This is a faith based film, but the themes that go back and forth through the film are universal. The acting is much better than many of the "Christian films". And it isn't preachy much in a religious sense.
The strongest theme is bonding in adversity which comes from the fact that we all share humanity together. Teens in the movie deal with issues that most teens deal with including materialism, popularity, poor self image, body weight and a sense of being ignored by family. One nice thing the movie does is that flaws are revealed in every character including the jock and the goody-goody Christian and even the grown up teacher. But everyone learns that life is better when shared and people accept one another.
In a world that grows more divided every year, it is good to see a story where barriers are broken down.
There are some mild teen antics, backed up with lively music. There is fun in the movie, but the hook is definitely more a case of being a study of real life issues.
I really question some of the logistics that set the story up. Maybe the school administration would go to far in "protecting" the kids from driving, but I can't believe they would risk having students stranded and they certainly would not leave one lone teacher with the students at any time. That runs too much risk of accusations against the teacher. And certainly a town would be able to find all weather vehicles that could rescue the kids.
