Mercy Rule (Video 2014) Poster

(2014 Video)

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3/10
Ehhh
liddlesweetiepie21 April 2015
I totally got lost on this movie more than once. I was hoping for it to be a good Christian film which glorifies God. Maybe I zoned out one too many times, but I don't ever recall them honoring God, seeking God, or praising God. Yes, it was clean & wholesome, but I was expecting something along the lines of other Christian films like Fireproof, Flywheel, Facing the Giants, Courageous, God's Not Dead, etc. I realize they are different companies and should be evaluated differently, but I was not a fan of this one at all. The story didn't really seem to be going anywhere and it kind of closed up in one sequence. I love baseball and some of the things in it bothered me as well..(like why he got mad he couldn't do anything in right field, yet never once backed up the first baseman? lol) In general, it got 3 stars because it is a movie based in faith and intentions were good, but I will probably never watch it again.
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3/10
Lord have mercy
bkoganbing24 August 2015
Mercy Rule is a family values film by the husband and wife Christian team of Kirk Cameron and Chelsea Noble. That it went direct to video speaks volumes about the faith the studios had in this one. In fact Kirk Cameron filmed an introduction to this film that says this is family entertainment.

I do have to say that this does avoid being hit over the head with direct Christianity. Still the message is obvious, if you've got faith you'll come out on top.

In this situation I rather think it was Cameron's eloquence before his town council that saved the day. Not an amen or a hallelujah and nobody spoke in tongues.

Two crises are confronting the family. The first is son Jared Miller having to learn that being on a Little League team requires team work. A lesson hard to enforce I'll admit when they hear about star players and some of the eight figure contracts they have. Still on the field teamwork does count.

The second is Cameron's family business founded by his father and it's a junkyard. Back in the day those folks did not deal with environmental regulations, but Kirk has to. His opponent who is environmental lawyer and activit James Bladon gets to take over businesses and companies due to his encyclopedic knowledge of business regulations. He's a sly one Bladon, his takeovers are all in the name of saving the environment. He's as hateful as any Snidely Whiplash villain from one of those 19th century morality plays.

This may not strictly speaking be a religious right epic, but it sure is an attack on the environmental movement. The reasoning here is the same that makes the same sex couple villains because they deliberately go into a Christian bakery with malice aforethought to put them out of business because they'll refuse to bake a gay cake. Just why Bladon wants to control Cameron's junkyard is never made clear.

Mercy Rule is not religious propaganda, but it's right wing propaganda and pretty heavy handed propaganda at that.
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2/10
Hard to watch
joyfuljillsy26 October 2022
Everybody has a miss from time to time and this is one for Kirk Cameron. Really disliked this chopped up, weird movie. What the heck is up with all the strange camera angles and slow motion? I don't need to watch someone fry bacon and make pancakes in slow motion. And the creepy softball coach? Is he mentally sound? Not someone who would have ever been my kids coach! Even those cute kid roles I could not get behind. This is not a fun family movie. It is boring, long & drawn out, political and stinky. I think I watched the whole movie with a look of disgust on my face. What were they thinking??
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1/10
Why, God, Why?
nrabond0071 July 2015
I don't know what to say. I have projectile vomiting due to the motion sickness inducing camera work, and I'm more than a little freaked out by the way Kirk Cameron tries to get his message across. Instead of painting a picture of hope and light, through which religious views should be relayed, Cameron draws from his own holier than now vision of himself, missing the point completely. From the beginning of the film there is a constant droning of horrible background music, uninspired camera angles which make even the baseball more boring than it is, as well as drowned out camera filters which have a slight vignette. This is not how you bring a message across. You can't combine scenes of a conversation with the added montage of a baseball game, single baseball game. Pardon my writing for being a little archaic today, this film has just angered me to no end. There is no continuity, there is no message here that anyone would want to hear, and I'm frankly insulted that I can't give it a 0. Kirk, take my advice, if you're looking to create a family film, you should create a film that is good for the entire family. It should be easy to swallow without going into too much detail, the message should be clear as well as fun to get to. The dramatic element should be heartfelt and genuine , not in your face and boring, coming through like a lecture on insurance premiums. I'm going to have an aneurysm, so I'm going to stop this review immediately. If you want a good religious message it's more fun just to go to church than to watch this movie. I'm done.
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1/10
This Made Me Hate Movies
zombieman19783 February 2015
Propaganda films are nothing new. Film has been used as a tool to promote/push ideals on an unsuspecting public practically since the birth of cinema. Whether they be made to warn against the "horrors" of marijuana (Reefer Madness) gain support for the Nazi party (Triumph Of The Will) or serve the Christian agenda (God's Not Dead) movies are a constant tool for those who wish to not only change the way YOU think, but the way EVERYONE thinks. More often than not, they serve as laughable excuses for films that could only serve to inspire the simplest of simpletons to change their way of thinking, or, as is most often the case, to preach to the choir. The fact that there are those who will change their entire mode of thinking based on any of these films is both disheartening and frightening.

