Every year, especially 2014 for some reason, we are given one or two of these low-budget films, sometimes boasting names we recognize, and other times, coming completely out of left field. The films are sometimes less films and more long-winded sermons that, by the end of their runtime, have done nothing but tirelessly preach to the choir and can be metaphorically compared to a preacher who gets so wrapped up in what they're preaching they circle back to their point several times as they race around the stage with their face bathed in sweat and their voice getting more and more raspy as time goes on.

At least with the abundance of Christian films that seem to center themselves on storyline improbabilities and contrivances, at least this one seems more focused on dealing with a grimmer reality than many other films of the genre. Similar to King's Faith - a film I thought quite highly of thanks to the use of reality and honesty rather than sugarcoated simplifications - this film doesn't hesitate to offer depictions of rough gangs, pessimistic forces, and, ultimately, tries to come to a conclusion as to why people join gangs in the first place and, more importantly, why they remain involved despite the massive amount of things that could go wrong.

The film focuses on Miles Montego (played by rapper Jeff "Ja Rule" Atkins), a wealthy and loyal drug dealer, who meets a nice Christian girl named Vanessa Leon (Adrienne Bailon) at a party. The two begin a relationship, but the immediate difference is that Vanessa is a devout believer and a loyalist to her local church and community while Miles simply strikes deals around the local church and thinks of the community, as a whole, as a haven for paying customers. Despite Miles moving away from the local drug scene, Vanessa still wishes Miles was more involved in a faithful life.

For Vanessa, he decides to adopt a life more geared towards reading the Bible rather than ignoring it. However, Miles realizes his time may be limited due to the fact that persistent DEA agents are watching him like hawks, specifically Agent Jason McDaniels (Stephen Baldwin), who is just waiting for Miles' next false move.

Admittedly, despite acknowledging certain realities in the world that are unable to avoid (there is no such thing as the purebread, normal, American family and issues like drug addiction and social irresponsibility are hard to ignore in modern American films. However, director Steve Race and writer Galley Molina still make the misstep almost all contemporary Christian films make, which is their inability to portray the non-believing community as people who are moral and functioning well despite a lack of outspoken beliefs. Consider Miles, who's life is magically turned around after he meets Vanessa, a good Christian girl and decides to assume a life of faith. I anxiously await a Christian film that shows us that even if someone is an Atheist that doesn't immediately make them a bad person, incapable of making wise, moral decisions.

The film does get other additional fields down, however, despite some glaring miscalculations still present. Atkins and Bailon are both pretty good actors, and their ability to spark watchable chemistry that never treads the line of boredom is actually something that keeps the film interesting overall. On top of that, even the film's runtime - which is two minutes shy of two hours - doesn't feel that long in retrospect, as it shows a gradual change in Miles, even if the change is a questionable one. I'm in Love With a Church Girl qualifies as, something I call, "a major-minor movie," or a film that is gravely underestimated and receives a barrage of negative reviews but just so happens to have several good qualities, even if it isn't perfect. In the realm of sermons disguised as films, this is one of the better ones you could watch.

Starring: Jeff "Ja Rule" Atkins, Adrienne Bailon, and Stephen Baldwin. Directed by: Steve Race.

This is anything but Christian

[elrollibre · 1/10 · 14 December 2016]

Well... it's that kind of Christianity so fashionable these days that offers a cool God of the world and therefore very lacking in meaning. This is what this movie is, it is a movie of the world, no matter how much they speak of God, it is empty, excessively materialistic and completely leaves aside the essence and the teachings of our Lord.

It's sad to see something like that....

This movie gives a terrible example, not to mention the Pastor.... seriously, what kind of Pastor is that? Makes me sick.

Please be alert to the lie of Satan so present today in Christian circles.

Great movie that doesn't require sex, violence, drugs, etc.

[cmcdermott1480 · 8/10 · 21 October 2013]

Finally Hollywood is putting out a movie that teaches values and morals without the use of guns, drugs, cursing, violence, sex, etc. This movie is so different and unique because of the fact that it had values that can actually help the youth. My wife and I left the movie feeling refreshed and positive about our society. PLEASE Hollywood, listen to the example of this movie and realize that you can actually have a positive impact on today's youth. The movie is a great story of forgiveness and redemption and it seems that some critics are putting it down because it outwardly mentions God and Jesus Christ as the source. I wish more movies were about this and used God as the focus. Look around and you will see that we have strayed far from what is moral. Maybe if we turn back to God we can live in the world that we all envision. More movies like this can help that happen.

Thank God for the courage of all those involved in the movie, especially Ja-Rule.

An urban gospel romantic drama, which isn't as bad as you'd think it would be.

