A man struggling with alcoholism turns to a reverend for help.A man struggling with alcoholism turns to a reverend for help.A man struggling with alcoholism turns to a reverend for help.
Arthur Gasior
- Pastor Bigelow
- (as Art Gasior)
Angelo Anthony Buscaglia Jr.
- Mr. Lemke
- (as Angelo Buscaglia)
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I picked this up on one of our dollar store adventures a couple years ago and it's sat in a cabinet(still in the sealed plastic wrapping)until today when I was holed up from the heat outside and extremely bored. The only thing I can compare this movie to is a giant born again Christian train wreck on film. Not even alcohol content could make this any better, but at least if I would have had some while watching it(I mean A LOT), maybe, just maybe, with a little luck(and the will of God himself), I might have been able to block most, if not all of it out(oh well, too late now). If after reading these reviews you feel that you still want to give it a try and see for yourself, I recommend you skip the popcorn and soda and go with something at least 80 proof(no need for a glass either, drink it straight from the bottle).
I picked this DVD up at the Dollar Store. The DVD was on the 2 for $1 rack, but since it had Michael Madsen in it, I thought that since I had never seen the movie, I bought it anyway.
I must say that I didn't like the movie. The movie played more like a documentary or an advertisement for religion than anything else. I found that the director's use of flashbacks did not add to the story line for me. I would have preferred to view the story line in chronological order.
I won't throw it away like one of the other commentators, but It may be quite awhile before I would consider watching this movie again.
Who knows, since it was Michael Madsen's film debut, maybe it might have some archival value at some future date.
I must say that I didn't like the movie. The movie played more like a documentary or an advertisement for religion than anything else. I found that the director's use of flashbacks did not add to the story line for me. I would have preferred to view the story line in chronological order.
I won't throw it away like one of the other commentators, but It may be quite awhile before I would consider watching this movie again.
Who knows, since it was Michael Madsen's film debut, maybe it might have some archival value at some future date.
An actor's first film is usually something one can afford to miss - it's often that first job where the lack of film experience by everyone involved is truly on display, and this film is no exception.
But worse than that, even by 1982 standards this is so bad, it's hysterically funny. Filmed entirely in the Chicago area on an obviously small budget, most of the acting by the entire cast is stiff, wooden, and cartoonish - a cross between a high school play and bad community theater. Noise from nearby traffic often drowns out the dialog, and the dialog is truly bad, very declarative in a way that comes off as forced and expedient rather than natural and organic. Scenes are contrived and choppy, and even though the characters go through a span of years, neither the children nor the adults age at all.
I do believe it's possible to make a Christian film that's palatable to a large, secular audience, but too often the creators of such films are so focused on 'The Message' or in this case, their own autobiographical ties to the project that good film production values are tossed aside. (I'm sure it's no coincidence that the main character has the same name as the producer/director/editor - and cast member.)
Luckily, Michael Madsen was much more interesting - and believable - to watch in his subsequent films. Careers like his are certainly not built on films like this one.
But worse than that, even by 1982 standards this is so bad, it's hysterically funny. Filmed entirely in the Chicago area on an obviously small budget, most of the acting by the entire cast is stiff, wooden, and cartoonish - a cross between a high school play and bad community theater. Noise from nearby traffic often drowns out the dialog, and the dialog is truly bad, very declarative in a way that comes off as forced and expedient rather than natural and organic. Scenes are contrived and choppy, and even though the characters go through a span of years, neither the children nor the adults age at all.
I do believe it's possible to make a Christian film that's palatable to a large, secular audience, but too often the creators of such films are so focused on 'The Message' or in this case, their own autobiographical ties to the project that good film production values are tossed aside. (I'm sure it's no coincidence that the main character has the same name as the producer/director/editor - and cast member.)
Luckily, Michael Madsen was much more interesting - and believable - to watch in his subsequent films. Careers like his are certainly not built on films like this one.
This DVD was a real surprise. Madsen plays Cecil Moe who has to come to grips with his alcoholism and the way his life is falling apart. It is a familiar story but the surprise is that the this movie really tries to portray the role Christianity plays in the lives of many people in the U.S. This doesn't happen very often in movies. It shows how faith can change a man in crisis, and how he feels when his wife does not become interested in the religious experience. In spite of the flaws in the movie that other reviewers point out, it is worthy of your attention, if you are interested in seeing Christianity portrayed as large numbers of ordinary people experience it.
This was filmed in Chicago and some northern suburbs. The real life Cecil Moe appears in the movie as the minister.
This was filmed in Chicago and some northern suburbs. The real life Cecil Moe appears in the movie as the minister.
Definitely an odd debut for Michael Madsen. Madsen plays Cecil Moe, an alcoholic family man whose life is crumbling all around him. Cecil grabs a phone book, looks up the name of a preacher, and calls him in the middle of the night. He goes to the preacher's home and discusses his problems. The preacher teaches Cecil to respect the word of God and have Jesus in his heart. That makes everything all better. Ahh...if only everything in life were that easy. The fact that this "film" looks as if it was made with about $500 certainly doesn't help. 1/10
Did you know
- TriviaFilm debut of Michael Madsen.
- GoofsWhen Cecil calls Tom on the telephone, he never introduces himself. When Cecil arrives at Tom's house, Tom calls him 'Cecil', a fact he could not have known.
- Crazy credits"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new." - II Corinthians 5:17
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