Anyone seen God's Not Dead?

[Midwest88]

Good? Bad? Okay?

Here’s a negative review that brings up points on why Christian entertainment will never actually entertain.

rawstory.com/rs/2015/02/christian-entertainment-is-destined-to-be-boring/comments/http://

Now, a movie about someone trying to maintain chastity because they need to in order to achieve other, more meaningful goals? That could be interesting. A person who experiences sexual desire but fears being ejected from her family or church and is forced to choose would be a great story. But for the tension to exist, the writer would have to admit that desire is legitimate or that the pressure to be chaste is not due to the inherent goodness of chastity—an impossible thing to argue for—but because of outside forces. Neither of which is admissible here.

That’s why Christian entertainment, I think, is mostly bound to fail. It can’t indulge audience fantasies but nor can it offer meaningful interrogation of ideas or values. Which is interesting, because right wing ideology isn’t inherently anti-entertaining. American Sniper, for instance, may be a political nightmare, but it’s no great mystery what kind of wish fulfillment it offers its audiences. But fundamentalist Christianity is, at its heart, about suppressing the humanity in people and trying to force them into cookie cutter roles that eliminate all the human messiness created by desire. And that is inherently boring and there’s no way to make it not-boring.

A comment to the article -

Thanks for a great read. I didn’t see the movie and hope I never do, but I did see “God Is Not Dead” featuring the Kevin Sorbo, guy who was Hercules in the 1980s rerun network series, as a God-hating professor whoi lost his mother to an untimely death from medical causes. It was stupid, boring, and my guess was Sorbo’s ******* character was every deacon’s fantasy of what liberals are like. It was a waste of my time I’ll never get back.*** Amanda’s conclusions about this terrible movie apply to that one, too. I was actually starting to worry about right-wing forays into the entertainment biz***, but after reading Amanda’s perfect takedown of such dubious enterprises, I don’t think I will again. You can’t win hearts and minds with unhumorous tripe full of one-dimensional unlikeable characters.

bold: That’s a bit silly because the movie industry is, for the most part, liberal/progressive in politics, so the poster’s worry is basically saying “I don’t like non-left-wing forays in entertainment because I’m scared they might take over.” Talk about paranoid.

 

[Havard]

I’d give it a B or B-.

It really belongs in the realm of Hallmark or UP network made-for-tv movies. If it were one of those, I’d say it was well above average. But for a mainstream box office film, the writing was sub-par.

As for good films about faith, Calvary was excellent and Brendan Gleeson won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actor, beating out Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance in The Imitation Game. But Calvary is also a lot grittier and I wouldn’t let a youngster watch it.

 

[flyonthewall86]

It’s a great movie! It really shows how God has a sense of humor. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a “spirited” movie with many important lessons.

 

[7_Sorrows]

It was not a good movie. I don’t know which was worse - this one or Heaven is For Real. Both so cheesy and preachy. Boring. Don’t know why anyone would be converted watching either movie.
Both heavy on the sacharine (sp?).

 

[GEddie]

Spoiler

The film was, to me, something like paying to see a dramatization of a Chick tract.

The kid was unbelievable. What college freshman would imperil his education just to get into a philosophy duel with a professor of philosophy?

Also, the ending, IMNAAHO,** (stank)[sup]3[/sup]. ** I mean, the kid gets his A, gets the admiration of his peers, even gets a new girlfriend – and the professor gets death. A cheap way to play everybody’s emotional strings, IMNAAHO.

ICXC NIKA.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

Spoiler

The film was, to me, something like paying to see a dramatization of a Chick tract.

The kid was unbelievable. What college freshman would imperil his education just to get into a philosophy duel with a professor of philosophy?

Also, the ending, IMNAAHO,** (stank)[sup]3[/sup]. ** I mean, the kid gets his A, gets the admiration of his peers, even gets a new girlfriend – and the professor gets death. A cheap way to play everybody’s emotional strings, IMNAAHO.

ICXC NIKA.

[MORE SPOILER STUFF]

The character death is an example of weak writing unless it’s crucial to the story (e.g., war). That and rape are two things that are cringe worthy in the hands of an unseasoned or bad writer. It always feels like a cheap ploy.

