Overcome

I've been reviewing several films from Mormon film makers of late and for the most part I've noticed they are markedly better than the run of cinema from the evangelical churches. But in the case of Overcome this could easily have come from an evangelical denomination.

A cast of complete unknowns who've not done any other work are the ensemble for Overcome. In this completely Caucasian town where I counted one black face in a minor bit young Aaron Brown has grown away from the LDS church and he's a charismatic leader of a little group of high school bullies. They even graffiti an LDS temple.

Jaycee Lynn is a young girl who's a bit of a goody goody, but she's primarily focused on athletics, in her case tennis. These two know but really have no use for each other.

But as fate would have it one night, Brown is in a car wreck in a car driven by another one of his crew and the person in the other car in a head on collision was Lynn. Her knee gets wrecked putting her tennis future in jeopardy. As for Brown he nearly dies on the operating table in fact is pronounced and then miraculously comes back.

These things have happened and that they cause a behavioral change is understandable. There's a reference that the bishop makes to St. Paul on the road to Damascus. Well Brown doesn't become an evangelist, but he does start making amends for bad behavior, especially where Lynn is concerned.

This is so typical of Christian evangelical films not what I've come to expect from the LDS. Kids who are way too white bread that you never really believe are all that bad. Usually LDS films concentrate on their people living in the world, but making their own place in it. Here this little town seems to be something unto itself without any of the problems of America creeping in.

In fact it would have been more realistic from their point of view to have ended it with Brown becoming Elder Brown and going on a mission. I've learned enough to know in that world returned missionaries are a prize catch.

All in all Overcome is your typical church film that I would have expected from the Baptists more than the LDS.

"Overcome" is the 'Evangelical Christian' edit of the 'Mormon' film "Turn Around". There are quite a few 'Mormon' films shot with two slightly different edits, and different titles to appeal to different faiths. It's actually a pretty good deal; very few lines are changed and the cost isn't increased much but the market is much broader. I for one don't mind this at all (I'm of the Evangelical Christian Persuasion) and prefer to hear 'pastor' to 'bishop' for example. If you doubt this, read the IMDb for "Turn Around". There is no doctorine other than general morality and forgiveness in this film which is the essentially the same in both faiths.

I've seen both. The film is quite good in either case.

Overcome (2008) is a drama film directed by B. J. Alexander and starring Aaron Brown and Jaycee Lynn in the lead roles.

It is a movie that draws inspiration from how Saul became Paul in Christian literature.

The main character, Colton, is a rebellious teenager who disregards his parents' advice and the teachings of the Bible.

He is a wild and irresponsible person who enjoys drinking and partying and often ridicules his peers, including Sarah.

Sarah, on the other hand, is a diligent and focused young woman who wants to pursue a career in tennis.

Their lives collide when Colton, drunk after a party, causes a tragic accident that injures Sarah.

This triggers a series of events that lead him to seek redemption.

From then on, Colton embarks on a journey of repentance and forgiveness, not only toward Sarah but also toward everyone he has wronged.

The movie challenges us to reflect on our own choices and actions, and how they affect others. It also explores the moral dilemmas that we may face in life.

Overall, it is a great movie for an afternoon delight!

This is my very first review on this site. My wife and I are both lifelong Christians. She's also a big movie buff. Because of her abundant exposure to movies, she tends to be a bit skeptical toward the genre of Christian movies (One exception is the movie "Fireproof" -- she really liked that one). Since I'm not as picky about my movies, I have decided to go on a binge of Christian movies, in hopes of finding one or two that will impress her. Unfortunately, I don't think this one will make the cut.

The positives: I loved the plot! It was a well-written story about an extremely rebellious teenager who turns it around after an encounter with God. Also, as a former HS tennis player myself, I enjoyed that part of the story as well.

The negatives: I'm sorry, but I wasn't very impressed by the acting. I think the girl who played Sara did decently, but the rest really weren't that great. That being said, I understand the vast majority of the cast were amateurs.

The above comment states that this was an LDS-based movie. Not that I have a problem with that, but if that's the case, I completely missed that detail while watching the movie. Anyway, I think that's all from me.

I kept expecting Colton to realize he can't do enough good works to make things right. He even asked his mom why he was still feeling guilty after all the things he's already fixed. I thought she would tell him he needs to trust in Christ alone. Instead, she told him it takes a while to be able to forgive yourself. We don't have the authority to forgive ourselves. For those with kids in the home, the best part about this movie was an opportunity for teachable moments, mainly teaching what Christianity is and is not. And this ain't it.

I dont think the Apostle Paul would appreciate his name in the tag line. "For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." 1 Corinthians 2:2

Colton sees himself as a cool kid who just needed to clean up his act a little but and get some new friends. Paul would tell him to read Galatians.