Paul: Apostle of Christ with Video Review

Let me make something clear from the very outset, I am normally very critical of Christian based films because they are simply not that well done and are made in a lackluster, embarrassing way. As a follower of Jesus as a person of faith, I strongly believe that films made by followers of Jesus should be done in an exceptional way, be it by the story, film quality or whatever as I could go on. Unfortunately, over the years, the overwhelming majority of films made by Christians have been garbage! There, I said it and that elephant is out of the room. That said, I find myself finding a great deal of pleasure in sharing my review of Paul, An Apostle of Christ.

There is something unique about the intro to this review. I have been doing reviews for approaching 40 years now. This is the first one I can recall primarily for Christians or followers of Jesus. That said, I hope those who are not followers of Jesus will appreciate my review and comments and that something can be garnished from it.

Paul: Apostle of Christ from a historical and faith perspective is tremendous and is in my opinion, right from the get go, possibly the most important and best Christian themed movie since The Passion of Christ which stared Jim Caviezel as Jesus Christ. In Paul: An Apostle of Christ, Caviezel plays the part of Luke the Doctor magnificently. Luke was a doctor who shortly after the death of Christ became a leader in the Christian Church. He wrote several books of Scripture of which the most well known may be the Christmas Story which most people around the world are familiar with. He also became a companion of Paul. Luke felt it was important to write down the thoughts and teachings of Paul while he was imprisoned by Rome. It is the later part of this description that this movie surrounds itself.

Jim Caviezel does his usual fabulous job of portraying a loving, mild mannered and caring individual. There are few actors who can portray this type of role which Caviezel has banked on. Even in the television show, A Person of Interest where he played a type of secret government operative undercover agent well trained in martial arts, firearms and so forth, he had that calm, easy going demeanor. Caviezel is as brilliant as ever in Paul: Apostle of Christ.

The quality of acting doesn't stop with Caviezel, while he has the primary role in the movie, the movies namesake, Paul is played beautifully by James Faulkner,  Faulkner featured in such programs as Atomic Blonde, Game of Thrones, Da Vinci's Demons, Downtown Abbey, and Underworld: Blood Wars among others is also terrific. He does an incredible job at presenting a beaten down, imprisoned, yet loving compassionate Apostle Paul. It is his portrayal and the writing that has this movie having the potential for such a terrific impact.

There are other notable portrayals in Paul: Apostle of Christ but the acting isn't the only thing to take notice of. The sets used, location, cinematography, direction by Andrew Hyatt who also co wrote the story, are terrific. In many ways, Paul: Apostle of Christ should be the model that "Christian Themed" or "Faith Based" movies should pattern themselves after. The quality of the production in this film is one that anyone can watch and easily understand my assumption about the disappointments of other so called "faith-based" films.

The power of Paul: Apostle of Christ isn't all of the above mentioned technical and acting concepts, the power of the movie is it's story and the possibility to get those who call themselves followers of Jesus to think about in regards to the current political situation in our world where it seems to be an appropriate thing to blend faith and politics, especially with an impression that seems to show compromise in the concepts of ones faith.

I truly appreciated the message that clearly shows the teachings of Jesus and presents a perspective from the Apostle Paul, (the author of most of the New Testament.) The concepts presented with a heavy dose of a hard to taste castor oil is done so largely with teachings directly out of the Bible with direct quotes. Blended in and mixed with that is a fairly historically accurate representation of what was going on in the early church shortly after the crucifixion of Jesus. The message of the tyrannical Roman Government and what they were doing to the earlier followers of Jesus is critical to understanding as to my conclusions as to what Christians and followers of Jesus can learn from this film. While it is easy to be a nationalistic follower of your nation, to call yourself a follower of Jesus demands a following not of your nation but instead, the teachings of Jesus. Paul clearly understood this concept as he was a man who was in a unique position of being a Jew, yet also a citizen of Rome. He understood as one who had made a drastic change, as one who had been responsible for multitudes of deaths of Christians but also one who came to passionately loved Jesus. Despite what issues we face in our world, in our society's they pale in comparison to what Jews and Christians faced under Rome.

