Year: 2006
Rating: PG (Thematic elements, violence and language)
Drew Fuller
Bill Cobbs
Abigail Breslin (Academy Award Nominee)
Brian Dennehy
James Garner (Academy Award Nominee)
Lee Meriwether
Director: Michael Sajbel
Writer: Jim Stovall, Screenplay Cheryl McKay
20th Century Fox Released
Available at amazon.com and christianbook.com
Jason Stevens has a life of privilege. Anything he wants. His whole family is the same way. They live a life of having what they want and doing what they want. Jason’s grandfather dies and they all think he’s leaving them the whole shebang. But he doesn’t. He leaves a video for Jason and just the tip of his iceberg to the rest. The video sends Jason on a journey of becoming something more than he is.
I won’t spoil it too much for you, but Jason becomes a different man. This is one of the best films I have seen in years. It is not a “Christian” film, but is not far from it. One of the “curses” of many Christian films is the acting is usually off a bit. It’s because the demand for them is not as much and therefore, there’s not as much money involved in it. That’s where films like these take up the slack. I’m not bad mouthing Christian films, mind you. They are awesome and they are getting better all the time.
That all said, yes the acting in this film is great. The entire theme is basically taking a spoilt, rich brat and making a man out of him. Brian Dennehy is one of my favorites and so is James Garner. They both do their usual great job. The little girl, played by Abigail Breslin, is outstanding. And Drew Fuller is a very convincing rich kid. A family film with little draw backs (a couple of foul explanatives), it has a strong message that is clear, but not so overt as to seem like a boring sermon. You will enjoy this film.
The Essence: Never allow your possesions to mold you.
3/7 stars for Christian content
5/7 stars for the family
5/7 stars for romance
2/7 stars for action
4/7 stars for comedy
19/35 total stars for this film
Matthew R. Davenport, 2008
Read more articles by M. R. Davenport or search for articles on the same topic or others.
