Actor, novelist, playwright, and director Jeff Berryman knows a lot about great art, great storytelling, and great drama. So when he goes to a movie, I want to know what he thinks.
Looks like he finally sat down to watch Facing the Giants.
And what does he think?
Facing the Giants is a David-and-Goliath feel-good story in which a coach on the brink of being fired turns to God and receives a series of direct answers to his prayers. Lackluster attitude morphs into gut-busting motivation, a barely-drivable car gets replaced by a Texas sized pick-up truck, a weak-legged kicker “gives his best for God” and comes up with a 50+ yard field goal, and scientifically declared infertility melts in the face of a near-miraculous pregnancy.
Maybe that sounds cynical–here’s a different way to say it.
In this inspirational story, a team of apathetic, high school football players gets challenged by a spiritual coach to give their best for God, and they do. That coach puts his faith in God in that most rare of film moments, the sincere evangelical prayer, and God answers that prayer in ways that frankly, many believers have both witnessed and experienced. Far-fetched? Maybe, but even with the bad acting, the bad writing, and my cynicism perched proudly on my shoulder like a preening cockatoo, there were moments when it was hard not to be moved.
But those aren’t his concluding remarks. He wraps it up with this provocative question:
Is there a film in which an authentic, modern or post-modern evangelical journey is portrayed? A journey towards faith in God, with the particular trappings of the evangelical environment, with all its calls to faith and piety, yet balanced by the inevitable disappointments and confusions that lead to doubt, distrust, rebellion, and perhaps, repentance and reconciliation, all of it done without a hint of dishonest proselytizing?
Indeed.
Oh, he also watched Children of Men. His response to that is impressive as well, although watch out for spoilers!!
In response to Berryman’s question, what about The Apostle?