It will be interesting to see the view of this film from those who have blended politics and faith. I imagine many will be critical of the love even your enemies, to be non resistant and so forth approach the movie takes. I doubt however that many of those who are critical of this approach will have an easy time debating their points with scripture, especially when it comes to the concepts of loving others not just from a Biblical view but also from a historical view of which Paul: Apostle of Christ does a very good job of presenting. If God is truly the same yesterday, today, and forever, then the approaches that many use to justify their actions of being so nationalistic could have also been used by Paul and the earlier followers in the early church, but as we know, they weren't.

I don't believe a "Faith-Based," film has had the potential to have as much impact on encouraging followers of Jesus since The Passion of the Christ. Paul: Apostle of Christ is a movie that has a perfect release week, prior to Easter, to challenge its audience about knowing and following the teachings of the Jesus as presented by Paul in this movie. I can imagine 2001 excuses to disregard this review but I know the impact the movie had on me. As stated I know it is easy to mix faith and politics, especially in today's world, especially in America. This movie was for me though, a powerful reminder of why it is ultimately the teachings of Jesus that I need to look at, and when I do that, I will be challenged because following the teachings of Jesus will not be easy, to follow them though is necessary if I want to carry the name Jesus, (Christian,) which means in many ways, "Little Jesus." 

While I strongly recommend this movie for all audiences, I especially recommend it for those who say they are followers of Jesus and among them, those who think they know the story of Paul. Paul: Apostle of Christ shows us in many ways, more realistically than ever, the relationship between Paul and Christ followers, Paul and Timothy, and ultimately, what the relationship that those of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus should have between ourselves and Jesus the Christ, Savior of the World.

On a scale of 1 - 10, there are a few bits of the film that is a tad boring, but not much, just enough to keep it from being perfect.  Therefore when you add the letters in the name Luke and Paul I give it a very deserving, very good, well worth watching 8, bordering on a 9.

To view the trailer for this movie, click on the link or video, our video review of the movie also follows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC4_0YV4q8U&feature=youtu.be


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyOqQZUDdO4




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Unbroken

I love movies, so much so that on occasion I will drive 3 hours through rush hour traffic in a major city to see one. Such was the case recently when I drove to Kansas City for an advance screening of Unbroken, a film meant to inspire and reflect the power of forgiveness. A wonderful concept if you will, especially when considering the film is to be released on Christmas day.

Unbroken follows through the use of flashbacks and narrative filming to tell the story of Louis Silvie “Louie” Zamperini. An Italian American growing up in California during the 1920's and 30's. He escaped his troubled youth through track and field distance running where he went on to run in the German, (Hitler) hosted Olympics of 1936. He later joined the U.S. Air Corps where the plane he was in crashed in the Pacific Ocean where he would spend 47 days at sea prior to being 'rescued' by Japanese forces. He remained a prisoner for the duration of the war.

Unbroken is directed by Angelina Jolie and the script is written by the Coen Brothers, Joel and Ethan. I must give kudos to Jolie for a well crafted effort that uses little dialog, especially from the principal actors and weaves the story together rather nicely. One of the things I was not certain of though was the way the story was weaved together by what appears to be the script. I am going to say something I hope others don't take wrong, but a huge part, if not the primary part of Zamperini's life and the thing that gave him the ability to endure the difficulties he went through was his faith, while there is brief mention of this, we never hear much dialog about it in the film. Instead the movie depends largely on images to present his ability to remain Unbroken. I have to wonder if the script writers and direction in the film truly understood the importance of this in Zamperini's life as it isn't evident to the viewer until the closing scenes where we see written narration on screen? This doesn't mean there aren't impressive qualities about the film, there absolutely is and in many ways the movie comes across as a reminder to the human ability to overcome. It shows the strength of a man, in an alluded way, through faith in a kind of Passion of the Christ movie kind of way without the bloody violence as displayed in The Passion of the Christ. It isn't to say Unbroken isn't emotional though, there was one lady during one particular scene in the theater I was in that had to literally run out of the theater weeping because she could not deal with what she was seeing on screen. There is brutality expressed in a haunting, and if you will, from a filmmaking perspective beautiful way. I would have just liked to have seen the character dealing with his faith through the process as it was a part of what made the man in real life who he was.

