Virtuous

A well-acted drama - perfect for a Saturday night 'movie night'.

There are a number of story-lines to follow...but in the end you can see how they all mesh together to make one cohesive story...and the underlying theme of what it means to be a 'virtuous woman' was emphasised without being pushed down your throat!

I have only two very minor gripes with an otherwise excellent film...

I would have liked to see more of 'The Potters' House'...how did they work with they young women? - particularly the idea of the 'Esther Room-, I am very familiar with the story of Esther, and this intrigued me!

Also, the resolution of the trial was very much rushed - where did the surprise witness come from? It just seemed a very easy answer to the problem.

Putting these issues to one side, this was an excellent example of how to 'do' a Christian movie...a strong story, well acted - which will appeal to ALL audiences, not only faith communities...and yet with a deep message that will make you think....films such as this deserve a more mainstream viewing!

Unwatchable!!!

Jingoistic propaganda with a Christian slant.

Just stumbled upon this on late-night basic cable. It was so bad I couldn't change the channel.

Well intentioned but ...frankly... "preachy".

Dysfunctional Christian family faces contemporary trials (one daughter is captured and held hostage by the Taliban; another daughter murders a man in self defense after an attempted rape).

Heartfelt but mawkish. Amateurish acting.

Sure was great to see Erik Estrada again, though!

Needs more motorcycles & Larry Wilcox.

Yes, this movie is made, produced and acted by Christian folks. Unfortunately, the acting is horrendous but so is the script. I just wish that the churches who spend so much time and effort in producing these movies that they would look carefully at the end product before publishing it and putting it out there for people to make fun of it and/or ignore it. Even Mr. Estrada did a horrible job with his acting.

The theme of redemption and justice was welcomed and the music was great. I also liked the importance that they gave to women who love Jesus-daughters of the King, which is how we should think of ourselves 24/7/365 and own this marvelous privilege. Hence my high review.

Virtuous is the story of Brandy Allison a girl who's been around the block a few times, but is the product of recovery at a kind of Christian halfway house. The spoiled grandson of the town's leading citizen attempts to rape her and gets himself shot for his trouble.

Not that she's guilty in any way, but given her background she's real easy to prosecute. She was in fact a hooker during her drugging days. That selfsame leading citizen wants her tried and convicted most speedily and he's got the political and financial clout to see Allison is put away good and proper.

Fortunately Allison has defense attorney Erik Estrada on her side and being this is a Christian film you know that it will come out all right.

The accent here is on the good work of the halfway house and how we should not judge people too readily without knowing all the facts. On its own terms without the religious angle that's a lesson worth teaching. This could have been a good film without the religion thrown in. Still is.

PROS

+ Excellent actors (with the exception of the cameraman ...).

+ Great plot, except the inclusion of Afghanistan, which was only to dramatize the movie, but didn't fit at all.

+ Mostly sound theology.

+ A movie lifting up the value of women. It does a great job in reflecting on unhealthy, and sometimes even criminal behaviors and practices of men of status and power.

CONS

• The movie is partly idealized and far away from reality. A women who killed someone in order to prevent a rape may indeed be set free under certain circumstances, but she still has to repent of that act before THEOS. The movie rather celebrated her, which is not right. It should have included spiritual repentance, because her acts -although in self-defense- went against the teachings of the Bible to exchange violence for violence.

• In one scene, the female judge gives her husband a trolley as a Christmas present and sends him after 40 years of marriage out of the house. He abused her verbally which was painful to watch, but such a thing does not justify a divorce as suggested in the movie. This lesson is therefore strictly anti-biblical, no matter how good it might feel to the viewer when seeing justice done.

• While the music is good, the timing and selection for the scenes is terrible. It is often totally disconnected from the mood of the respective scene. It seems as if they got a stock of songs and then just spread them evenly over the movie.

In one scene there is joyful music while an old man falls out of his hospital bed. A few minutes later, we hear again joyful music while a dead body is examined.

• The last song she performed in the church was also not synchronized at all to her performance.