I'm Not Ashamed Reveals Faithful Student's True Story at Columbine High

Movie Title: I'm Not Ashamed

Grade:  B

Rating:   PG-13, 112 minutes

In a Nutshell:  This is a Christian retelling of the fateful, famous shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado.  Twelve students and one teacher were mercilessly murdered that horrifying day.

If you’re inspired by this movie, text “Change” to 95577.

Uplifting theme: 

• “I am a warrior for Christ.” - Rachel Joy Scott (played by Masey McLain)
• "I've always been drawn to hands.  I think it's because it's the way we touch people." - Rachel Joy Scott
• "If one person could go out of their way to show compassion, it could start a chain reaction." - Rachel Joy Scott 
• Love, friendship, compassion, forgiveness, faith.
• "Life is hard sometimes, and as hard as it is to believe, God's in control." - Nathan Ballard (Ben Davies)

Things I liked:

• You get to learn a lot about Rachel.  Many of the lines in the movie came straight out of her real life journal.
• It's one of the better, more realistic Christian movies out there.
• Some live footage from the original scenes.
• People signed her casket, which I thought was a cool idea.
• If you're a fan of Duck Dynasty's Sadie Robertson, you'll be happy to see her play one of Rachel's Christian friends.
• The acting in most Christian movies is cringe-worthy, but both Masey McLain and Ben Davies give good performances that allow you to see character growth that is believable. 
• Rachel may not have lived a long life, but it's clear that she touched a lot of people who have gone on to remember her faith and kindness.  In the movie we learn that she drew an outline of her hands on a piece of furniture in her bedroom when she was younger.  Next to it she wrote that she would touch millions of lives.  She has.
• It displays a very realistic high school experience and the very real struggle Christian teens deal with on a daily basis to maintain their faith.

Things I didn’t like:

* It's a bit of a Christian roller coaster ride.  One minute, Rachel's faith is strong; the next minute she's suicidal. Then, back up again.  That's definitely how faith can feel sometimes.  The sappy drama just started to annoy me.
* Soooo much teenage girl emotional drama.
* The actual shooting is not covered, other than Rachel's encounter with the two boys outside the school.
* Where are all of the parents during all of this?

Chilling lines:

•  “Do you still believe in God?" - Eric Harris (David Errigo Jr.)
   You know I do.” – Rachel
  “Then, go be with him.” – Eric Harris 
• "Are you, like, a REAL Christian?" - Alex Dickerson (Cameron McKendry)  I put this quote in the "Chilling lines" category, because if you're a Christian, you're not doing a very good job if people can't tell.

Inspiring lines:
* "Sometimes you have to see with your heart." - Rachel
* "If we don't show compassion, what's going to attract them to Christ?" - Rachel
"I'm not going to apologize for speaking the name of Jesus Christ." - Rachel
* Tomorrow's not a promise, but it's a change.  You just might start a chain reaction." - Rachel
* "Is THAT what you want to be known for?" - Rachel
* "I don't think God wastes anything, even the bad stuff." - Rachel

Tips for parents:  
* The Columbine shooting is a true story that your children may not be familiar with.  Young children may become frightened, thinking that this could happen in their school at any time.  
* You see a boy on the ground with blood and gunshot holes in his T-shirt.
* Partying, alcohol, sex.