The two primary leads in the film do a surprisingly good job since they are not well known in film
circles as lead actors. Jack O'Connell does a very nice job in the lead roll of Zamperini. He actually has very little dialog and has to tell his story primarily through narration and living out the scenes on screen. His facial expressions and what times he does use dialog are very impressive though. The other example of little dialog from the actor is Takamasa Ishihara who plays the part of Mutsushiro Watanabe, known to the prisoners of war as The Bird, the overseer of the prisons where Zamperini spent his time during incarceration. Ishihara is so good I will be surprised if he doesn't receive an Academy Award nomination. The Bird was a brutal man who literally had Zamperini live through Hell on earth. The acting, all the way around, with no major movie stars is very good. Unbroken based on the quality of filmmaking alone, complete with cinematography, sound, etc... is worth seeing. I have to wonder though, will a story of this type, released on Christmas day, be well received?

Zamperini was a deeply spiritual man who made it very clear in his life that his faith and commitment specifically to Jesus Christ was what enabled him to remain unbroken during his time at sea and while imprisoned in Japan. Yet, while we see glimpses of this, allusion if you will, we don't have clarity as to that in the film. The imagery is definitely there though, from the struggles of a young man growing up in a deeply religious family, attending church, losing focus during church to ultimately being inspired by those around him through their faith in God. We even see him in a desperate situation, which resonates with the way it was for him to make a commitment to God while in a dangerous place. Here, he isn't just asking for spiritual salvation, he is asking for salvation from the situation he is in. We also see Zamperini in an almost supernatural way have the strength to endure and overcome situations that most of us watching wonder how could he overcome?

While a prisoner of war movie, Unbroken resonates with what I believe is the greatest illustration of the power of Christianity and faith in a movie I have seen on the topic, the 2001 movie, To End All Wars, starring Kiefer Sutherland. I have to compare these films because they seem to be so close in intent. To surmise the two; one, To End All Wars, is a great movie, Unbroken is a very good movie. I personally appreciated the intentional, and clear reminder of the importance and struggle with faith in To End All Wars much more as it seems a a more honest approach to the struggle one may go through in these situations.

Unbroken is however a powerful reminder of the need to overcome, especially for people who profess to believe in a God that gives the ability to overcome. It is a powerful reminder of the need to love, without retaliation and the powerful witness that can display for others. While watching the film one quickly sees what a hero is. Zamperini was undoubtedly a hero who was given strength by God to endure and overcome. In his ability to endure, there is no doubt of his witness to the strength and power of God but also the inspiration it gave others who witnessed what he went through. Unbroken, clearly on the topic of inspiration, gives clear witness to the ability of God to change a human life. From a young boy who wouldn't give up the fight, to a man dedicated to God who in the end, refused to fight in order that he may save lives, Zamperini was clearly a man who experienced God in his life, whether the film clearly speaks to that point or not.

Many from reading my review may think I didn't think highly of Unbroken, that is a mistake. It is a worthy film and one I believe that if thinking of the attributes of faith and what gives the strength to maintain that faith. If reminded of these concepts prior to seeing the movie one can clearly see the inspiration the movie can provide, even on Christmas day. Otherwise, as good as it is, it is also a message that could be overlooked by those seeing the film. I suspect the diehard, gun toting, blow the hell out of them 'christians' will take issue with the concepts of peace and nonviolence portrayed in the film, especially the efforts of Zamperini after the war but it is what it is. The mans life inspired multitudes, not by the act of war but the willingness to love and respond to violence with non violence. A concept many Christians have forgotten about, but an example once again, portrayed in a powerful way on screen. It is hard to forget about the sacrifices of men of this era, especially men like Zamperini, a true hero, who in the end, practiced forgiveness and love, not retaliation, certainly not in his personal life. While he understood the role of governments if you will, he also showed, by his actions and words, that he also understood the role of loving others and forgiveness as a bi-product of his faith. That is also a reminder for each person to consider, on the release of the film on Christmas day which celebrates the birth of the one called, The Prince of Peace.