[/MORE SPOILER STUFF]

 

[Path_Finder]

Spoiler

The film was, to me, something like paying to see a dramatization of a Chick tract.

The kid was unbelievable. What college freshman would imperil his education just to get into a philosophy duel with a professor of philosophy?

Also, the ending, IMNAAHO,** (stank)[sup]3[/sup]. ** I mean, the kid gets his A, gets the admiration of his peers, even gets a new girlfriend – and the professor gets death. A cheap way to play everybody’s emotional strings, IMNAAHO.

ICXC NIKA.

I agree and for anyone who likes it, I bend over backwards for Christian movies, if the same company did “October Baby”, personally, I think ‘October Baby’ is a good movie, “Courage” is sort of okay as well.

Spoiler

The parts where they kept on having a car that wouldn’t start, those parts were not bad but otherwise, weak.

The concept though is good, that of a student challenging an Atheistic Professor has possibilities, it’s just that, in my opinion, this one falls quite short.

 

[7_Sorrows]

I don’t have anything against Christian movies - I just wish they would make good ones with substance.

 

[TarkanAttila]

This movie was more like an Evangelical’s textbook of different situations - the professor who is an atheist because, deep down inside he hates God, the Moslem who is persecuted for believing in Jesus Christ, the plucky Christian who’s willing to offer hit-and-miss answers to the atheist’s challenge, the religiously challenged Chinese guy…

It’s less like a story and more like a handbook.

But what really ticked me off was the attempt to popularise Christianity by a message-on-your-phone campaign. Send a message to your friends a message saying “God’s not dead!” Ugh. What a cheap, papery ploy. Someone else mentioned this as being a Chick tract on screen. Not far from the truth, although it’s much less hateful and bitter for the most part.

And I really hope people don’t use the evolution arguments. That section made me cringe.

And, no, I don’t think the movie is good enough to warn you about the spoilers. Just don’t see it. It’s not worth the money.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

There is really good drama inherent in apologetic discourse, as odd as that may sound.

Most people ponder issues like the Problem of Suffering, or If God Made Everything, Where Did God Come From? Atheist attacks have worked their way into the public consciousness, but many people don’t realize there are good answers to them. People are, I think, interested in the big issues, and enjoy hearing a debate and a film where those play out in an intelligent fashion would probably do quite well.

I confess I haven’t seen it, but it sounds like this wasn’t it.

I can’t think of many films where apologetic debates are in play. In “Inherit the Wind”, the argument between the Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan-based characters gives all the good questions and responses to Spencer Tracy’s Darrow (which didn’t happen that way in real life - instead of the stymied fundamentalist portrayed in the film and play, Bryan probably gave as good as he got, recognized that elements of the OT were metaphorical, and was arguing from a politically progressive stance that wanted to avoid Darwinism being used for racist ends instead of blinkered biblical literalism), but as so many people have seen the film or had to read the play in high school, this was a first exposure to something like an apologetic argument, and Darrow’s shaky arguments were probably considered logical by many. (He got shut down hard when he later tried the same tactics in a debate with G.K. Chesterton.)



The only other film I can think of with a Christian/Atheist apologetic confrontation is the 1961 French New Wave film “Léon Morin, Priest”. Jean-Paul Belmondo played a charismatic young priest in occupied France who is confronted by a young atheist widow (Emmanuelle Riva), who decided to challenge and mock him in the confessional. His intelligent answers to the atheist arguments she poses challenges her, and he becomes her confessor as she converts to Catholicism but has trouble separating her physical attraction to him, which he rejects, from her increasing spiritual dependence on him. It’s an interesting film, but with a lot of adult themes and language.

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Can anyone think of any other films with debate between Christians and atheists as a central element?

 

[adawgj]

I never liked Christian movies, they tend to fall into the “too preachy” category for me.
The philosophical arguments were weak on both sides. The subplots just made the movie way too stereotypical and preachy.