Mercy Rule is a 2014 "film" starring Kirk Cameron (Saving Christmas, Fireproof) and directed by Darren Doane (Who also directed Saving Christmas) The plot concerns the manager of a Waste Disposal site who finds himself in hot water when an environmental lobbyist approaches him, threatening to shut him down to to environmental concerns. What you may find odd about this premise is the decision to cast Cameron as the manager of the dump, and not the lobbyist. Surely, there's no way they could be making him out to be the good guy, right? Mercy Rule is bloated, inane, and above all, morally reprehensible. It portrays Cameron's garbage king as a decent family man who's simply trying to provide for his family. What's a little irreversible damage to the environment when he's just trying to feed his family, right? And shame on that nasty, evil environmental lobbyist trying to shut him down. If he shuts him down, he's shutting down America!! The movie's ideals are so ass-backwards that I genuinely felt uncomfortable while watching it. It has production values that would make something like Disney's Cadet Kelly look like The Godfather, and performances that are about as convincing as a Junior High play. The film also suffers greatly from it's length. It painfully stretches itself to two hours, with sequences involving the lead character's son playing baseball in slow motion set to irritating and repetitive dub step music. These sequences made for painful viewing, as they gave the impression that the filmmakers had no concept of editing, timing, or even film-making.

What bothers me most, however, is the film's message. The movie enforces this conceit that environmental journalists, lobbyists and activists are un-American, unscrupulous communists who try to put good, hard-working people out of a job. But the filmmaker's obvious capitalist, right-wing politics make every single frame a chore to get through. Barely a moment passes when we don't see the "Protagonists" either spending money or enjoying their luxurious, expensive home. The strong ideals mixed with the absence of any artistic merit whatsoever make viewing this film all the more difficult. What is equally troublesome is Kirk Cameron's introduction at the beginning of the film, in which he states that he was trying to make "A good, clean and wholesome film with good values that the whole family can enjoy." (Paraphrasing) Knowing Cameron's reputation as a religious zealot, I was expecting Christian propaganda not unlike Left Behind, Fireproof, or the already oft-mentioned Saving Christmas. What I ended up getting, was unexpected, and possibly even worse.

This movie is among the most heinous form of torture I can think of. You watch in horror as it stretches itself paper-thin, right before your eyes. If anyone's mode of thinking was truly changed by this film, I simultaneously scream in anger and weep in distress. The only change it had on my way of thinking was it made me hate movies for two hours. I got my love back shortly enough after. But if it were up to me in that time frame, I would have had the entire history of cinema erased in a heartbeat.
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1/10
Straight Up Right Wing Propaganda
brianlupo8913 September 2015
So this film is available on Netflix streaming and I wanted to see a Kirk Cameron movie. I know Cameron is a vocal Evangelical Christian and I was interested to see if this movie was religious based...