I do feel compelled to make a closing comment, apparently according to the book, and comments by Zamperin, his conversion to Christ did not come until after WW2 via a Billy Graham Crusade. That said, the review is from the presentation of the film, but I think appropriate to get that concept worth mentioning to give the man the respect he deserves for the things he went through. I still think the review is appropriate though as to impression this reviewer felt and experienced from the movie. 

While not perfect and falling just short of To End All Wars in my humble opinion, this is a very good, well worth watching, confrontation of faith in action movie. For that reason, for the number of letters in Zamperini, I give a very deserved 9 on a scale of 1 - 10

The following is a short documentary on the Real Louis Zamperini, to see the video simply click on the video, if that doesn't work, click on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEGL-wyz1yk



The Virtual Pew and our other work is supported solely by the kind contributions of others. You can click on the donate button below to give any amount to this work that does so much more than just post articles on the net; I draw no ongoing salary from the church I pastor, Mosaic Wichita which is predominantly a homeless church; I am grateful for any small amount you can contribute to help with this ministry.  Believe me there is much more going on than most realize. I will also provide information to verify the ministry and income that comes into this ministry and work.  Thanks and feel free to share any material from The Virtual Pew, I only ask that appropriate credit is given and a link to the original site with the materials provided.


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The Identical, Interview with Blake Rayne and Erin Cottrell

I recently had the opportunity to interview Blake Rayne and Erin Cottrell, stars of the new movie The Identical.  Blake Rayne a former Elvis impersonator was discovered prior to being cast in this film.  He plays the part of Ryan Wade the identical twin of popular performer and singer Drexel Hemsley.  While a newcomer Rayne (aka Ryan Pelton) does a terrific job in this role, in fact, as mentioned in my review, while this actor looks, sounds like and performs much like Elvis, Elvis would be envious over  Rayne's own abilities.

An unexpected pleasure in the brief time I had during the interview was the presence of Erin Cottrell.  Erin is noted for the many roles she has been in, most prominently The Hallmark series featuring the books of Janet Oke.  Cotrell plays the part of girlfriend, and ultimate wife of Ryan Wade in the movie, Jenny O'Brien, she also serves as narrator of the film as if the story is being told through her eyes.

I had the opportunity to interview both of these individuals prior to seeing the film and the following is a transcript of our conversation.

Mike Furches, (MF):  Erin I had the opportunity to interview Michael Landon JR some time ago and I know you have done some work with him.

Erin Cottrell, (EC):  Yeah I have, he is a great guy.

MF:  Janet Oke was also one that years ago encouraged me in some of my own writings.  What was your work like with the two of them in the past?

EC:  Oh the work was fantastic although I really only met Janette once and that was at an awards show where she was lovely and so so kind. Now Michael Landon JR. I have done several friends with.  He was the producer and director and he was great, really really great. Especially so because when I came into work with him on the Love Comes Softly series I had just finished the Little House on the Prairie mini-series. He had mixed feelings about ABC redoing his fathers series and his legacy but he was incredibly gracious and a lovely human. He was a great guy to work for and super encouraging and was interested in doing all of the Love Comes Softly shows. I had only signed on for two but he said to get Erin in as many of them as possible so I was very grateful for him.

MF - Blake can you tell us about how you got this role?  Your background is really quite unique and if not mistaken this is your first feature film?  Tell us some about how you got the role and what life has been like for you after this?

Blake Rayne, (BR): Well its really quite interesting. I have a band and we were rehearsing in a rehearsal studio in Nashville. As coincidence would have it, the Executive Producer Yochanan Marcellino was visiting and walked in as he was looking for a place to work on some of the music for the film. That's how we ran into each other. To make a long story short, he called me into a couple of meetings and he sat me down one day and said, "I've got a film and I'm interested in casting you in the lead role but I don't know if you can act but we're going to find out." So I did a couple of screen tests and what not and that was a great experience for me across the board.

