Second Glance

Dan Burgess is a nice guy. He happens to be a Christian. Dan can't get a date with a girl and thinks that all of his friends are having all of the fun. He is constantly being bothered by non-believers and being made fun of.

Dan prays one night, and wishes he was never a believer in Jesus.

His prayer is answered for one day. Things get hairy from there. An angel appears to Dan and explains his prayer is granted.

So, all of the impact that Dan has had on starting a Christian club.

He be-friends Scot Parks and making a difference, is erased for one day.

Dan's eyes are opened. His life really did make a difference.

Pros: There are none. Cons: This movie.

10/10 cringe.

Watching this film is getting stabbed in the head.

This movie is apparently intended for a young, evangelical Christian audience as a teaching tool. For that I give it a 7 out of 10 point vote. It's a decent movie to show a youth group, but I don't think it will be very well received beyond that. For any other audience, I'd rate it lots lower.

The reviewers that saw "It's a Wonderful Life" in this were right on, though I didn't think of that until they mentioned it. I was more reminded of a "Chick Tract", those little 3" by 5" gospel comic books. If Jack Chick ever made a movie out of one of his tracts, it would probably look a lot like "Second Glance." It has a strong Christian message about the power of prayer and the influence each of us has on earth, but it is somewhat hampered by Christian stereotypes. The Christians are all very nice, somewhat passive, and squeaky clean, while all of the non-Christians seem to be bad people.

Muriel the angel plays a major part, and he is the corniest, cheesiest character in the film. He is the most unlikeable angel I have ever seen in any movie, and the biggest negative. I don't know if the directors intended for his personality to come off so badly, or if he just struck me that way. (I admit that he reminded me of someone I know.) Dan's love for a very worldly girl who is not at all his type drives the plot in this movie. Why he ever fell for her in the first place is the one question that I wish had been answered.

But the movie does display positive Christian values, and your youth group will be entertained as they view something wholesome with a good lesson.

You will laugh, but for all the wrong reasons. This movie is horribly written, produced, and poorly acted. If I could give it negative stars, I would. The entire production of this movie just seems completely phoned in.

The only favorable reviews you will see are from the "Yay Jesus" crowd. Personally, I am not interested in watching a movie for salvation, I am watching it for entertainment, which this film fails horribly at delivering.

If you want to watch a movie simply to laugh at how bad it is, this is the one for you.

A few of my fellow writers have covered this movie's plot elements so I will stick to some of the cuff remarks...

1. This is entertaining - but not for the reasons you'd think. It's cheesy but somehow still watchable.

2. Tamra, Daniel's love interest has to be about thirty. The Christian girl that Dan ignores is way cuter.

3. Muriel stole his shirt from Mr. Spock. Also, if my guardian angel looks like Muriel I'm going to have to apply for a transfer.

4. Okay... so apparently... Dan is responsible for his parents' divorce! What kind of horrible guilt trip is that?! Muriel says that it was Dan's prayers that kept his parents together. I just thought that was absolutely ridiculous. Listen, I can pray for my parents as much as I want but the only way they'll stay together is if they decide they're going to do it.

5. I'll echo the atheist's comments on how this movie portrays non-Christians. Apparently they're all slovenly bullies.

6. For something positive - David White is a decent actor. He gives the movie a little bit of credibility, even if he is the only one. He pretty much holds this film together on his own.