 

[7_Sorrows]

I never liked Christian movies, they tend to fall into the “too preachy” category for me.
The philosophical arguments were weak on both sides. The subplots just made the movie way too stereotypical and preachy.

I agree.

 

[PoorKnight]

I just finished the movie. I think the parts where Josh - the freshmen - was presenting his case have material that is salvageable. The rest is in one way shape or form related to Once Saved Always Saved.

Spoiler Was anyone else bugged by the poor Muslim-turned-Christian girl kicked out of her family by her father who goes to the trendy pastor for help and all he does is quote Scripture to her? James 2:17 anyone?? Spoiler

Question: I thought I had heard that the original story (book?) was much more Catholic (Either Catholic authors or the freshmen was Catholic or they used the Summa or something like that) and the movie way watered that down. Anyone know anything about that or was I hearing things again?

God Bless
Poor Knight for Christ and His Church

 

[Darryl_Revok]

Question: I thought I had heard that the original story (book?) was much more Catholic (Either Catholic authors or the freshmen was Catholic or they used the Summa or something like that) and the movie way watered that down. Anyone know anything about that or was I hearing things again?

The original story is a goofy urban legend, a mixture of exaggeration and fantasy. The basic setup is endlessly malleable, so undoubtedly it was framed in a Catholic context somewhere down the line.

As it is, I point you to this decades-old Chick tract.

 

[Leo2014]

And, no, I don’t think the movie is good enough to warn you about the spoilers. Just don’t see it. It’s not worth the money.

I watched it…I didn’t have a problem with it. A matter-of-fact, it is one of the better produced “Christian films”. Many of these films look like they took volunteers from their congregation to complete the acting. However, I cannot condemn anyone for bringing a spiritual message. I just wish their message was one that considered a wider audience.

The real money is wasted at the concession stand…eight bucks for a small thing of popcorn - not that’s a sin!

 

[CatholicRaven]

I thought “God’s Not Dead” was just okay. It had its pros and cons. I did enjoy a few scenes in it. Probably not a movie I’ll watch again, though.

One of my favorite movies right now is “Mom’s Night Out.” Yes, it has some cheesy parts, too, but they come across (to me, at least) as being intentionally cheesy (whether or not they were, I don’t know).

 

[JackVk]

A bunch of teenagers from my parish are constantly praising it. I am not so sure. I haven’t seen it and don’t plan on seeing it. Christpher West recently had an article about how “Christian” movies are bad for Christianity; instead of being good art they are merely bad propaganda films, which quite literally preach to the choir.

I can attest that I have seen more Christian messages in video games like Skyrim than in Christian movies. Anyone seen “The 13th Day”? It’s about Fatima. It was a grim doom-and-gloom cautionary tale with arguably the worst acting I have ever seen.

 

[PoorKnight]

(He got shut down hard when he later tried the same tactics in a debate with G.K. Chesterton.)

From the newspaper article, which I believe is, unfortunately, the only record to survive of that debate, Chesterton more then shut him down… the newspaper declared Chesterton the true defender of science as well as the unanimous winner of the debate.

Somewhere I learned - probably Dale Alquist - Chesterton was deeply disappointed after the debate. He had debated Shaw and other deep thinking atheists. Darrow was nothing near Chesterton’s level.

Someone should make a movie on that debate!

 

[Lion_of_Narnia]

I actually stopped watching my garage-sale $1 purchase of it right before the so-called “climax”–I did notice that when the student was referring to the Big Bang he was cut-off before he could state the originator of the theory was a Catholic Priest–and even though she was a rabid atheist, putting Ayn Rand in a list of “philosophers” in a college philosophy course is stretching things more than a bit

 

[Lion_of_Narnia]

From the newspaper article, which I believe is, unfortunately, the only record to survive of that debate, Chesterton more then shut him down… the newspaper declared Chesterton the true defender of science as well as the unanimous winner of the debate.

Somewhere I learned - probably Dale Alquist - Chesterton was deeply disappointed after the debate. He had debated Shaw and other deep thinking atheists. Darrow was nothing near Chesterton’s level.

Someone should make a movie on that debate!

Does anyone have any reference to this article?