As far as how it's changed my life, I wouldn't say it's really changed it at all. I am looking forward to being more involved in film projects down the line but I'll always be involved in music.  I enjoy playing music, performing music writing music and I just hope I'll be able to call myself an actor as well.  So I have been very blessed and very lucky.

MF: One of the things I noticed on your Facebook page is I couldn't help but notice you have been involved in some race car circuit lately, ARCA races and all.  How did you get involved in that?

BR: A lot of it has been a part of the promotion of the movie. One of the companies has been supportive of The Identical.  They have four cars and one of the owners of one of the cars is Zaxby's Corporation and if you are from the South you'll know.  I have been a race fan all of my life, through the  Richard Petty Driving Experience and more. So its really been exciting to be involved with the guys involved in Motor Sports. To be with the drivers, pit crews and what not.  To go to the races, helping promote the movie, singing the National Anthem and so forth. That's the kind of situation where you don't have to pay me to be involved in any of that, it is for sure just a lot of fun. I have really enjoyed it, all of the guys, the drivers and everyone else has just been fabulous. I am out there and a total geek when it comes to stuff like this. I am just trying to learn everything, talk up the owner of the motorsports company, trying to force them to let me drive, and it's just all been a lot of fun man. (laughter through later part of Blake's comments.)

MF: I have a question where I want to be a little sensitive in how I ask it, but while I haven't seen the film yet, there seems to be a Christian or Spiritual theme in the movie from what I have seen and read.  Does that scare you at all?  I think the truth of it is that at least in my opinion is there are a lot of Christian films that have come out that are horrible. While this one seems to have a quality cast, and parts of it look good, does the association and thoughts from the public regarding "Christian" movies bother you at all?

EC: I'll go first on that one.  It really doesn't bother me because I honestly feel that first and foremost, this is a family film about families, but not just about families, but for families. It's about family and its about music. So I feel like that is the overarching theme.  It's that and there are redemptive qualities. It's also about following your dreams and that's beautiful. I feel like positioning of the religious element is so important to the character. Ray Liotta is a minister so it has some themes but I don't think the audience is being preached to.  People will understand the religious aspects because they will realize the people in the movie are religious.  I don't think they are specifically trying to proselytize to the audience. Because of that, I'm not worried at all. I think the movie is lovely and just because they are doing things that are faith based and family friendly it will be a warm welcome audience of those people. That's really fantastic so one certainly doesn't want to shy away from that. I think the movie will reach far more people than just the religious based audience. I think it is so relateable that there is really nothing to worry about.

MF: Blake, your thoughts?

BR: You know Erin said it very well. I think the thing to remember is this isn't a faith based movie, it is a faith friendly movie.  That is something to differentiate. If you sit back and look at this razy world, that is a question that that has value, that's why I think this is a great question. It doesn't matter what religion you are talking about, what is a part of all religions? Love, love, is a part of those religions. So it's a movie about love, is it a religious movie?  Not necessarily. I think that in this movie it is safe to say, these characters, just like in any movie, it is tough to have a movie where the characters don't follow some type of religion. In this one, one of the main characters is a preacher, trying to make his son follow his path of becoming a pastor. So yeah, the elements are going to be in there but the movie itself is not about that.  What the movie is about in my opinion is the relationship between a father and a son and that conflict is there, it is about how they come together, about following your own dreams, following your path in life and staying true to it despite diversity. There are times that even a parent may want you to do what they want instead of doing what you want. People need to follow their heart. That's what the movie is about to me. I don't really think there is anything in there that will offend others, it is a good movie and families are going to enjoy it. One doesn't have to be of a religious mindset to go to the theater and watch this movie, but if you are of a religious mindset, maybe you pull out specific maybe based on your own ideology. That's great but if you are going to just watch a good movie, you're still going to enjoy it. That's what I think.

MF: Can you give a brief response of what it was like to play alongside two incredible actors like Ray Liotta or Ashley Judd?