Anyway, its far worse than I could imagine. It's basically a rallying call against environmental regulation.

Kirk Cameron's son is on a little league team and he desperately wants to be the team's lockdown pitcher. That's the A plot, and it's more or less harmless.

But the B plot... oh man. Kirk Cameron's family runs a scrap business that's being investigated by the government for it's environmental practices. The way the portray this government "lobbyist" is something you'd see on Fox News. He's this slick, black suit wearing, elitist lawyer, who desperately wants to tear the family business down. Kirk Cameron even says in the film, "You're worse than a corporate raider, you're a civic raider!"

Disgusting anti-environmental propaganda.
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Mercy Rule, more like Mercy drules! JUst kiiding, the best film of the dacade
riley-9912 May 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Hey guys, it's your boy riley-99 again. I'm writing for one of the best films i have ever seen starring our favuorite Christian actor, kirk cameron (the man himself). Hey!!! I loved this film. THe plot and the subplot are so fascinating and engrossing. MY aura at least 26% (never been past 5%) in the theatres. hahahahahahahahahah!@!!/ i just cant stop laughing. the magnificent comedic aspects and the thrilling ation sequences. goddamn i love this world. god created the world, he created us, he created this film. god is king. king is god. god is the god of all. he sees me. he sees you. i see him. we all see each other. s*** got carried away there. sorry. anyway. good movie. best I've ever seen. im gonna give this 9/3, best film I've ever seeen (+ 2 bag of milk from iraq). (thats how they do milk in iraq (in case you didn't know(sorry for being a know it all.))).
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1/10
Absolute waste of time
jpragasam19 June 2015
This was touted as a Christian family movie, having been made by a prominent actor who has starred in successful Christian movies in the past. My wife and I decided to watch it with the greatest anticipation of a good hour or two well spent. To our amazement, there was hardly any mention of God or of God's word at all in the movie. The content and themes were as secular as it can get. What has the lead character's craving for nicotine, and the tattoos on the arms and palms of the baseball coach have to do with Christianity? We are still bewildered as to what this movie is trying to achieve and what morals it is trying to promote. This is certainly one of the most disappointing movies that we have ever watched.
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1/10
Not really worth rating-is it really a movie or a bunch of montages
rsna_mille9 May 2023
Don't get me wrong I love Kirk Cameron I love even corny lower budget Christian films but this....is not a movie, nor Christian. I would say about an hour of this movie is montages of music and random scenes sometimes replayed over and over again. Not sure what the point was, the storyline, it was confusing. There was no Christian point and what was with the cigarette cravings? Just awful-hate to say it but please don't waste 2 hours on this, should of turned it off at 30 minutes instead of hoping it would get better-it doesn't trust me. The people that rated this a 10 had to be staring at their phones while watching this.
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8/10
Great family movie!
tony-beard8421 March 2015
As a Christian, I'm often a little disappointed by some films that come out labeled as such. Usually the writing is sub-standard and the cast has a handful of people who can act surrounded by folks who have yet to refine the skill.

"Mercy Rule" isn't just a good Christian movie, it's a quality movie in general. Kirk Cameron plays the role of John Miller, a business owner, husband, and father of two. Like any decent American boy, his son, Cody is obsessed with baseball. While the elder Miller sees his business under attack by an environmental lobbyist who is trying to regulate the business into the government control, the younger Miller is fighting to see more playing time on the ball field.

In supporting roles, Tim Hawkins plays Miller's hilarious goof-ball brother, and Bas Rutten is Cody's odd baseball coach. Both bring humor to an otherwise stressful time in the family's life.

While it's entirely plausible that a local government makes a play to take over a recycling center for political reasons, the lobbyist's character is a bit over the top.

