Electric Jesus

I'm glad those who actually know and follow Christian music enjoy this film. I really don't recommend it for the secular viewer though.

First of all, you have to actually like hard rock. I can only take so much and really can't judge if the Christian version was an especially good take on it. The songs sung by "Sarah" are actually very nice, but blips in the overall soundtrack. In terms of story, there isn't much of one. It's basically a road film with one or two surprises along the way, but a lot of talking about goals and ambitions without a great deal of progress towards them. The moments of sexual/romantic tension are so wishy-washy you're left wondering what the point is. Above all, no character, except arguably Sarah, really grows through the film. Basically, if you don't have a fondness for the underlying genre, this film probably won't do much for you.

This one was a little genre-defying at first but you quickly realize it is a SERIOUS film that takes it's subject matter and characters seriously, but it is also a comedy with some genuine laugh-out loud moments populated by some refreshingly relatable and genuine characters surrounded by a rather good soundtrack.

DO NOT dismiss this as a low-tier "faith based" film, even though almost all the characters are Christian. The scenes know just when to cut away so it is not preachy but instead both showcasing what the life of a Christian is like while allowing audiences to get a good hint at the message the scene is showcasing, even though the message is not being pounded over your head.

It is neither mocking of religious folk nor caving to portraying them the way most faith-based movies do.

These multi-dimensional characters are VERY HUMAN, with their own flaws. That get put into realistic situations. You understand why the characters are the way they are and the choices they make without exposition-heavy scene after scene to explain it.

The plot is not predictable so you will be entertained by the character's surprising choices (and both surprising & sometimes not surprising consequences) that develop throughout the story which culminates into an extended epilogue that is heart-warmingly emotional without being sappy.

And yes, Brian Baumgartner ("Kevin" from the office) does have a substantial role... think Tom Hanks role in "That Thing You Do" except we get to know this multi-dimensional character here a lot more. However, the performances from his fellow actors are equally top-notch so you will very quickly be invested in all these characters instead of remembering Baumgartner is one of the only recognizable stars (which is a testament to all the actors ability). To me, it's much better to get drawn into a story & characters than to stop & think to yourself "these are great actors" (which ye can do after the movie is long over).

While there is no traditional big stadium with huge audience scene, the filmmakers stretched the million dollar budget to make it seem like a film with a much bigger budget but the story & characters are so enthralling, you probably won't care what the budget is as the production values service this story very well.

It's not the greatest movie ever made, but it is not a bad movie at all. It has all the ingredients that make a good film.

That easily could have been better sown together and even better rehearsed as a band. Its all about christian hard rock music era history, i remember myself the grumpy old man were dragged by some class mates on a petra consert in 82-83, dont remember excactly, but they used digital drumsets and that fascinated me alot back then.

But they werent able to ressurect me from the rapture , im still a netralist on the barren plains of religion, but as a film it touches something called nostalgia, and it almost made me cry in the end.

So let call it an ok try, its a low budget production with just by the average acting therefore just a recommend with a neutral digit in front. Its for the nostalgists and young christians of today to view, it has music, soul, love and fun.lets call it a religious rockomedy.

I had the joy of seeing this film with a live audience at the Nashville Film Festival. This movie is a fun, humorous and charming coming of stage story that follows the tropes of "the muse and artist" like Almost Famous with pointed and clever satire on Christian popular culture, in the vein of "Saved!" The cast are mostly relative newcomers to acting, but create strong and believable performances, while also making room from appearances from veteran actors such as Brian Baumgartner (The Office) and Judd Nelson (Breakfast Club, and others). The dialogue is fun, sharp witty, and the soundtrack music is what the 80s sounds like at it's best, and the lyrics will cause you likely to laugh out loud, if you pay attention.

Great story, heartfelt, fun and touching - you will love it.

Electric Jesus is a coming-of-age road movie that chronicles the rise and fall of fictional Christian rock band '316'. The band members, all teenagers, decide to embark on a national tour to 'make Jesus famous' after grappling with their own spiritual priorities and the opinions of their parents and pastors.

The 'make Jesus famous' refrain will be immediately familiar to a subset of folks with experience in evangelical churches and is one of many references to that brand of church culture in the film. The religious elements of Electric Jesus are handled with nuance and a clearly intimate understanding of the source material, though I often felt that the named references were occasionally laid on a bit thick and won't mean much to folks who don't have a very specific background. Especially the recurring Amy Grant shenanigans.

The tour, proposed and organized by used-car-salesman-esque (though perhaps they were going more for skeevy tent revivalist?) band manager Skip Wick (Brian Baumgartner), is initially a small potatoes venture hitting skating rinks and youth meetings. Skip's interactions with the band are fun to watch as the tour continues. Stowaways, hormones, and big breaks knock the narrative around a bit until a climactic final show.

The musical performances are excellent. The songs are well written and engineered, with catchy hooks and clever lyrics that accurately reflect the ideological temperament of these sorts of groups. The actors are actually the ones doing the performing, which was put to brilliant use in a scene featuring mixing board sabotage. (Correction: Not all of the actors actually play their instruments, so props for fooling me there.)

Off-stage, the band members are serviceable actors with great chemistry. Sadly, most of them are underdeveloped as characters. They're always around but we don't really get to know much about them, with the relationship between the band's sound guy and a stowaway pastor's kid occupying far too much focus for a movie about a rock band.

The epilogue could've been removed in favor of an extra scene or two of the band members.

I'd have loved to have seen a Spinal Tap-esque approach to this project, with the band members and writers developing a massive amount of shared lore/fiction, internalizing it all, and then filming as if they'd truly lived those lives. I understand that not everyone has the luxury of 4 years to develop such a thing and the ultimate aim of the filmmakers may have been elsewhere.

The film was enjoyable and visually pleasing, the music is still rattling around in my brain, and it was great seeing this subject matter presented with heart and understanding. As a survivor of awkward Christian youth culture, I'm thrilled. As a mockumentary fan, I'm a bit disappointed. Still, there's nothing like this and it's worth seeing.