First of all, I already know I'm going to catch some flack for this, but i seriously have to speak up about this subject. The last two "Christian" (And I use quotations on purpose), movies I have seen were "Facing the Giants" and "Fireproof." I want to first point out that these are not normally movies that i would watch because they are missing two important criterium for me:
1. Will Ferrell
2. well, there really is no number two, Ferrell is so funy that he needs two points!!!
I'm more of a comedy guy, and of course I like action movies like the "Bourne" Trilogy, but I tend to stay away from most other movies(I know, I know-narrowminded).
I would like to say that these past two movies had great plots, and the writing was even pretty solid, but the acting was RIDICULOUSLY HORRENDOUS!!! There were extremely poignant points during the movie in which I found myself audibly laughing at how bad the acting was.
"Facing the Giants" had a decent excuse for this, it was extremely low budget, so that kind of hurts your ability to pay a credible actor who does a good job, but that movie grossed over 15 million dollars so when they made "Fireproof" I would expect that they would use that money to go out and hire a credible cast. Who did they cast as their star? KIRK CAMERON-that's correct KIRK STINKING CAMERON!!! And he was the best actor in the movie, and after reading that last statement I hope you realize that any movie that has Kirk Cameron as its star and BEST actor is going to be acted miserably. That's like handing a 13 year old your keys to a Porsche and EXPECTING everything to turn out all right! There were parts of the movie where I cringed at how horrific it was. I appreciated the message of the movie, and they even made some scenes look very Hollywood-esque-AKA-the rescue scene from the fire, but I couldn't get over the fact that this guy was getting paid to be this terrible.
Let me say this before I get bombarded with negativity, I think Mr. Cameron is a decent and well intentioned human being, but I don't think acting is his calling. I would be absolutely terrible acting in a movie, I'm robotic, a bit awkward looking and I can't act!!! I guess my underlying problem with all of this is twofold:
First, why do "Christian" movies seem to have the cheesiest acting known to man(Exception-Passion of the Christ-Kudos Jim Caviezel, you acted brilliantly!!!). You're telling me that the church with all of its monetary wealth can't afford a better cast? And I don't want to hear that we spend our money on far more important things because we both know that is a false statement for the most part. Evangelicals in America have pretty much sold out to Hollywood and Hollywood loves it because "Christians will pay money to see Christian movies!!!" SO the first problem is this: If you are going to continue to make "Christian" movies, have some standards in regards to acting.
Secondly, why do we need "Christian" movies in the first place. I want to be honest with you, I'm not against the previous movies mentioned, I'm just curious. I have found some profound truths in many "Non-Christian" movies. I am overwhelmed with God's brevity in "The Lord of the Rings" movies. I'm deeply moved by God's compassion in "Schindler's List," Liam Neeson breathed life into a role that touched many in a deeply somber and powerful way. I see the humor of God when I watch "The Goonies" or "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." I experience the grace of God in movies like "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "The Shawshank Redemption(Which can be seen bi-weekly on cable for some odd reason that I haven't figured out yet).
My point is this, we can be looking for the goodness of God all around us, even in the most unlikely places we can see glimpses of how good God is. I don't need a "Christian" movie to see the profound nature of God in entertaining ways. I just need to be aware that God is permeating everything and I just need to open my eyes a bit wider.
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You don't know how refreshing it is to know I'm not the only person who rolls my eyes at these. I saw Facing the Giants and was just more irritated than anything by the end. It did less for me than secular movies. Like 7 Pounds, for example, I loved it and really got me thinking. I'm so critical sometimes of movies like this because I feel like it over does the Christian aspect so much that a non-believer wouldn't even bother with it and sometimes they need to see it the most. But the message through the poor acting, is just so unrelatable. I even see the movie and think "wow that was a little over Christianized and over the top. Nobody is going to believe that garbage with the crazy acting." I haven't seen Fireproof.
ReplyDeleteAMEN! To all of it!
ReplyDeleteAnd the reason that The Shawshank Redemption is always on is because its just that awesome! ;)
Haha this post was great. I tease my mom about Facing the Giants (I hid her DVD from her once). I went to see Fireproof even though it's not my cup of tea. Everyone was going to go see it after church and I didn't have anything else to do. The messages of both movies were great, but again, not my cup of tea. But I really have trouble sitting through Christian films. They are so cheesy, and worst of all, touchy-feely. I can't STAND touchy-feely movies. I watched this Christian movie called "Joshua" last year, and I feel kind of guilty for saying this, but the man who played Joshua gave me the creeps, which is bad considering what his true identity was in the end. I especially don't like to watch movies where Jesus is the main character. I don't feel any actors do His character justice, and they make me completely creeped out. It seems like when actors want to be Jesus, they act like drug addicts or something. I can't put my finger on it, but it's unsettling and I've never seen it done correctly.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason Christian movies are made with such cheesy acting is because as Christians, we're supposed to loooove one-another, and that means if somebody wants to play the part of Jesus and cannot act at all, we have to let him do it because it wouldn't be "love" if we told him his acting sucked. Nobody wants to hurt feelings.
Plus, Christian movies are so touchy-feely. If I leave the theater followed by a crowd of bawling middle-aged women, you can believe I did not enjoy the movie.
Haha I think I'm ranting now. Your post just pushed my button for movie-rant.
Thank you! I have long wondered why Christians are fascinated with Kirk Cameron. He was okay as a teen heartthrob in Growing Pains, but his talent really stops there. BTW, did you know that he insisted they use his wife as a stand in for Fireproof because as a Christian he wouldn't kiss another woman. Hello, it's acting (or not).
ReplyDeleteI think the worst thing about "Christian" movies for me is the forced message. Leave a little room for interpretation and don't jam the good news down people's throats. It ends up being too contrived and way cheesy. I love that you are able to find God in secular movies because I think a good piece of art should speak to each person differently.
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteMy wife informed me of Kirk Cameron having his wife stand in for the kissing part, and I found that to be a bit odd, considering his profession.
I agree the messages in those movies are very much narrow and a bit forced(In a cheesy manner if you ask me). I also agree that we can find beauty all over the place, not just in churches or Christian movies. That's completely narrowminded-haha.