Ragamuffin

This movie was recommended to me by a friend with whom I shared my feelings of spiritual "wandering" if you will; a believer with lots of questions and a feeling of emptiness that comes and goes. The acting was very good and the story honest. I am use to movies that lead to an obvious conclusion, however, this movie wasn't the typical countdown to an epiphanic moment. Rather, it was exactly what I needed in realizing I am not alone in my struggles for meaning. Wear comfortable clothes because this movie is a bit long.

My rating of "8" out of 10 is relative to movies of this category. This film should not be compared to Hollywood blockbusters, and justifiably so; the film is a message to each viewer who wishes to receive. The feature was not, in my opinion, made to entertain but more importantly to potentially impact your life in a far greater way than even the most popular movies ever could.

Enjoy.

I'm going to get the bad out of the way. If you're hoping this movie "solves" all the problems of the so-called "Christian movie industry", it does not. It is too long by at least a half-hour, we never feel like the main character really is Mullins until almost a half-hour into the film, and it seems preachier than it needs to be, often using way too much dialog to communicate messages that filmmakers should be able to make with far less talking and far more skillful directing, acting and editing. Anachronisms abound for those who look for them (certain musical equipment and instruments appear years and years before they actually were available), the lighting seems to be an afterthought, and in many cases (as I implied earlier) paragraphs of dialog abound where lines would do.

If you think this movie is just as bad as so many Christian films (virtually all that I have seen in fact) are, you'd also be wrong. Refreshingly, this film does not sanitize the smoking, drinking, cussing (okay, maybe it eases up on the cussing, I'm okay with that), broken character that Rich apparently was. That, I found refreshing. And when Michael Koch finally "finds" the main character (or should I say, when we finally believe in him and the director finally sets the character free), he carries it well, warts (and there are many) and all. I was impressed with how Koch sings and plays the part so well (using his own voice by the way), too, right down to the occasional sloppy piano and idiosyncratic vocal stylings. The stress of growing up with such a broken father-son relationship plays a major role, as it should, and explains much of what we need to know about the character (reminded me of Johnny Cash, actually).

I was fortunate enough to meet Mullins during his too-short life, about 7 years before his death. By "meet", I don't mean shake hands after a concert, but in fact along with a small group of folks got to spend hours and hours with him talking and really getting to know each other. He was, by far, the most interesting person I have ever met. So… I am a little biased in saying that beyond the flaws in this film (again, typical of so many Christian movies, and of so much Christian music for that matter), is the story of a man who was worth knowing and knowing about, not in spite of, but partly because of his flaws. I can probably count on one hand the number of Christian songwriters who come close to Mullins' talent and transparency (even if I'm missing a finger or two), and I'm thrilled that this film might introduce some new people to his work. Even more, maybe more people will come to grips with the fact that Jesus not only doesn't mind their brokenness, but loves them right in the middle of it all.

That would thrill Rich the most.

The storyline is simple enough – the life of Rich Mullins. He is the author of the song "Awesome God" as well as hundreds of others. He was part of a resurgence of contemporary Christian music movement in the 80′s and 90′s - a culture he would come to hate and leave. The film documents his struggles with his faith, addictions and insecurities while his songs were some of the most popular in the world of contemporary Christian music.

If you are looking for a nice, neat film with a simple conflict/resolution arch of a story – Ragamuffin isn't for you. Ragamuffin is a dark, brooding film that exposes the insecurity and grit of Rich Mullins' faith. It's messy. It doesn't resolve. It's redemptive and agonizing. All of which I think is authentic to Rich as well as his God.

The acting and cinematography are top shelf. Michael Koch delivers an incredible performance of being true to Rich's eccentric, authentic faith without pushing the performance into a sappy mess of emotion.

The movie has it all - great acting, great filming, and great storytelling. Highly recommend it.

And stay for the credits for real footage of Rich.

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 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.