Ragamuffin

This is a very powerful and gripping movie about the life of Rich Mullins. It is not just another "life story" about a famous person. It not only shows Rich's life but it ministers to all who see it. It not only brought tears to my eyes throughout the movie, but to the people throughout the church at that showing. I would recommend everyone to see this movie because it brings you to the realization that God loves all of us, even though we are not perfect. It is definitely a must see, powerful,inspiring, enlightening, and ministering movie for Christians and non-Christians alike. If you only purchase one DVD this year, it should be Ragamuffin!

Rich Mullins was a broken man. A man who felt rejected by his father, and by the God that the evangelical church had presented to him. He was also extremely gifted with the ability to express his struggle through words and music. He wrote just enough praise-happy songs to get Nashville to notice and lure him to record and sell his music. But, the real Rich remained tortured by his depression, addictions, and pain. He could sing about the love of God, but struggled to accept it himself.

"Ragamuffin" is a term used by author Brennan Manning, who is also depicted in the film. The word describes one whose "deepest awareness ... is that he is deeply loved by Jesus Christ and has done nothing to earn it or deserve it." It becomes an aspiration of Mullins to grasp that reality in the midst of a Christian subculture that prides itself on it's own triumphalism. As an artist, and a person, Rich Mullins was too honest - and too broken - to claim such a victory.

That is why the message of this movie contrasts so sharply with the latest "Christian" theatrical release, "God's Not Dead." There, Christianity is painted with bold strokes of black and white with little room for the gray smudges that watercolor the Ragamuffin's life. The two films could not be more different as well in their presentation of the Christian consumerism that has created Contemporary Christian Music. "God's Not Dead" blatantly uses the Newsboys as angelic messengers of the film's tag-line. They are not even represented as "artists" but function instead as "product placement." (Willie Robertson, of Duck Dynasty, cameos offering his "celebrity endorsement" for Jesus.) This was the "Christian World" that Rich Mullins hated, and worked all his career to avoid being conformed into. It was not his home.

Many evangelical Christians will be surprised, perhaps shocked or offended, to witness just what a mess Mullins was. Like the scriptures, the movie doesn't blink in showing us his flaws. You'll see him smoking, drinking, and swearing -- all while also clearly witnessing to the truth of the gospel with both his words and deeds. For many of us, it will be too much to stomach. Mullins would not fit in among many of our church friends. But, if Jesus still welcomes the poor in spirit, the mourning, and those hungering for righteousness into his Kingdom -- then Rich should be right at home there.

I love this story. It breaks the stereotype of Christian movies, most of which start with a messed up person who then meets Jesus and gets their life cleaned up. And they all lived happily ever after.

Rich Mullins was a mess. He was a mess before he met Jesus, he was a mess after he met Jesus. Maybe that was why he had such a keen understanding of grace. That's really what this movie is about. They wanted to tell the true story of Rich Mullins, as messy as it was, although I'm sure they had to clean it up some in order to get churches to show it. The in-concert monologues are mostly, if not all, taken verbatim from things Rich said during concerts. The music is well done and fitting with the story.

The movie was made on a shoestring budget, and in many ways it shows. The sound recording and mixing during interior scenes were not good (although that may have been partially due to the church where we were viewing the movie). The acting was sub-par compared to big budget movies, even from Wolfgang Bodison, who has plenty of acting experience. The sets all felt cramped and poorly utilized.

But for all its faults I think it's still worth seeing. Even if you have never heard of Rich Mullins, it's a compelling story. The movie, like Rich Mullins, can be full of faults and still have incredible redeeming value.

Overall, I was pleased with the honesty of the film. There was a darkness in his soul similar to Mother Teresa's spiritual darkness. That pain certainly came out in his music and is the big reason I listened to him then and still today. Love was not just a feeling. I was disappointed they skipped his exploration of Catholicism considering the rest of the honesty in the film, but they did pay homage to St. Francis.

The Brennan Manning scenes were powerful. Michael Koch sang/played the music believably and his acting was above average. It was a nice touch to have Mitch McVicker in the film. Sometimes on these Christian films the acting can be sub par, but I did not see it here.

The film runs 2.5 hours and they could have cut it down some, but I didn't feel bored, and the people I went with cried at the more emotional scenes. That tells me that they were certainly engaged.

I would recommend the film and encourage people to rediscover his music.

I have been following the development of this film and was disappointed when it could not achieve theatrical release. The minute it came out on DVD, I got on my bike and headed down to Walmart. I have watched it twice. There are things in the film production I can criticize, like the length of Mullins' hair in different scenes, but that is pointless. The fact is, the film drove me to Brennan Manning who I had no knowledge of. I consider the most important scenes in the film, the ones with Mullins and Manning. I actually had to go to IMDb to find out who Manning was. Since then, I have read The "Ragamuffin Gospel" and purchased two copies for friends. Rich Mullins was a messed up genius whose faith never wavered. That came through loud and clear in the film. He was not ashamed of his shortcomings and addictions. When Manning tells him God will ask only one question when you die: "Do you know how much God loves you?", I think Mullins could answer 'Yes,' despite his problems. This is a film that inspires the viewer to look deeper into the subject matter, and for that single reason, it is a success. For that single reason, you need to watch this film despite its flaws.