Reviews

OK, so this has an evangelical message. But, the religion does not overwhelm what is really a fun, fun movie. At the opening, this may seem silly, but it has a serious side that is served-up in small bites with lots of laughs along the way. Unlike many modern films, this movie actually has some "likable" characters. The main character has a heart of gold. He has had to raise a younger brother, a confused sixteen year-old (yes, all sixteen year-olds are confused), but this is not about a rebellious, spoiled and disrespectful teenager. Rather, this teen admires his brother and there is a real bond of love between them. Stick with this movie. You will be glad you did. It has some silly parts, but there is alot of fun and plot twists too. Those who dock it for having an evangelical message are missing the point. Too bad. They could have had some fun watching this. Some really quirky but lovable characters join in along the way.

Whoever says this move is for the "whole family" must not have anyone at home under 16 years old. This story starts with violent screaming coming from a young boys house where he and his mother were just beaten by his step-father. The main character spends most of the movie depressed and whiny. The main female character is some kind of fashion model and thus is often in a state of near undress. This is NOT family friendly. The first 15-20 minutes are tolerable, for adults, but the movie just gets boring after that. Watch at your own risk, but not in front of the children.

This movie was just plain entertaining. The premise is a little wacky, but the writing is sharp and witty, well played by the equally wacky cast of characters. The production values of the movie are quite good and it moves along apace. Overall, this is just a fun watch. Grab your favorite snack and drink, sit back and enjoy. This is a move the entire family can view together.

This movie gets bad reviews because of its Christian worldview. Aside from that, it is well photographed, well acted and generally quite entertaining. Yes, there are evangelical messages throughout, but that is only a negative if you think The Bible is poppycock and that Christians are a cult of dimwits. If you believe the Bible is the inspired word of God and that there is a spiritual battle ongoing throughout the world, you will appreciate this movie. It is totally family friendly and moves along at a good pace. Just relax and enjoy this movie and try not to be so intimidated by its Christian message. There is even a good dose of humor sprinkled throughout.

The story is about a man who lands on death row for a very significant crime. He has a friend trying to get him off death row based on some "odd" circumstances surrounding his crime. Some will consider this movie "preachy", but given the setting and circumstances, "preachy" has its place here. The only real problem with the movie is the "low budget" look. If you are observant, you may be very tempted to pick-apart the production value of the movie. Stick with the story, forget the staging details, and you may find this compelling. The end is unexpected.

There was plenty annoying about this movie, but nothing more annoying than the non-stop background music. It literally NEVER stopped. There were some moments in the movie where any music at all was inappropriate. But nooooo, cue the dippy music. It you know anything at all about the building trades, you may want to consider passing on this altogether lest you begin bleeding from the eyes and ears when witnessing what passes as home renovation here. If there is a moral to this story it is hard to find. Any attempt to suggest some possibilities would result in spoilers, so we will let you decide. I really hate to give any "family friendly" movies a poor review. But honestly, this was a stinker that did not have to be. Watch at your own risk. PS. There is nothing really objectionable in the movie. It is kiddie safe.

We watch faith/family genre movies almost exclusively, so we are inclined to be "generous" with reviews. This movie, however, was pretty bad. If there was a message in it, it was hard to find. The pacing of the film was uneven, acting ranged from fairly good to terrible, the music was awful and the photography we would rate as poor. The writer of the screenplay should have consulted some medical experts, as the hospital scenes in the film were ludicrous. Overall, this movies was kind of a stinker. We give it an "E" for effort, but that is as "generous" as we can be.

We have just watched this program for the first time and could not be more pleased. The entire production is first class, as is the message. It is not possible for any warm-blooded being to not be moved by the spiritual encouragement which is at the heart of this story. We look forward to more SS&D movies. These have proven to be interesting, intelligent and reliably family-friendly entertainment.

People review this as "family" entertainment. If you have a family of nudists, maybe it is. However, the very first series features a nude beach scene, complete with nude bathers. If you are into seeing the bare behinds of strangers, then go for it. If you care about the kind of programs coming into your home, then pass.

Some have called this movie a "modern day Romeo and Juliet" tale. That might be a bit of a stretch, but there are some similarities. Chad Allen plays a H.S.Senior, Lucas, whose well-off father has some real anger management issues. Allen has a lifelong friend, Heather, who lives with her divorced mother and together they run a busy diner. Lucas' parents have all but arranged a marriage for him with to a family of their choosing, one of acceptable social status. Needles to say, the star- crossed lovers, Lucas and Heather, realize they are in love and want to marry. You may guess where things go from there. Friction would be putting it mildly. There is a pretty good, surprise ending which makes the rest of the movie worth the time. One problem I had with the movie is that, in the beginning, the main character, Lucas, is rather "hard to like". It becomes clear, later, that his mood and attitude are due to his home situation. Getting past that, you start to pull for the young lovers who are rowing up-stream all the way. There is a near tragedy which makes for an interesting sub-plot. For those who like romance stories with a satisfying ending, What Matters Most works. This movie has just a little cussing by the high-school boys and the only skin shown are the shirtless H.S. basketball players as they banter in the locker room.

To start on a positive note, there was nothing in this movie that was really offensive. No nudity, no cussing and just a wee bit of blood. Being a murder mystery, there had to be some blood. The actors obviously worked hard to make this film work, but there was no chemistry between them and the actors seemed uncomfortable, as if they were afraid to make a mistake. Maybe it was the directing. The story actually had potential, but the writer/director did not exploit that potential. Rather, the plot seemed to take a back seat to the straining actors. Not a good combination. There were a couple of worthy characters in the film, but I will not reveal too much in case you decide to give it a go. Overall, this movie just did not live up to the professional standards you may expect. Kudos for the effort, though, but it was boring when it did not have to be and missed some opportunities to be pretty funny. In my humble opinion, there was too much chatter between mother and daughter that had nothing to do with the plot.