BR: From my standpoint, being a first time actor, it was just amazing. I didn't know what to expect from such big names. You just don't know what to expect. I can truthfully say that Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd, Seth Green, Erin Cottrell, (Erin breaks in laughing as Blake continues) everyone of them showed support of me and were so helpful with me being a first time actor. I certainly owe so much to them and just give them all the credit as they were just amazing.

EC: Yeah, Ray and Ashley were great. Ashley was just so incredibly kind to me. There was one night she couldn't use her Grand Ole Opry Tickets so she gave them to me. So I got the Judd family seats to the Grand Ole Opry. She was just super generous and very kind.  Ray was also fantastic and super focused. He was inspiring to work with and what he did with his character.  He was so committed and I just loved working with them and Seth Green. They were all so kind and like everything we did was so good. I had a great experience.

MF: Last comment, Blake, it was a year ago this month when I was with my sister in law at her bed along with my wife when my sister in law died of ALS.  I know you have done the Ice Bucket Challenge and I just wanted to say thank you. Now make sure you follow through to have Ashley Judd to take the challenge.

BR: I know I challenged her, I don't even know if she has seen the challenge but I am going to follow through to make sure she gets the challenge. I'll definitely talk to her.

MF: Thanks Erin and Blake for your time I really appreciate it.

BR: Thank you Mike we really enjoyed it.

EC: Same for me Mike, have a great day. 

The following is a clip from the movie The Identical.  It features the character of Ryan Wade singing to his girlfriend Jenny.  To see the video, click on the video below, if there is trouble, click on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDCggwDjsI0



The Virtual Pew and our other work is supported solely by the kind contributions of others. You can click on the donate button below to give any amount to this work that does so much more than just post articles on the net; I draw no ongoing salary from the church I pastor, Mosaic Wichita which is predominantly a homeless church; I am grateful for any small amount you can contribute to help with this ministry.  Believe me there is much more going on than most realize. I will also provide information to verify the ministry and income that comes into this ministry and work.  Thanks and feel free to share any material from The Virtual Pew, I only ask that appropriate credit is given and a link to the original site with the materials provided.


Click here to read about, and order the book, The Keystone Kid 


Click here to visit the web page The Virtual Pew

Click here to follow The Virtual Pew on Twitter

Mike Furches on Faceboook.

Click here to visit Mosaic Church where Mike is Pastor

The Keystone Kid/Virtual Pew Message Boards

Click to subscribe to my blog

There are hundreds of postings so make sure to check out the archives. You can also contact me for a free audio book link of The Keystone Kid at mike@furches.org You can visit http://www.thevirtualpew.com/.

Hopefully you will consider a gift to The Virtual Pew.

Now I get asked this quite often, Can we repost your blogs or articles? The short answer to that is, what an honor that you would ask, and by all means, spread the word. Here is our contact information

The Virtual Pew
1249 N. St. Francis
Wichita Kansas, 67214
Email: mike@furches.org

Click on the following links to learn more about The Virtual Pew

Donations to The Virtual Pew

The Virtual Pew Blog

Personal Furches Web Site

Hollywood Jesus

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The Identical, Starring Ray Liotta and Ashley Judd

We often hear that first impressions are not always the best. So was the case when I first saw the trailer and preliminary advertising for the movie The Identical. It looked like most every other "Christian" film I had seen, poorly made, acted, and just flat out horrible. As much as I hate to say it, the advances and preliminary bits I had seen on this movie reinforced that opinion, they looked so bad that I wanted nothing to do with it. Then something miraculous happened, I had an epiphany moment, I had fallen into the same thing I had accused others of. I made a judgment about a movie before seeing it.

I had an opportunity to see The Identical prior to its release and my moment of prejudgment quickly changed. This movie, with a strong emphasis on faith as a backdrop wasn't only better than most of the "Christian" films I had seen, I quickly realized, the trailer doesn't even come close to how good the movie is. I will point out to the movie going audience, don't be fooled by the trailer, it may be the first one I have seen that may hurt the movie more than it helps. A rare suggestion I know, but overlook the advances for this movie, it is better than they are.

