Church People

This movie was not good. I had high expectations going in because I really really liked the idea for this movie. The Christian church has become, in a lot of ways, a huge production masking itself as a way to reach people. Yet in doing that the gospel has been so watered down, and pushed to the side. So when I saw the trailer I got hyped, thinking it was going to be brutally honest about the modern church. In a lot of ways it is, but man it was way too over the top.

The biggest problems with this movie, however, is the script and the acting. The script is trash. And a lot of times it's incredibly weird. Their are actually a lot of incredibly awkward scenarios and lines in this movie. Some that talk about listing after maniquinns and other weird stuff like that. Furthermore, the acting is also terrible. I really think it's mainly cause the script is so bad, but nonetheless everyone does terribly in this movie.

There is one very very good thing about this movie, and that is its presentation of the gospel. Most Christian movies I've seen always have bad acting, script, writing, and a terrible presentation of the gospel. They do a fantastic job of illustrating what the Gospel really is. So for that, I applaud them.

However, everything else about this movie is incredibly weird, off putting, and beyond over the top. But all in all they did present the gospel clearly and I'm glad they were able to do that!

Needed some tweaking in editing. A countdown clock to the day/hour/minute would have added a sense of urgency as well as comedy. Characters were nice written and stereotyped for some laughs. The base is SO there but needs some refining in the script as well. Great message :)

A popular youth group pastor at a megachurch in greater Los Angeles (Thor Ramsey) struggles with the assembly losing the point with their perpetual gimmicks while possibly romancing the pastor's daughter (Erin Cahill) and dealing with an unexpected girl from his past (Andriana Manfredi).

"Church People" (2021) is a fun satire with snappy dialogue related to the typical happenings at a large, popular fellowship. Ramsey works well as the protagonist with winsome Erin Cahill offering quality support, along with Manfredi. The only other flick I've seen Erin in is "Boogeyman 3" from 13 years prior; she's reminiscent of Karen Allen. Meanwhile the senior pastor (Michael Monks) is reminiscent of Jack Hayford, who passed away a couple years after this was released.

Stephen Baldwin is on hand as a 'weird' greeter with the uncanny gift of the word of knowledge. There's a great joke involving him near the end.

The flick really won me over at the midpoint with the laser tag sequence and the hilarious meeting of the two females. As for the climax, it revolves around self-crucifixion and is actually moving.

The movie runs 1 hour, 36 minutes, and was shot at Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village, which is in the high country 25-minutes northwest of Malibu, a 45-minutes drive from Hollywood to the east.

GRADE: B.

A family friendly Christian movie, funny, and self-aware, with a stellar cast, that made for an enjoyable and entertaining film.

Engaging and humorous, it is a wonderful film to share with family, containing the powerful message of the foremost gospel of Christ's sacrifice for our sins. Starring Christian comedian Thor Ramsey, alongside a wonderful cast, including Stephen Baldwin, Joey Fatone, and even a cameo from the My Pillow Guy himself. I will admit that at times the humor can be deemed irreverent, so if you are offended by the likes of Tim Hawkins and John Crist then it might not be your style. But by the end, it all came together and I enjoyed the wit in this Christian movie being willing to take a step back and make fun of some aspects of the Christian culture, as well as to be honest enough to take a serious look at itself as well.

All in all a fun family movie, with some great talking points along the way. Filled with humor, clean and at times cheesy, well acted, with a powerful conclusion, this is a movie that makes for a great family movie night and is great to share with others!

Many thanks to Collide Distribution for providing this product/product information for review. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

I am sure there are tons of talented christian artists, and faith is a unending provider of great subjects. So why do we keep getting these terrible movies?

Where are the christian movie makers and writers that would put faith as part of a great film, or even just a good film. A film that doesn't need to preach, a film that could allow people of faith to be self-mocking without being deriding or self-satisfying without being indulgent. Or films that could still tackle issues without being endlessly militant. It can be done, see for instance the french "coexister" or "of god and men", very different but equally great, or even Terence Malick's "the tree of life".

And maybe it is not an issue with artists but with financing and distribution, but whatever the cause, this is another good premise wasted on a very very poor result.