If you're looking for a family movie, even one that isn't too preachy, this is a great choice. It's funny, clean, and teaches the importance of family and not giving up. Some of these other reviews here are clearly people angry about Christianity and famous Christians. While they are entitled to their opinion, I doubt they have watched the movie. Right now it's available on Netflix, and it's worth checking out.
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7/10
A Nice Family Film
outofseason4 October 2014
Realistic people come to a film like this with sane expectations. It's low budget and it was made with the stated purpose of simply being an enjoyable film for families to watch together. In that, it succeeded.

This is, to keep it real, a movie made for Christian families, or at least for families with some sense of faith and God. It's not an evangelistic movie but is certainly one written from the Biblical world view.

The music was a bit much at times. It reminded me of Ron Howard's 1991 movie, "Backdraft" where a very good soundtrack by Hans Zimmer was overused and left me a bit worn out mentally.

And there are other things that I would have "tweeked" if Kirk Cameron would have had the decency to call and ask me before he wrapped up production. (Some of you reading this may need to be told that I am being sarcastic here.)

But compared to the incredibly immoral and filthy garbage that families have to weed through in order to find decent family viewing, this movie was a very nice piece of work. My wife doesn't like movies, but she found this to be more than just tolerable and we heard her LOL several times. That was worth the price of admission for me right there.

It's just a simple movie about persevering through trials. But I liked all of the low-paid actors (again, keeping things real) and I believe they made you love or hate the characters they played, accordingly.

One thing I was VERY happy NOT to see was some spoiled brat kid that needed smacked (it seems like nearly every "family movie" has that obnoxious teenager in it and this one did not, thankfully).

I would recommend this for family viewing. Absolutely. Other thoughts:

1. Not enough Tim Hawkins. That guy is just plain hilarious.

2. Another happy ending? I want to see a "family movie" where the family loses it's business, loses their home and still remains faithful.

3. One of the best overall casts in a low-budget Christian movie since the 2002 Rich Christiano film titled, "Time Changer".

4. Great video production. As mentioned, the music was a bit much at times (except the drastic change at the end when the little league title game is over, which was a nice change).

5. A lot of people simply hate Kirk Cameron for expressing his beliefs and convictions. But I like Kirk. And I think that will have a lot to do with whether a person likes or dislikes this film.

So, watch it and enjoy.
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8/10
A good family movie worth watching
deb-84-34902219 August 2014
This is a family movie that you can watch with your kids and not worry that they will have nightmares or pick up bad habits. That said, it will never win any academy awards, not for writing, directing, cinematography, or even acting. That is not to say it is painful or a waste of time. The acting is not bad, and while the plot is a bit predictable, it includes just enough conflict to keep it interesting. Watch this movie because it is worth watching for it's story line, for the fact that it upholds good character and morals as something worth pursuing, and that it values family and relationships over money and political power.
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7/10
Baseball and family
jlunsbee24 June 2021
This is a sweet family friendly movie. Doesn't deserve the 1 ratings. Strong father figures, working out conflicts, and not giving up.
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10/10
GREAT Family Movie!
tishasledd31 December 2014
I agree with a previous reviewer if you aren't a Christian, parent, or a kid who likes baseball - this movie isn't for you! I really enjoyed several aspects of this movie! I actually REALLY liked the cinematography. Definitely a different look and eye catching. I also liked the insult slinging siblings! It makes it real! My whole family enjoyed. Loved the baseball coach and some of his lessons. The only thing I wish is that there was a little more Tim Hawkins. There are romantic comedies for adults only, or there are movies directed toward kids. This one had something for everyone in the family. My 16 and 12 year old enjoyed it. Movies dedicated to the WHOLE family is a lacking genre. Glad the Cameron Family did this one :)
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10/10
Great movie for families
ouronlineauction31 May 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Look if you're not a Christian, a parent, or an 8 yr old baseball player this movie may not be for you. However, I have watched this movie several times with my 7, and 8 yr old sons being baseball players they both love it. It is a good clean movie with Christian values, and a good story.

