Movie: The Cokeville Miracle
PG-13, 1 hour 34
minutes
Grade: B+
In a Nutshell: Remember
Films and T.C. Christenson present an inspiring movie based on a true story about
a miracle that happened in an elementary school in a small Wyoming community in
1986. It’s a story of lost faith and
found faith, the power of prayer, life after death, and that God really does
watch over us.
Keep watching as the final credits roll, and you will
experience something truly amazing. The
audience stays glued to their seats, watching pictures and video interviews of
the children as grown-ups with their own families. The theater is oddly silent, except for a few
sniffles. Rarely have I seen an audience
react with such reverence and awe. While
not perfectly executed, this film is powerful and profound.
Uplifting Theme:
·
Just like the cross-stitched picture in the
kitchen of the Hartley family says, “Life is fragile…handle with prayer.”
·
“We should recognize God’s hand when we see it.”
– Claudia Hartley (played by Sarah Kent)
·
2 Kings 6:16
“Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with
them.”
·
When tragedy strikes, what do you see?
Things I liked:
·
True story.
That’s always a big plus for me. Because it really happened, its impact is immense.
·
There is a surprising amount of humor during
such tragedy.
·
The song the children sing at church at the end
of the movie is a favorite Mormon Primary song called “A Child’s Prayer.” There
is a sweet video of it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb29gVgaHcY You can also hear it sung by BYU’s
award-winning Vocal Point at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE-p2nZmdso
·
Although the small community in Wyoming was
predominantly Mormon, faithful people from all religions will be inspired by
this film.
Things I didn’t like:
·
I would have cast the wife of wacko David Young differently. She looked too squeaky clean, like she was
the director’s Sunday School teacher who just got her teeth whitened. Maybe this is too stereotyped, but I thought
she should have looked more weak and victimized.
·
The script has some awkward lines that halt the
flow of natural-sounding conversation.
·
Not that I wanted any children harmed in the
making of the film, but the flames in the fire looked totally fake.
·
It feels like everyone is acting. Some of the kids actually looked bored. The
best actor in the film is Jasen Wade, who also starred in the beloved Mormon
pioneer movie 17 Miracles
. Nathan
Stevens does a good job as the unhinged David Young.
Funny lines:
·
“This will be our mark.” – David Young
“It
smells like somebody else just made his mark.” – Penny Young
·
“I just proved how I can die and come back to
life.” – David
“That’s just fantastic. He’s been working on that for hours.” – Doris
Young
·
“What is the capital of Wyoming?” – Claudia
“Easy.
It’s W.” – Claudia’s son
·
“I was just looking at your guns…pretty cool
guns…I was just wondering why you didn’t get an AK-47?” – Kam Wixom (Anson Bagley)
“An AK-47?
That would be illegal.” – David Young
·
“Your breath smells like peaches.” – Hartley boy
“Well, I haven’t been eating any.” - David Young
“Peaches is my dog.” – Hartley boy
·
“Hey lady, is this your first time kidnapping
helpless little kids?” – Kam Wixom
· “Do you have to get the kids all riled up at bedtime?” – Claudia
“No, I don’t have to….but I want to.” - Ron
Interesting lines:
·
“It’s just too much of a coincidence to be a
coincidence.” - Ron Hartley
·
“Who else would care about us more than our own
family?” – Claudia when explaining that
each of the children’s protecting angels were their very own ancestors. To learn more about your own ancestors, check out www.FamilySearch.org
·
“Hatred towards them is a dead-end journey. It’s like drinking poison and hoping it’ll
kill them.” - Bishop John Teichert
Tips for Parents:
·
There was an audible gasp by all of the moms in
the room when the mother left her child in the car and said “I’ll be right
back.” Never, EVER, leave your child in
a car alone!
·
Young children may be frightened by the kidnap
scenario with guns and a bomb.
- One thing that is missing is foul language. Thank you!
- One thing that is missing is foul language. Thank you!
To learn more about
some of the real people who experienced this remarkable event, begin here: http://lds.net/blog/faith/belief/tragedy-triumph-talking-cokeville-bombing-survivor/
Other faith-building true stories:
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