What Would Jesus Do?

I caught this in the middle several years ago, in a local, obscure channel. I remember being fascinated by JS part. This is perhaps, John Schneider's greatest performance of all time. But how did he get involved in this schlock? No one can act in this! It's painful to watch. None of the female leads can (except, perhaps, the homeless girl and the evil old woman, whose home she's brought to).

Let's talk location: the newspaper editor's officed looked like a broom closet. The real estate office? Broom closet with a glass door. The church? A double broom closet with carpet and chairs. The house? Another cheap broom closet. This was filmed in Tujunga. I had the displeasure of being sorta stranded there eons ago. That town is hell on Earth, folks! Think Van Nuys on steroids.

So what is this flick? A straight-to-video VHS production they sell for a $1.99? No one can act here. JS is wasted. Imagine if they'd made this a Hollywood production! Did he give his time for free? I can't wrap my head around it! He was quite good looking here. He was always a goof lookswise back in his Dukes of Hazard and I never watched that "Starsky & Hutch do the boonies" rip off. But boy, did he have presence here. Charisma in droves. Put everyone else's acting to shame.

Everyone else was reciting lines then thinking "I hope I said that right" or "boy! I should have put more effort into that!" and so on. That's why I said: How did JS get involved in this? Everyone is such an amateur (except the 2 aforementioned ladies) it's painful to watch.

Oh and if you're a fan of JS and you're watching for this, he's barely in it. He has a few bits mid-show. One great scene and BAM! Hes gone and pretty much never returns. (Or does he?)

The start was quite shocking. I'm watching 2 actors trying to pretend they can act, they're driving around and then BAM! They just.. they just... I mean. The next scene! Then it's downhill for a while, then Schneider raises the bar each (little) time he appears. This movie is a roller coaster. Back then I gave it a 10, for his performance and the message. Ah, the message. Well, I'm no Christian. I have nothing against those people (actually, I do!) and European-Californians were perfectly well depicted in the beginning as selfish, greedy and uncaring.

That they turn and become kind, caring and helpful puts this flick into the fantasy genre right there. Oh and please do not confuse actor and part: if anyone would be that deluded to think Schneider lives this part... have you seen the crap he's been in since?? The Haves and Haves Not isn't exactly WWJD material. These Hollywood hypocrites don't live up to the standards they set for themselves. Let me backtrack: he set no standard here. He was handed a script and some cash and they bought him to inhabit this drifter character. Nothing more. In fact, he's no Christian: have you not read how he's treated wives and/or girlfriends? A few years back, he was the talk of the town for some scandal involving her (one of them) and him smugly telling people at a party "Do you know who I am?" Uh... I dunno, Legal Blonde version 2.0?

In conclusion 6 stars is very generous. Schneider gets a 10/10 that a piece of scum like him can pull off this role and make you beLIEve he's a good guy is praise-worthy. The production values are about a 4-5/10. The acting from everyone else is a "try again" and "don't quit your day job" 3/10. The movie could have been better, but there's worse. The message, sure, could be a 9/10 if it weren't composed and performed by a bunch of hypocrites.

And how do ya like 'em drifting Xtian apples?!

I've seen about a million movies, and this is my first ever movie review. I just felt motivated to say that this movie really blessed me! It certainly is more tailored for a Christian audience, and is intended as kind of a wake up call for the Church. I would encourage as many people as possible to pray for those who made the film, give it good reviews, and spread the word to others to go and see it. We need more wholesome movies like this to be made.

I would give this film a rating of about 6.5 or so. Definitely don't let the low rating scare you away. Just realize that it isn't going to be a blockbuster major Hollywood production, and sit back and enjoy a simple little story that will make you feel good, and encourage you in your Christian walk!

Christian movie starring Gleason as a pastor trying to save his local church along with a diverse group of benevolent parishioners facing their own spiritual struggles on the path to virtuosity.

Bahns co-stars as the young real estate heiress who agrees to run as a Mayoral candidate in local elections against the unscrupulous evildoer Alex York (Arnold), whilst good ole boy John Schneider plays the mysterious drifter whose words of wisdom seem to be almost prophetic (although apparently no one is enlightened enough to suspect his identity).

A few familiar faces in some of the minor roles (e.g. Flo Gerrish, Mimi Cozzens as Bahns' initially ignorant mother who quickly sees the light following a moving encounter with a homeless teenager).

The film is essentially a series of redemptions in which various pilgrims are shown forgiveness, compassion and ultimately belonging. Maybe a little righteous but it's well intentioned, uncomplicated and as bonus material includes an unplugged version of the title song by Adam Gregory.

Those who rate this movie poorly are missing the intent of the movie and I guess to understand the intent you would have to understand WWJD. Any believer in Jesus believes in what the movie is trying to get across which it did very well. A stranger comes to a town, like many of ours, where the people place everything in their lives ahead of any thought of faith in Jesus. They are pursing what has often happened in the Old Testament wherein sin rules. This movie did for me and I am sure others who have watched it that when we make decisions in life and we are unsure what we should do, we should ask "What Would Jesus Do." I intend to use this movie as the subject of our church's Bible study group.

PureFlix has made some excellent films; however, this time, they failed when making this one. First of all, the screenwriting is terribly unrealistic. The characters are not given realistic reactions/emotions to certain situations, which makes them feel unrealistic. The characters are also provided with cliches that don't help with the script, but actually just make it worse. The cliches are obvious before they even appear; they do not feel realistic to real life. The characters should be more realistically written, as should the plot. The dialogue felt a little corny, as well, with awkward one-liners like "You fools!" filling the script pages. Second of all, John Schneider is a little overrated. He didn't do as well in this film as he has done in other movies. Sometimes, the acting by the cast felt unrealistic or melodramatic. The actor who played the antagonistic character, in particular, did a TERRIBLE job at his performance and delivery of lines. The point is, apart from the inspirational message that could be learned through this film, ultimately, this film sets a bad example of filmmaking.