The Grace Card (2011)

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

A religious film. A Christian one. Nice, useful, touching, moving. Like many others. This is the first impression. And it is right and fair. But the film gives more than a moral lesson. Or a preach. It is a film about sufferance - a profound one - and about family. It is a film about the meanings of life. And about chances. About faith and hate and hope and angry. Sure, predictable in many moments and scenes. And too pink in others. For me, I admite, one of good points remains the performance of Louis Gosset jr. in a role who gives to him doing a special , seductive chatacter. Short, an interestong film.

Now, I have seen a lot of Christian movies and not many of them had actually brought me to tears than this one did. This is truly a moving movie, that many people can actually relate to, especially if you lost someone and blamed it on God. I highly recommend viewing this movie and see what you can get out of it. The movie was truly beautiful from the start and how it portrayed tragedy was heartbreaking, especially the last part of the film.The movie stars the amazing Lou Gosset Jr, but the real star of the movie is the Preacher, played by Michael Higgenbottom. His character was amazing and was really adorable in some of his earlier scenes. But his character has some of the best moments as you reach the middle of the movie, struggling with his emotions as he tries to deal and help with Bill McDonald played by Michael Joiner.Michael Joiner's Bill McDonald is the most relatable character in the movie, as many of us has been like him before. Grieving over the loss of a loved one or just be nasty to everyone we talk to. His story is not only tragic, but also tear jerking, especially the last half of the movie, when he reveals what he is truly feeling. The way the movie ends is how ALL of us should treat one another, with love and respect, but also be forgiving of those who has cause us pain and heartbreak.My one advice for you, just watch the movie, don't let the Christian themes scare you away. In my opinion, when movies have Christian themes like this one, it's bound to be a great movie, and they are the better choices for movies. This movie should viewed by everyone, as it will touch your heart and even pull your heartstrings a bit.Now the music in this movie was perfectly done. The songs in this movie was amazing, and they really reflected the tone and the emotions the characters were feeling. If there was one thing that this movie wins, is with the songs they used in this movie.Now, my overall view of the movie is this, this is by far the best Christian movie I have ever seen. It ranks all the way up there with amazing Christian movies like God's Not Dead and Do You Believe? All great movies with heart touching stories. But be careful when showing this to kids, as the themes of this movie could sadden them or scare them. It is best to show this to kids who are ages 10 or older, as they could handle the themes.

I can't believe I wasted 2 hours of my life watching this tripe. I sheepishly admit that I watched the whole movie because I couldn't believe it could be so bad for so long . . . it seemed to last for about four hours? Even leaving aside the sickly condescending Sunday School Christian overtones, the movie is bad on so many levels. The acting is gratingly cheesy, the dialogue almost unintelligible, and the plot is just one cliché after another. It's as though the screenplay has been written by a teenage girl. It's so trite and melodramatic that it probably couldn't even get a slot on daytime TV. How they can charge to view this drivel is beyond me. As a Christian, I can honestly say that the only value in this movie is that it gives you a foretaste of purgatory.

I finally watched this film today after trying to find time over the past two weeks. Here is the review I wrote for http://ChristianDocumentaries.Wordpress.com (strangely enough I haven't had time to review a documentary for the site.I've been meaning to see this film for the past two weeks and finally made it out today. One reason I wanted to see it was because I heard the trailer for Courageous (http://courageousmovie.com/). A movie I really can't wait to see in September.I saw this movie at 4:30 in the afternoon (it is a lot cheaper then) and I was the only one in the theater except for an older black lady who came in right as it started. That seemed appropriate considering the nature of the film.The Good:The film had some really great points about it. Most of the acting was was great. I love Louis Gosset Jr. though I must admit he was a bit more rotund than I'm used to seeing him, but he always pulls off his roll well. It was also nice to Stephen Dervan in a minor role. You'll probably remember him as one of the comic relief firefighter's in Fireproof.I think my favorite actor in this film was Dawntoya Thomason who played the role of Debra, Sam Wright's wife. I don't know if she was really the best actress, but there was something about her on the screen that really just shone through.The variations in lighting as though showed the two different families really popped out as well. I don't normally notice this too much, but since studying more about film areas like this stick out. I also must say I enjoyed the soundtrack for The Grace Card. Much like the Sherwood films much of the music was contemporary Christian (most sounded similar to Third Day or MercyMe). I'm not usually a fan of CCM but this was all well done with no "poppy" high vocals.One other great point in this film was the wonderful portrayal of a pastor (in character traits). It was really nice to see a positive impact from a man behind the pulpit. That seems to be neglected in many Christian films.The Bad:Like most Christian films it had a few week spots in some the minor characters acting. Most notably I found the Police Chiefs (I think that was his role at least) played by Bob Childers to be a bit unbelievable on the screen. I'm not trying to tear him down, but I just don't think he was right for this role.The script also had a few challenges as well. It was well done over all, but like most of the new writers (I believe the writer is actually full time in the medical field) he tried to have the characters say too much without just showing it. More than anything it came across when trying to show Mac's racism.My last two points for this section are more theologically or philosophically based. I want to be clear than many dear saints may disagree with this assessment.First, while I like the portrayal of the pastor I really was taken back by the fact that neither of the times he is shown preaching does he actually read or quote the Word of God. He talks about experience and says some fine things but unless it comes from the Scriptures it isn't preaching it is just motivational speaking. I realize time is precious in a film as well as flow, but I personally think that would have made those scenes much more powerful.Second, my biggest fault with this film was the lack of God-centered grace. The theme of the entire film was grace, but the whole time they speak of grace to fellow man and never grace from God. The only reason we can give grace to one another is because it has so freely been given to us on the cross. It is a fundamental point that I felt this movie just lacked. They mentioned Jesus plenty of times, but never explained the gospel and while that is not something necessary in Christian film I just don't get how you have a movie about grace and never show that.The Recommendation:I think this movie is really worth seeing and supporting. While the last two points above really concern me I'm hoping this film does well enough that the writer will create more films and have the opportunity to correct those errors (or at least errors in my view). If you have the chance I'd take the time and money to go out and see The Grace Card.