The Second Chance

Redemtion and forgiveness come to play boldly in this movie and it's fun to see your typical black guy and whitie go at each other. I really enjoyed seeing them interact with each other and try to get along. The movie plays out these roles and these two grown ups act like children with their haughty or arrogance ways consistently picking fights with each other ...thinking that each one is better than the other. I'm glad they finally got it figured out near the end..but I would have been more delighted to see them play this out in more depth.

This movies does leave a lot unanswered, but is a great conversational type of movie.

Acting was good. Pleasantly surprised by both Jeff Carr and Michael W Smith. The two of them seem to fit the roles that they were given and they played them well.

If you want to see a challenging movie with a great message that will lead you to want to make a difference right where you are...see this movie..it will motivate and stir you to ponder on it.

It's all in the serve! Sherry

Here's the sad thing about this movie...I fear that not a lot of people will see it. That would be a real shame.

Let's face it: Christian 'entertainment' is normally completely void of any artistic skill, woodenly-acted, hokey, and moronic. It's made for those who want to build large brick walls around their church and stay safe from the evil world outside.

On the other hand, this is an intelligently crafted, authentic look at the divisions that lie within Christianity in America. If you have attended church for any length of time in your life, the attitudes that you see displayed on screen will undoubtedly hit home, because you've either seen them in others or yourself (the use of "Christian-ese" to silence dissent is all too real). If you aren't a church-attender, you'll recognize some of the things that probably help to keep you away.

This is a movie with heart that never gets cheesy. It's not terribly complicated, but that's part of the point...either your actions match your words or they don't. Very simple.

If you're looking for 30 plot twists in a movie, pull out one of the 80 "Left Behind" DVDs and have a ball with the fairy tales. But if you want to experience good art, something real and challenging, see this movie.

The Second Chance is a movie that takes on the complexities of cultural difference and social conscience. The film stars Grammy award-winning musician Michael W. Smith in his first acting role as Ethan Jenkins, a rock star turned associate pastor of a suburban mega-church called The Rock.

The film costars jeff obafemi carr, a multi-talented artist with experience in acting, singing, writing, and directing. jeff prefers lower case letters for his name, a gesture of humility. His character, Jake Sanders, is the pastor of a small inner city church called Second Chance Community Church that deals with all the associated problems plaguing the economically starved inner cities.

Michael W. Smith does amazingly well in his acting debut, considering his only acting experience was working with an acting coach in preparation for this movie. Equally amazing is the performance by jeff carr who nails his character with realism and genuine passion. jeff becomes Jake Sanders.

The background of the film involves Jeremiah Jenkins (J. Don Ferguson) who founded Second Chance Community Church in the 1960's and was part of the civil rights movement. Time has seen him move on to The Rock mega-church. The Rock has become part of the new electronic church era where it's about TV, image, and donations.

Jerimiah's son, Ethan, is caught up in the worldly business of the church. An affluent yuppie with attitude, Ethan finds himself at odds with the church's leadership after creating some waves. The church's board decides "he needs his wings clipped" and they decide to send him to Second Chance Community Church.

The plot revolves around Pastors Ethan and Jake as their cultures clash when Ethan is sent unwillingly to "observe and learn" at Second Chance and the surrounding community. Both pastors have their own flaws.

Ethan feels being sent to the inner city is beneath him and not worthy of his time. "I am an associate pastor, not a social worker," he protests when told of his assignment.

Jake, the Second Chance pastor, also has his cultural conditioning come into play. "We've seen enough of those ghetto tourists down here … hanging around just long enough so they can go back and tell their congregations that they've 'been there' ".

The stage is set for conflict that extends beyond the surface of black/white issues. Both pastors are separated by economic barriers and their views of how to help people. Ethan's rich suburban church mentality is to throw money at a problem and walk away. Pastor Jake's method is to roll up your sleeves, get on the streets, and make a difference one person at a time. Some of his tactics are tough-love.

