I Can Only Imagine tells the inspiring story of the most played Christian song of all time

Movie Title:  
  I Can Only Imagine

Grade:  B

Rating: PG, 1 hour 50 minutes

In a Nutshell: Imagine what it would be like to walk with Jesus.  That’s the crux of the story line of this movie and the best-selling song by the popular Christian band “Mercy Me.”  Timed perfectly for release during the Easter season, its opening weekend earned an impressive 17.1 million dollars, making it Roadside Attractions' biggest box office debut to date.

I Can Only Imagine - The Very Best of MercyMe is the most played Christian song of all time.  Want to talk about the movie or its message?  Go to: www.ChatAboutFaith.com

                                          

Tips for parents: 

• The movie deals with abuse, a delicate, frightening subject for children…and adults.
• No profanity.  Thank you.

Uplifting theme: 

• Hope
• Father/Son relationships
• Forgiveness
• Jesus changes lives.
• Chase your dream.                       

Things I liked:

• First of all, it’s always great to see people in the theater supporting this and other Christian, faith-based films.
• Dennis Quaid’s smile.  Irresistible.  His twins are actually Extras in the movie in the dinner scene.
• It was great to see Cloris Leachman in a movie again!  I’ve always gotten a kick out of her.  I think the first time I ever saw her was when my dad took me to see the movie Young Frankenstein  I loved that she was the one who said, “Mercy me!”
•  J. Michael Finley did a great job.  This was his first movie!
• You get to hear a lot of Mercy Me’s music.
• You get to see Amy Grant.   I’ve always loved her and her music.  I really love what she did for Bart in this movie.
•  You get to see Rick Burgess, and Bill "Bubba" Bussey Jr. playing themselves.
• The Amazing Grace scene was very sweet and powerful.
• The ending concert is very sweet and made me cry.
• Bart makes a cameo appearance as the first DJ to open a CD case of the song at the end of the movie.
• The release of the song was actually on March 16, 3/16, in honor of the most famous Bible verse (John 3:16).
• You get to see footage of the real band "Mercy Me."

Things I didn’t like:

• Lots of terrible Southern accents.
• The kids are cute, but the acting wasn’t very good.
• It was kind of silly to have J. Michael Finley play a teenager in high school; he looked WAY older than any of the other students.  Shaving off that beard could have helped. 

Interesting lines:

• “You didn’t write this song in 10 minutes….it took a lifetime.” – Amy Grant
• “So, we’re still a band?” – Nathan (Mark Furze)

“No, we’re family.” – Bart (J. Michael Finley)

Funny lines:

• “She will not be joining us.” – Bart

“Well ain’t she the smart one.” – Brickell (Trace Adkins)

• “That was Amy Grant.  She talked to me!” – Bart

If you enjoyed the movie, you're going to want to pick this up:

                                                                     

                              

                                                 @trinaboice

A Dog's Purpose is manipulative, but you'll still cry

Movie Title:   A Dog's Purpose (DVD)

Grade:  C+

Rating:  PG, 120 minutes

In a Nutshell:   This sugary-sweet family flick feels like a Hallmark card that blends reincarnation with one dog’s discovery about what his purpose is.  We could all learn a lesson from him. 

Life lessons learned from a dog:
• Have fun. Obviously.
• Whenever possible, find someone to save and save them.
• Lick the ones you love. 
• Don’t get all sad-faced about what happened and scrunchy-faced about what could; just be here now.  Be. Here. Now.

Things I liked:
• Josh Gad’s voice is unmistakable and awesome.
• Britt Robertson seems to be in every family-friendly movie lately.  She’s adorable and so doggone likable.
• Other likable cast members include Dennis Quaid, Peggy Lipton, KJ Apa, and Jon Ortiz.
•   It's a film version of W. Bruce Cameron's best-selling novel in 2010.
• Puppies!
* If you've ever lived with a dog, you'll be able to relate to many of the
moments in the movie.

Things I didn’t like:
• It’s manipulative for sure, but you’ll still cry.
• Children will enjoy it, but a lot of adults will mostly tolerate it on their kids’ behalf.
• The trailer pretty much tells you the whole story.
• You’ll feel sad about the times you didn’t play with your dog.
• There are quite a few sad death scenes.
• There are some dogs on the movie poster that are never shown in the movie.  For example, the dog never becomes a pug.

• PETA and TMZ have created a lot of stink about animals that may have been harmed in the making of this movie, but those involved in the film say their reports are inaccurate and misleading.
• The dog reports on what he sees happening from a dog’s perspective, which is often amusing, but not funny enough to evoke actual laughter from the audience.



Interesting lines:
• “If I can get you licking and loving, I’ve served my purpose.” - dog    (This line is in the trailer, but not in the actual movie.)
• “Life’s a mystery.” - Ethan•

Funny lines: 
• “I got a name. My name is Bailey, Bailey, Bailey, Bailey.” – Bailey

Tips for parents:   
• Young children will probably like it, although the reincarnation aspect of the story will be confusing for them.  You’ll need to decide if you’re going to affirm that as true doctrine or instead, teach the principle of resurrection.
* You see Bailey die over and over again.
*  There are some dark story lines that include a gunshot death (with blood), domestic fights, drunkenness, kidnapping, a prank that burns a house down, and people who don't treat dogs well.
*  Clean language.
*  Kissing.