[Amari-Sali · 6/10 · 14 December 2013]

Like many people, when I saw this film I was cautious because it had all the signs of being bad. A rapper turned actor; a Baldwin brother; Michael Madsen; and then former Cheetah Girl Adrienne Bailon. Then, to add on top of all that, the title itself lets it be well known that this is a faith based film. Heck, God is listed as an executive producer to show you what type of direction the film will have.

Characters & Story

The story for the movie deals with one Miles Montego (played by Ja Rule) who is a former gangster who seemed to get out just at the right time and go legit. But, though he may have left the thug life, he still hasn't dropped the people he used to roll with who lead the DEA and IRS to watching him. He doesn't take much note of them though and still works in his legit business of creating events. For example, in the film, he has one event called the "Old School Funk Fest."

But, even with a million dollar home, $300,000 dollar car, loving parents and friends, the man is missing something in his life. Enter Vanessa (played by Adrienne Bailon) who re-introduces him to the idea of a love in god as he finds love through her. Leading us to watch the two fall in love, as Miles rediscovers his faith.

Praise

One thing I must admit, I came into this movie with the lowest expectations possible and yet was surprised by how much I enjoyed the film. Ja Rule, I think, could possible fit that gap DMX left once he started handling his life the way he has, and could possibly just as much play a gangster as he could a love interest. Bailon too was also a bit surprising. Though her character wasn't well defined, she still played a good enough love interest to make it so you could see why a man who could have anyone, like Miles could, would want her by his side.

Also, I must admit I liked how there was some attempt at not having any of the groups in the film be undeniable protagonist or antagonist. Mind you, the DEA/IRS seem a little prejudice when you first meet them as they question how Miles has all his wealth, but with time some of them you realize are just doing their job. This even, to a point, extends to Miles' friends. Though we see them threaten lives, bust people's windows and sometimes act like they are in a rap video, at the same time you see this friendship between them and Miles which shows that there is something more to them than simply what is visually presented on screen.

Criticism

Leading to one of the big criticisms I have with the film, outside of Miles, no character gets a lot of development. Bailon's Vanessa, for example, has one line about her future and life outside of Miles in which we can assume she maybe in college trying to be a doctor, a nurse, or something in the medical field. Outside of that, she is a love interest with a strong, almost cult-like, love for Jesus. Which leads to another big issue in the film: it is alienating. Throughout the film, there is such a heavy handed approach to making sure you know this is a movie about Christians and what a faith in god means to them, and could mean to you, that it sometimes drowns out genuinely decent scenes.

Then, to make things worse, not only are you drowned with Christian faith, but when they have the film set in church the music is horrible and there is no sermon which makes you want to shout "Amen!" If anything, all you see is this mega church, a pastor in a Lamborghini and you can hear the argument in the back of your head how these people are being scammed so some guy can support a ridiculous lifestyle.

Mind you, they do show some positives of going to church, like how community based it is, but I feel like the mixing of them having Miles and his friends, then having Vanessa in her means of finding god in everything, just didn't mix well. To me, it felt like they tried to balance the film by having Miles racing in his car, and having a few gangster moments, but it overall feels like the opposites don't really mix together as much as awkwardly grind side by side.

Overall: TV Viewing

It is hard to outright recommend this film because it is so uncompromising with the topic of faith. I'd even think someone who was a Christian would be like, "enough already, I get it. You're a Christian, surely there is something else which defines you." Then, to add onto the film's issues, it is two hours long and feels like the type of film you watch for a while, see what else is on, and then come back to it. And because of that, I say it is worth TV viewing.

I can't even believe I bared to finish it!

[yaryfalcon · 1/10 · 27 February 2021]

Worst movie I have EVER seen and I've seen some bad next door neighbor independent film movies! The acting and over acting oh my goodness I can't...

Horrible acting, horrible script

[cpbanning · 1/10 · 18 August 2018]

The only bright spot in this movie is JaRule. He does a pretty good job of acting, but the rest of the cast is pathetic.

The movie

[tashbaa · 18 October 2013]

I enjoyed the message that the movie gave, but I honestly thought the acting was a little amateur. The movie made me want to strengthen my my relationship with Jesus. I appreciate this movie. It came at the right time in my life. I have been struggling with committing to God. I have had some of the same questions Miles had and it made me feel human. I also saw some of the Vanessa character in me, which made me feel like I am on the right path. The movie confirmed my beliefs and made me want to do better with reading my Bible and fellow-shipping with people. It gave me patience to wait on the man God has for me. I gave up, but after watching this, I have more faith because it confirmed that God is God and God answers prayers and God has not forgot about me. IF you haven't seen this movie I suggest you do so ASAP.

