Dial a Prayer

The story is not told exactly linearly, we see snippets of flashbacks that eventually all add up to what happened in the backstory of Cora.

Brittany Snow is 26-yr-old Cora and the first scenes has her showing up for an assignment with the local Detroit "Dial A Prayer" hotline. Everyone else there is happy and enthusiastic but it is clear she would rather be just about anywhere else. But she had gotten into some pretty serious trouble and her high powered lawyer dad managed to get her to do restitution by working the prayer hotlines.

William H. Macy is always good and here he is good as Bill, the leader of the prayer office. The story arc is Cora figuring out that her life up to that point, and the friends she hung out with, might not be the best trajectory and she has to figure out a better path.

The movie works because Brittany Snow is so good and authentic in the role of Cora. I found it on Youtube streaming free movies (with a few ads thrown in). I found it worthwhile viewing.

Around Thanksgiving season in suburban Detroit, a troubled 26 years-old woman (Brittany Snow) evades jail by working for a prayer hotline, but she can only connect with those who need help when she stops following the script. William H. Macy plays the pastor of the ministry, Glenne Headly her mentally ill mother and Tom Lipinski a man drawn to Cora.

"Dial a Prayer" (2015) is a drama and spiritual exploration that also satirizes Christian religion as a business in the first half. While it's not what is known as a "faith-based" film, it's also not necessarily anti-God, anti-Scripture, anti-faith or anti-spirituality. For anyone who argues that it's completely anti-spiritual, someone clearly receives a healing through prayer and the laying on of hands, which are biblical concepts.

Yes, so-and-so commits fornication, but the Bible shows God using mighty Samson even though he visited a prostitute (Judges 16). The flick is only against go-through-the-motions Christian religion (notice I said religion).

I'd put this in the same category of "The Preacher's Daughter" (2012) even though that one lacks the satire angle. It's just no where near as good because there's a little too much ambiguity, especially in the weak ending.

The movie runs 1 hour, 37 minutes, and was shot entirely in the Detroit area of Michigan, including Royal Oak, Ferndale and Troy, all of which are 6-12 miles north of the city.

GRADE: B-/C+

Anyone who reads my reviews knows that I always beg for more character development and back stories. I loved this movie, but I needed to know a bit more about the supporting characters.

William Macy plays a wonderfully animated boss of a Dial-A-Prayer business. But we never hear how he got into the field or why. Also, no one ever identifies what church the girl's family, the call center, and the town identify with. Is it Catholic? Interestingly, there is practically no mention of Jesus, except when the funny boss says that he parted the Red Sea.

Therefore, I think a non-Christian could feel comfortable watching this without feeling bombarded by J.C.

The film is not really about religion. It is about second chances and turning one's life around. There is good usage of the Fall and Winter Midwest landscape. One could see it as either bleak, or starkly beautiful, depending on attitude. There are some clever references to that. The final scene shows a couple quietly beholding the glory of a blank snowy setting.

Do prayers make a difference? Our protagonist keeps asking this question. Of course they do, but the film focuses only on the aspect of making people feel better. It doesn't mention any metaphysical effect on the world at large, or the idea of praying for world peace and messianic redemption. People are only praying for themselves and their family to deal with domestic and health issues.

Casting is so essential to a character-driven film. This one aced the test. I don't know who Brittany Snow is, but her no-makeup sadness came through the screen with genuine sincerity. Macy phoned it in, no pun intended, but in his case, he phones it in beautifully. Glen Headly, the mom, fit the profile to perfection. No one here is great looking or flashy. They are ordinary people in a working class Midwestern town trying to make it through life the best way they can.

What I loved the most was the way they structured dialogue scenes. The characters would say just the right amount of words to each other, without overdoing it or milking the scenes for manipulative effect.

I could have done without the few dream sequences and the schmaltzy music toward the end, but the photography was first rate.

This was actually listed as a comedy, but it was no such thing. There were a few funny parts about how these phone center employees were trained on how to answer with prayers. This was not at all a Christian movie...some foul language, sex, drinking, etc. I cannot handle sappy Christian movies because they're too fake and white washed. The basic plot was a woman was doing community service after committing a crime and her father was a big shot attorney who basically got her off easy. She reluctantly has to work a prayer call center and hates every minute of it. But she unknowingly actually helps some people. It was a slower paced movie, but it kept me engaged. Her crime slowly unfolds throughout the movie and it connects her to a few other characters. The film kind of pokes fun at Christians doing the "dial a prayer" thing (which is probably why it was listed as a comedy), but there is a moral to the story or at least an evolution of the main character.

I got excited in the beginning. This seemed to have a lot of potential in the beginning. It was funny, quirky and interesting. But then somewhere in the middle it just went flat. What was the purpose? What's the plot? What's the point? It's almost like the whole movie was one inside joke for only the crew and cast to understand. The ending was confusing. I feel like I got the idea of where they wanted to go but then they just went completely off road and we couldn't understand what the point was. So this woman goes through all of this spiritual growing only to do what? Why? Where? I'm so confused.