The Identical starts off during the depression in the 1930's, a couple gives birth to identical twins and can't afford to keep both children. While attending a revival by Reece Wade, played brilliantly by Ray Liotta, the father of the children, two sons, decides it is in the child's best interest to give the child to Reverend Wade and his wife, Louise played by Ashley Judd. Reverend Wade is the pastor of a church and they raise their son to pursue his dreams, of course Reverend Wade is quick to point out that the boy will go into the ministry just like him. Unfortunately, the boy has a love for music that he can't explain and he wants to pursue his own dreams. As the boy grows older we see him following his dream of music, the son, played very nicely by Blake Rayne is a new comer who was discovered as an Elvis impersonator under the name Ryan Pelton, is exceptional. On this point, let's get the elephant out of the room, Rayne, as Ryan Wade looks a lot like Elvis, sings like Elvis and performs like Elvis. What one could see as a cheap imitation is quickly transformed by the quality of Rayne's performance. The performance by Rayne is so good that Elvis would be jealous because Rayne is not only a quality performer but a quality actor in a very good and thought provoking movie that Elvis would have loved to have played in.
 

The Identical is surprising in other ways, from the great acting to wonderful music, (all original to the film,) costuming, editing and direction is nearly flawless. These are elements I didn't expect and seemed to be extinct from most faith based driven movies. I was pleasantly surprised at the well crafted story that ultimately becomes so emotional towards the end that you have to wonder, if one doesn't shed a tear or two you wonder if the person not touched has a heart. This will certainly be true for the family that has stuck it out, loved, and supported each other through adulthood. There is never any doubt that the Wade family loved their son just as much as if they had given birth to him. This adoptive family has a special bond with their son, it is presented in a wonderful, realistic way from the point of adoption to later in his life well into adulthood.

One of the things I loved about this movie is the strong family bond and love. While the character played by Ray Liotta is a pastor, at times coming across as harsh, it is done with a measure of respect that it is clear he loves his wife and son. It was refreshing to see a pastor portrayed in a realistic way, full of faith, love and yes, even faults. He isn't perfect, none of us are but he represents a measure of love I greatly appreciated. As many involved in various ministry work will understand, his character is presented in a way that  many will relate to. We see a mother and father played as most seem to be, at times living through their children but this family ultimately realizes a child's dreams may not be the same as the dreams of the parents. While it takes one a little longer to realize this point, they ultimately both do. The viewer also ultimately sees why the character of Ryan Wade has reasons to love music the way he does. We question, that maybe just maybe, God planted those dreams and abilities in Wade just like he does all of us our own specific dreams and abilities. We see this especially later on in the movie when Ryan discovers the secret about his identical twin which he never realized he had until he, (Ryan) is older pursuing his own dreams.

Make plans now to go see this toe tapping, faith affirming wonderful movie that will encourage you to not give up on your dreams. It could have been overly preachy but it isn't.  It is instead a movie that people of faith will enjoy alongside friends who aren't religious. It presents life lessons in a non preachy way that resembles the non confrontational, yet serious thought provoking parables of Jesus. I suspect many will be just like me, surprised at how good this movie actually is. For fans of Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd, Seth Green or even Joe Pantoliano you may be surprised at how good their performances are. I would go so far to say to fans of Ray Liotta, they will appreciate that he was the Executive Producer for the film and, in my opinion, this is the best all round job as an actor he has been in. Unique I know for an actor who normally plays the bad guy but that isn't the case here, he is a loving father we see age and develop, even admitting to his faults in a beautiful way as he gets older. His character is an example for many a father, especially those in ministry.

The Identical is a surprisingly good film that will entertain those who love good story, a strong affirmation of family, with life lessons and faith along with a ton of good toe tapping music. For that reason, this is among the top scores I have ever given any faith driven film, on a scale of 1 - 10, for the 9 letters in Identical, I give The Identical a very strong, convicting 9

 To see the trailer for The Identical click on the video, if the video doesn't work, click on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbJX8ZN8GPQ




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