Drama/Mystery, 100 Minutes, 2010
Written, directed and produced by Gary Wheeler [IMDB], a man who’s catalog is filled with made-for-TV, faith-affirming, saccharine dramas this movie is, perhaps not surprisingly, a made-for-TV, faith-affirming, saccharine drama. The Christian message isn’t quite overbearing, but it’s also far from subtle.
Granted this isn’t the kind of movie that happy atheists like us would normally watch. From the outside it looks promising. It has an impressive cast and and impressive cover. It gives all the impression of a decent courtroom drama.
Then it starts. You’re first thought is “TV movie”, and your second is likely “TV movie for old people”. I could easily forgive the religious subtext – to be fair, it’s only occasionally ham-fisted – but I can’t forgive the pacing. This is a dreadfully slow movie. Dreadfully slow dialog moves us from dreadfully slow scene to dreadfully slow scene all set to dreadfully slow music. It’s the film equivalent of a tortoise talking to a sloth about molasses.
On the other hand there’s definitely no boobies, bad swears or violence of any kind. So if you’re looking for a movie to watch when grandma or Jesus visits, this may be for you.
