Flywheel

I completely disagree with the reviewer "Obliv". He is obviously pretty nutty. I mean to bash people just because they say they enjoyed the movie... PLEASE! And then he was bashing Christians throughout his review while claiming to be one, yeah right! So If you want a true review, I don't think you will get it from that guy.

My two cents.... I watch a lot of movies (pretty much everything) and I really enjoyed this one. The story line was great, I found it very touching and refreshing. I thought the main character did a great job too. My only criticism would be to work on the film quality as it was not the best and some of the acting could use some work too. However, this was a very good start and I look forward to more movies by this church in the future! By the way, I loved "Facing the Giants" too.

Funniest part of the movie was the joke about how the film staff at their church only copied tapes all day and did nothing else… I'm sure they got a kick out of that!

This is a movie for Christians by Christians. While it could be used as an outreach tool, my personal opinion is that it is geared more toward being an enjoyable film for those already saved.

Now... was it good? Depends on the standard you rate it at. It's not very well shot, some scenes could use better transitions, some dialogue feels forced, and the sound needs work (the background noise when going from indoors to outdoors is noticeable like on any home movie camera). So don't, whatever you do, try to compare this to today's big-budget Hollywood productions!

HOWEVER, all that said, the storyline is great, and story is what makes a great film! For a low budget movie, I think they did a wonderful job. It evokes real feelings of anger, sadness, joy. You forget about the production value once you get into it and look to the characters and story. You'll be asking yourself, "How's it going to end?" There were a couple shake-ups I didn't see coming which made it quite interesting.

I hope we see many more movies like this being produced. With time and experience, and with the viewing public's support, I believe the quality of such films will improve. And the more improvements, the more appeal to a wider viewing audience.

Based on previous comments, apparently the movie made its way across the country. But I am disturbed by some comments.

Who's to say a movie needed actual actors to play the parts? I have seen no-name actors go on to do huge movies.

Who's to say a movie needed a million dollar budget? Clerks was made with a 30,000 dollar budget and the movie was excellent. It also paved the way for at least five other movies such as Mallrats, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and even Clerks 2. Meanwhile, Sherwood Pictures has a new movie in September and I imagine there may be more to come.

And so "they shove religion down our throats". Big deal. Lots of movies have shoved a lot down our throats. Some negative, some positive. People can be influenced so much by movies. And I believe that is why the movie was made in the first place.

The characters were great. The Kendricks proved that you can make a clean family movie and yet have a villain(Bernie). I love villains. And he was brilliant.

The scene with Bernie and Vince about biscuits was about the funniest I have seen in any type of genre of movies.

Just thought I'd throw in my 53 cents in.

Student like production quality does not stop the enjoyment of this film. Unlike Hostle, people in this film actually redeem themselves, life is good, and can get better, and the world is NOT falling into ruin.. People really want Love and Light and venture to improve the human condition, and not just rape and torture for fun and profit. I really wish there were more films like this produced by major studios, but some of them must think only Death and Dishonor sells tickets. I see this film and know there are people out there who want to spend their time and money on GOOD thoughts and feelings.

(Thank God, or whoever your "higher power" may be)

Okay, let's be honest. Low-budget, amateur actors, and a blatant agenda. All this has been commented on. Rather than "getting past" all this, though, I think much of the charm in this movie is in constantly remembering these factors.

I have seen dozens of Christian themed movies done with similar talent, technology and budget. Most are disappointing on more than one level. I'm not enough of a connoisseur to put my finger on it, but something about "Flywheel" transcends the genre. I was moved by several scenes; and the performances, while not stellar, were powerful and real. I was nearly asleep when I started watching, and I was captivated for two hours. Part of what held my interest was my awareness that these are not professional filmmakers or actors; watching them grapple with these roles was a treat, and the result is surprisingly satisfying. Once you take it as a given that the goal is to present a particular message, I think you have to hand it to the Kendricks for handling it like they do. Just real enough to be effective; just sanitized enough to make it completely family-friendly. Nothing, wrong, in my mind, with a rawer approach, but given certain self-imposed limitations, an admirable movie.

Worth the time, worth the rent, worth a second look