Rust

Grabbed this movie last night from one of the last remaining DVD-rental places on earth, I'm assuming. Although I wasn't a big Corbin Bernsen fan during his LA LAW days - ick - I love what he's become since: so much more lovely and thoughtful and scruffy and manly:) I figured this movie would be sweet & raw & real based on the cover's synopsis and knowing it was filmed in small-town Canada (as a cynical Canadian, I even cringed a bit in anticipation of small-town Saskatchewan acting skills to come), but I really wasn't expecting the beautiful little movie which softly enthralled us for those 2 hours.

The story unfolds gently - so imperceptibly - that you wonder if there IS a point to the film. But unfold it does, under the guidance of some really brilliant acting by the locals recruited within the community where they were filming. Of course we were especially blown away by the eerily genius acting chops of Lloyd Warner's Travis - gobsmacked, we were - but we were equally impressed by the actors playing Corbin's sister and father. No reason why non-actors shouldn't be able to 'act', but still...amazing.

SOooo refreshing to just watch a movie with a cast of genuine people (lumps, wrinkles, awkward pauses and all) and a plot line of such understated importance. Great work.

I wasn't expecting much when I saw the IMDB rating, but I like Corbin as an actor, so I gave it a try.

I was pleasantly surprised!

You know where the plot is heading throughout much of the movie, but it keeps you glued to the television nine the less. It is a believable, inspiring and emotional flick that will leave you asking, "where am I at in my journey?" This would be a great movie for a church youth group or family night if you have teens or preteens. I'm still asking myself how this movie has been out for 13 years, yet I've never seen or heard of it.

I highly recommend this movie for anyone struggling with their purpose; strong in their faith; or unbelievers looking for a good family movie!

I must say this movie was a pleasant surprise and the film makers really cheated themselves by not releasing this to theatres. With all the recent success of faith based movies like Fireproof, Courageous, and The Grace Card, this movie has better acting than a lot of mainstream Christian movies today. Corbin Bernsen is the kind of actor who has relegated himself to doing low budget, straight to DVD movies, in fact the last major movie in a theatre he was in was Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. In the movie, he plays a minister who has lost his faith and returns to his hometown. There is a mystery here involving a house fire and his once good friend who has now been committed to a psych ward. Lloyd Warner stands out as Travis, the once good friend of Bernsen's character. Throughout the film, I found myself wanting to know the back story behind the two characters and exactly why they both seem to have ended up on opposite sides of life. Everything is shown to us and it's done very well. There is no profanity in this movie, but there are some other themes which in my opinion should have up the movie's rating to a PG-13 based on the elements of suicide, depression, and violence. Either way I recommend this film to anyone and would allow my kids to watch it as well.

Corbin Bernsen plays James Moore, a minister struggling with a kind of faith-based mid-life crisis. Quitting his job, he returns to his hometown to find that its people have been through their own share of crises and misfortunes - including a tragic, deadly house-fire resulting in the arrest and detention in a psych hospital of Travis, his childhood friend. Can James pull it together enough to make sense of life's unfortunate turns? And how far should he go to help his friend? Corbin Bernsen wrote, directed and co-produced this refreshingly original story. His use of unknown actors gives the film a realistic edginess that some may find fault with, but I found part of the charm. In the end, themes of doubt, faith, friendship, loyalty and hope are what makes the film inspirational, family fare.

In a world of fake reality TV and impossible movie plots, this movie surprises with absolute reality. This must be the reason for its only slightly above mid score. While there is a place for unrealistic entertainment, you will not find it in this movie. What you will find is an absolutely astounding and realistic story. The acting is surprisingly good while not going overboard or being amateurish. After recently seeing "The Shack", I would rate this movie higher. I am truly surprised this movie didn't make more of an impact. It's not full of suspense, but there's enough to keep you watching. The last 15 minuets are outstanding. If you have teens, this is an ideal family movie. They may be a little bored with the movie, but the lessons learned at the end are well worth the wait.