We live in a world where there seems to be little hope. The
press has always been fueled by cynicism and pessimism, the catch phrase “if it
bleeds it leads” a style of reporting that focuses on the bad with rarely any
good news to be found. And abundance of social media has amplified those
stories and more with people sometimes using them to do more harm than good. A
culture of hoping for failure in a President that some didn’t think won the
election or disgust at those who disagree with him is running rampant. Surely
there has to be something good in this world.
There is. There has been all along. And on occasion it takes
something that takes form in a movie, a book or a song to remind us of that.
While the negative aspects of life are being pumped at us non-stop at the same
time faith based films are not only on the rise but doing well at the box
office. Hollywood is stunned by their success and continue to promote their
values rather than those of their audience. So when a movie like I CAN ONLY
IMAGINE does big box office one can only hope they take notice.
Based on the hit song and the life of its composer the movie
is one the entire family can enjoy in spite of the troubles the lead character
faces. J. Michael Finley stars as Bart Millard. As a child his home life is
nothing but tumultuous. His parents fight all the time and his father Arthur
(Dennis Quaid) is prone to beating his son. Bart has a strong faith though
encouraged by his “Meemaw” (Cloris Leachman). He also has support in the girl
he has a crush on, Shannon. He even carves their initials on the bridge at
church camp.
But coming home from camp Bart discovers his mother has left
both him and his father. In an effort to find a connection with his father he
does what he can to please him. Being an ex-football star Bart follows in his
father’s footsteps until an injury sidelines him for good. In order to get
enough credits to graduate he signs up for glee club. With no known talent he’s
assigned to become the tech crew but when the teacher hears him singing she
gives him the lead in the school musical. His undiscovered talent is found.
Shannon (Madeline Carroll) goes off to college and Bart
picks up with a band in need of a singer, seeming to drift apart. Still strong
in his faith they tour the Christian youth circuit and develop a following.
When manager Brickell (Trace Adkins) hears them he tells them they have talent
but they’re not ready. He sees that Bart has songwriting talent but has one
thing holding him back from telling his story. That one item that he is running
from and yet to confront: his father.
The movie is not an immediate rags to riches story. Rather
than focus on the success that Bart Willard later found with his band MercyMe,
this is the more personal tale of how he found his own voice and how that
translated into a song that has touched millions of lives. It’s a story of pain
and anguish and suffering that’s turned around into a tale of forgiveness and
affection. The movie could have taken a
different road but instead stayed true to the source material (as much as any
movie can) capturing the essence of what inspired the creation of the song in
the title.
In making a movie like this it provides hope for the world.
It shows that we might not like what’s happening in our lives but if we retain
our faith then all things are possible. They might not happen when we want them
to or how we want them to but they eventually do happen. It provides a ray of
sunshine in world we now live in where all we hear about is the bad in spite of
good things taking place.
Finley does a great job here as Bart, the unlikely hero of
the story. He’s not in typical Hollywood leading man model but he provides an
honest look that matches the real man the film is about. While this is his
first film he makes the character of Bart come alive and seem like the honest
to goodness person he is. Quaid has had ups and downs in his career and I’ve
always thought he deserved more credit than he got. His portrayal of a man
disillusioned by being forced to abandon his dreams who crushes those of his
child, the meanest father depicted on screen in some time who seeks forgiveness
as his life moves on is done in some subtle ways that make his the standout
performance here. He deserves Oscar recognition for best supporting actor but
being a faith based film the odds of that are unlikely.
This review is not an attempt to deliver a sermon. It is a
recognition of a job well done by all involved. It is supportive of a movie
that at least attempts to provide a glimpse of what could be for so many, just
like the song it is based on does. If you take just under the 2 hours that the
film runs to sit and watch it perhaps it could make you think of someone who
needs forgiving and it might renew your faith as well. What better thing could
a movie offer?
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