What if... (2010)

Waste of time

Fresh and Exciting

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

This is a family film. The movie feels like a remake of "It's A Wonderful Life." What If is a movie which can lead to each of us questioning our choices that we made in life. Kevin Sorbo gives an adequate performance of both a high financial negotiator and a Christian minister. However, I still see Kevin Sorbo as "Hercules" the hero of the common man and noble of spirit. In both his roles, Kevin is still "Hercules" -- hero of the common man with the feelings of the common man as well as being noble of spirit. It is a good movie to watch in the afternoon rather than the evening, although OK to watch in the evening. The movie has no real stressful moments and is easily forgotten once you watch another movie. Enjoy.

It's an OK movie - not great, but OK. It's basically a version of It's a Wonderful Life, just from the other perspective. You get the same kinds of themes and all, but this time George (Ben Walker, actually) gets to leave and then sees not how rotten it would be if he hadn't lived, but how much happier he'd have been had he stayed behind.The hero of What If... can't, however, be the owner/manager of a savings & loan back at home. If he'd had the wonderful life instead of the life he actually chose, he'd be a preacher. Capra's masterpiece showed a deeply spiritual, loving, Christian way of doing business (particularly as set in opposition to the evil banker, Mr. Potter). Here we get the contrast between the preacher who is doing things just for the Lord, and the businessman doing things for the money. The morality play is absolutely clear cut, and in case you don't quite get it, there are sermons and prayers - some by cute little kids - to make sure you get the message.It also has its own Christian form of political correctness. They do have the hero (in his "what if" life) graduate from Moody Bible Institute (Baptist/revivalist, though not officially affiliated with any one denomination), but the church he serves is just "Little White Church" - no denomination, no history, no tradition, no nothing. Just the "Little White Church." This also makes it difficult to suspend disbelief and enter into the story as if these are real people whose struggles unfold before us.And so the movie comes up short.I find that in quite a bit of art - images, movies, music, books - produced by evangelicals. We can't quite trust the art. We seem afraid of not having it all nailed down so people can't misinterpret it. Instead of telling the story, we preach. Instead of singing the song, we preach. Instead of painting the picture, we preach. Instead of varied forms of art, we have sermon illustrations and most of them are pretty generic so as to be readily adaptable to whatever text you happen to be using this week.I wonder if this is not some sad legacy of the Protestant Reformation - the iconoclastic riots that destroyed statuary and stained glass and other "images" that tempted to idolatry. Are we still carrying that burden and that's why we have to surround our artistry with sermons lest we be tempted once again? I don't know, but it does seem that Catholic artists don't have the same problem, or at least not as severely.Don't get me wrong. Preaching is a form of art, too. There is certainly a place for the sermon and the sermon illustration. But a movie or a novel or a song or a picture can be just as God-glorifying without the sermon - and likely more so since it will be better art.Good art, like a good joke, is diminished if you have to explain it and if I could give any advice to young artists, it would be to let the art speak for itself. What If... can't quite bring itself to do that.

Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you had made different choices? Can we really have a second chance in life to do things differently?What If...a new Christian movie in theatrical release from Pure Flix Entertainment starring Kevin Sorbo, Kristy Swanson, Debby Ryan, and John Ratzenberger offers a whimsical look into one man's life and the choices he's made over a fifteen year period. The story follows a similar theme as the classic "It's a Wonderful Life" but with a little twist.What If... is currently playing at one of our local theaters, so I went to see it this afternoon. I cannot tell you how much I love this movie! Everything about the production is top quality (not to mention the added bonus that some of it was filmed in MY city...hooray for Grand Rapids, MI!) and I am thrilled to encourage everyone I know to go out and see it. This is a movie filled with humor and a wonderful message reminding us of God's love and that He has a good plan for each one of our lives.Here's the plain and simple: What If... truly delivers from beginning to end! Great story, superior acting, and just fun to watch.By the way, hat's off to Pure Flix Entertainment! A Christian production company which is obviously stepping up it's game and offering top quality movies for all audiences. I can't wait to see what they give us next, especially if it's performed with the same excellence as "What If..."So if your looking for a great family film check out the official What If... website and find out when and where it's playing in your area. If it's not available then make sure you join the campaign to bring the film to your city because your going to want to take your whole church on a field trip to see it! It would also make an awesome date night movie (hint, hint!)

Family Entertainment. You know, the feel-good, wholesome, honest, "take your child to without risking embarrassment" entertainment that is becoming popular once again. Professional cast (who would think of John Ratzenberger as an angel). Tried and true plot (but then how many truly original story lines have you seen lately?). Humor without being a comedy. Serious without being overbearing. Nice without being sticky-sweet. Christian without being overbearing (disclosure, I am a Christian). No blood, gore, bad language, bare-bodies or other objectionable content.A solid presentation. Intellectual enough that you go home thinking about the plot, not the special effects or love scene. At the same time, not so complicated that your child cannot follow.Highly recommended.