A marathon of trash

[jmlamb5995 · 1/10 · 5 February 2020]

This movie is poorly shot bad acting of unnatural dialogue for two hours. Cheap stock music drones on and on in the background the entire time, and the plot goes NOWHERE.

As a Christian movie, I think this movie also fails. Religion and God are forcefully shoved into every scenario and it's really jarring, so much so that actions that should have dire consequences are brushed away with prayer and devotion to God.

If you have 2 hours and want to feel good about Christianity, just go to church instead.

Bad acting but I'll watch cus ja rule

[raeanntaylor · 5/10 · 9 March 2020]

Bad script well maybe wouldn't be that bad if the acting was better. I'm bored so I'm watching it

Wasn't Impressive At All!

[collectoritem60 · 1/10 · 20 January 2022]

Was this supposed to be a Christian movie? The Church Girl? What? She certainly did not exemplify the usual cliché "I'm a woman of God." That was almost the very first thing which came out of her mouth. I didn't see redemption in any of this. I believe Hollywood needs to leave religious movies alone, because they never are true to the real God of the Bible.

Bad and boring

[borgolarici · 1/10 · 9 June 2020]

I really wanted to watch this movie for the LOL factor but I quit after 15 minutes or something. The acting was bad, the script was boring and I didn't feel like wasting more time to get to the over the top part. Overall it's just a hot mess and not even a funny one.

Wanted to love this movie

[punchline11 · 6/10 · 15 November 2014]

Well-intentioned, but uneven story. The beginning is very contrived, with meet cutes between Myles and Vanessa, and it was very preachy. Vanessa's father in the story was very bland, and far too trusting to let a "thug" get close to his daughter that quickly. Even Vanessa was too trusting of Myles, a bad message to teach our children- the believer rarely wins over the non-believer in real life.

As a Christian, I really wanted to love this movie. Too many Christian films try to hammer the message home so obviously, they become caricatures.

The latter part of the movie gets better, there is more genuine emotional turmoil. I don't know why they used a random car accident later in the story, when it would've been better if they used a violent gunfight to put Vanessa in jeopardy. I do like the scene with Myles and Vanessa's mom towards the end. I think having the FBI agent McDaniels talk about his own faith was a little late in the story, and seemed contrived. The message of redemption is great, but events just seemed to fall into place too easily. Not a bad film, but not very good either.

Bad

[carparkol · 1/10 · 10 January 2022]

This is not a good movie. I'm just amazed how bad is it. Amazing that this got produced. Acting is bad, script is a joke. Anyway. Don't waste your time.

Enjoyed this

[Jazzie-too · 9/10 · 2 November 2013]

This movie blind-sided me. I'm not a "faith" person, but wish I could be one of Vanessa's friends or in the family. Such standout faith. And there are people like this. I don't know how it happens, but it does. What is wrong with "good". Loved the feeling I had at the end of this movie. I knew the reviews and comments would not be favorable, for all the reasons that make soul-less reality TV so much a part of people's lives. Thank you, whoever conceived this story, and I hope more people will feel what I felt. Wish I could cross-over like this. Just see this film. Oh right, any review requires 10 lines of text. I find this not a productive requirement. Wish this site would re-evaluate this policy. Just SEE this movie. Oh, yes, don't shout either.

Not so bad

[ruminative1 · 7/10 · 22 October 2013]

I had low expectations for this movie. I had heard it was kinda wack so I that made me even more hesitant to see it. I will admit it was a tad bit cheesy but there are certain lines I guess they didn't want to cross so it could be family friendly. It actually was good in a Lifetime or GMC kinda way lol. I enjoyed it! I cried and laughed and I think it had a lot of potential to be better. It wasn't as believable as I would have liked but towards the end I was feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. I would see it again but NOT for the $11.00 Regal charged me for it. Unfortunately, Regal Cinemas are the only theaters showing it in my area. Anyway, good movie, great message, OK acting. Go see it!

Bad

[dianavasilache-23806 · 1/10 · 10 November 2020]

Bad acting, bad screenplay. Its one of the baddest movie I ever seen.

Another christian flop

[ThunderKing6 · 3/10 · 30 May 2018]

People only want God when they are sick and sad.

Then they don't like God when they are sad. Christians don't care about the bible they just want to make it to heaven and be rich.

This is what this films teaches us.

Ja's acting is decent good. The other girl from Cheeta Girls, her acting has not improved at all. Its about the same. Not sure why Miles didn't end up in prison while everyone else did.

These christian movies are really cliche and bad. They prove that christianity is a demonic drug that has nothing to do what the bible says.