As Ethan navigates his way through the real life of the inner city, his belief system is thrown into turmoil. There are several memorable scenes in this movie, one of the most compelling is the sub-plot involving the African refugee child's paper plate drawing. Without revealing too much, I will say the associated scenes with this paper plate demonstrate that sometimes the seemingly small things in life can have a huge impact.

Ethan's acceptance into this different culture is slow. It's a painful learning curve but to his credit, Ethan continues forward. There are failures and victories. In one scene we see how music can serve as a wonderful bridge between personal and cultural differences. Acceptance involves doing, not just words or money.

As the movie progresses, power, money, and politics threaten Second Chance's existence. Ethan experiences another defining moment of life that will further serve to "call him home." Another defining moment for several characters comes during a foot-washing scene.

One of the most powerful scenes involves Jake's speech near the end of the film. jeff carr absolutely nails it with passion, emotion, and sheer believability. Michael W. Smith's musical score for this scene using his instrumental song "The Last Hallelujah" is perfection.

The movie could have ended several different ways. According to the commentary information, there was considerable discussion on how the film should end. The ending that was finally chosen worked for me. Its message was clear and thought provoking.

Michael W. Smith did the musical scoring for many of the scenes as well as performing and co-writing the track "All in the Serve". Michael also performed all of his own piano and singing scenes and seemed right at home doing so.

The film was directed by Steve Taylor, his first feature length directing job. Prior to The Second Chance, he made several short films and music videos. Considering this and the fact that The Second Chance was a small budget film, he did an incredible job.

The commentary track in the DVD's special features section provided some interesting insights to the behind the scenes trials and tribulations that went into creating this movie. Steve Taylor, Michael W. Smith, and jeff carr recounted the obstacles that had to be overcome and how some of the casting assignments came to be. A significant amount of local talent was used. The film was shot entirely on location around Nashville.

Henry Haggard, who played Sonny, the challenged Second Chance Community Church custodian, could not have been cast better. Shirley Cody, playing Miss Burdoe, the choir leader, was simply outstanding. The chemistry between her and Michael was obvious. Jamal, the drug dealer played by Robert Fitzgerald, brought his street character to believable and authentic life. J. Don Ferguson, as Jerimiah Jenkins, did a memorable job that included his character's humble transformation.

The film succeeds in tackling tough contemporary issues in a compelling and entertaining way. If you want to experience a great film that was created on a small budget by people who regarded it as a true labor of love, see this movie! The movie's message is one of hope, reconciliation, humility, tolerance, forgiveness, and understanding … something the world needs now more than ever.

I had the opportunity to watch a preview of the movie, The Second Chance. Set in a large Southern city, the film portrays the racial tensions between a predominately white, affluent church with that of a black and financially struggling congregation that they have supported for many years. The movie does a good job of character and plot development with very credible acting from Michael W. Smith and the other lead actors. The film realistically portrays today's inner city environment which causes its content to receive a PG-13 rating. I believe that this movie contains a valuable and enjoyable message for today's Church. It is a moving story of renewal, forgiveness and Christian love.

"The Second Chance" is one of the best movies I have ever seen in a long time. The general story and message is absolutely amazing. At first, I was a little worried that it would flop, seeing as how a lot of Christian movies do. When I found out that it was playing near me, I made it a point to go see it. It was a breath of fresh air, as it wasn't one of those religious movies that "plays it safe" and is "extra clean." It took no fear in including some violence and language in order to get through. In fact, even Pastor Jake, himself swears a bit. The movie never ceases to pull at your heartstrings and get through to your head. Not only is it just an awesome movie, it has some great acting, directing, writing, music, etc. Speaking of music, Christian singer Michael W. Smith himself stars in this movie as Ethan Jenkins. He does quite well for his movie debut. But it's really Jeff Carr who shines throughout this film. However, the whole cast does a great job to put the message across. I strongly recommend "The Second Chance"!