The baseball playing is accurate you can tell the kids are really hitting the ball, and they have been taught how to hit, and slide correctly. They look like a real team not some actors pretending to play baseball.

I thought the side story about the salvage company was just OK, the kids didn't seem to mind it and no one fell asleep. The only thing I wish was different was more time on the field, and less time with the side story.
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10/10
Great, wholesome film
pquigleyworkmail1 July 2019
I've read other reviews specifically one saying that this movie is a rallying cry to be anti-environment. I completely disagree this is a movie that is about an underdog who is being put down by the global bureaucratic Corporation. And a struggle to fight against it. If you're a real Christian this movie will touch you if not I advise you to go find a secular movie
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8/10
Surprisingly Enjoyable
halchaffee1 December 2015
I must admit, I was skeptical when I saw this movie on Netflix, and I only watched it because I had nothing better to watch. It started off a little rough, but I actually really enjoyed it. The slow motion scenes are too much, but besides that, it was a good movie.

You probably won't like this movie if you are anti-Christian, but as a Christian I thought it had a great message with a good story. I don't like cheesy Christian movies, but I wouldn't throw this in there with them. It certainly isn't a block-buster hit, but it's good family entertainment with a good message. I would encourage you to watch it. It's on Netflix right now.

I feel like this movie has an unfairly low rating. It seems that people that disagree with its message rate it lower because of that. Those who like Kirk Cameron will like this movie. Those who don't like what Kirk Cameron stands for will not like this movie. Simple as that.
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10/10
A Truly Wonderful Movie
hifrmny17 September 2021
PLEASE, PLEASE, don't listen to the naysayers because if you don't give yourself the chance to watch this movie, you'll be missing out on a great movie with a totally great cast that fit together so well and all the great feelings they leave you with. This is NOT a christian movie. In fact I don't recall anyone even saying grace or saying night time prayers once. Or perhaps that scene just eluded me. This is simply a great movie the whole family can watch together without having to listen to a bunch of F-bombs. Wow, what a novel idea !!!

I forgot to add times for the extra scenes within the end credits. They last from 30 to 45 seconds each and show the real end of the movie.

1...time is 1:54:07 2...time is 1:55:00 3...time is 1:57:10 I thought there were 4 but skimming through quickly I only found 3.
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10/10
Thank you! For making a decent movie!
martinsenlori-4948322 March 2016
There is so much trash out there that it's hard to find a movie to watch, especially as a Christian family. I want to thank you for making Mercy Rule! We only learned about it recently and I have loved enjoying watching it as a family several times now. I am grateful for what it teaches and the example it sets. Another one of our favorite movies is Fireproof. I'm not sure she quite understands it all, but I have a daughter under 10 who loves that movie. I love that she is seeing an example of 2 people working through their problems with the help of The Savior.

Thanks again! For decent movies with values, honor, and example.

When's the next one coming out?
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9/10
Just what we need!
carbunkle-reviews14 December 2021
Let me just say that Kurt Cameron is just what Hollywood needs right now. If your tired of sitting down for a "family" movie only to be greeted by fart jokes and Liberal agendas being shoved down your throat (hello Luca!) Kurt's movies are for you.

This one is about handsome kids playing baseball and it does not get more American than that. Kurt plays a good part and his wife (his real wife from real life WOW he's a lucky man!) teams up with him to teach their typical gen Z kid that being good at something calls for a bit of hard work!

But the real meat of the story comes when the family trash business is threatened by an evil left wing lawyer who wants to save the environment or whatever at the expense of this beautiful family's income as if they are making that big of a difference!

Kurt really drives home the message that God created the Earth for PEOPLE (hello) to do what makes us happy and rich. America was chosen as God's favorite nation because of our free market and this movie preaches that! Don't believe me? Look it up in the Bible.

We all know end times are close anyway so what does one little junkyard matter? This is a director who really gets the point! Awesome movie with a great message. Thank you Kurt!
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