The Second Chance

The Second Chance is a movie that takes on the complexities of cultural difference and social conscience. The film stars Grammy award-winning musician Michael W. Smith in his first acting role as Ethan Jenkins, a rock star turned associate pastor of a suburban mega-church called The Rock.

The film costars jeff obafemi carr, a multi-talented artist with experience in acting, singing, writing, and directing. jeff prefers lower case letters for his name, a gesture of humility. His character, Jake Sanders, is the pastor of a small inner city church called Second Chance Community Church that deals with all the associated problems plaguing the economically starved inner cities.

Michael W. Smith does amazingly well in his acting debut, considering his only acting experience was working with an acting coach in preparation for this movie. Equally amazing is the performance by jeff carr who nails his character with realism and genuine passion. jeff becomes Jake Sanders.

The background of the film involves Jeremiah Jenkins (J. Don Ferguson) who founded Second Chance Community Church in the 1960's and was part of the civil rights movement. Time has seen him move on to The Rock mega-church. The Rock has become part of the new electronic church era where it's about TV, image, and donations.

Jerimiah's son, Ethan, is caught up in the worldly business of the church. An affluent yuppie with attitude, Ethan finds himself at odds with the church's leadership after creating some waves. The church's board decides "he needs his wings clipped" and they decide to send him to Second Chance Community Church.

The plot revolves around Pastors Ethan and Jake as their cultures clash when Ethan is sent unwillingly to "observe and learn" at Second Chance and the surrounding community. Both pastors have their own flaws.

Ethan feels being sent to the inner city is beneath him and not worthy of his time. "I am an associate pastor, not a social worker," he protests when told of his assignment.

Jake, the Second Chance pastor, also has his cultural conditioning come into play. "We've seen enough of those ghetto tourists down here … hanging around just long enough so they can go back and tell their congregations that they've 'been there' ".

The stage is set for conflict that extends beyond the surface of black/white issues. Both pastors are separated by economic barriers and their views of how to help people. Ethan's rich suburban church mentality is to throw money at a problem and walk away. Pastor Jake's method is to roll up your sleeves, get on the streets, and make a difference one person at a time. Some of his tactics are tough-love.

As Ethan navigates his way through the real life of the inner city, his belief system is thrown into turmoil. There are several memorable scenes in this movie, one of the most compelling is the sub-plot involving the African refugee child's paper plate drawing. Without revealing too much, I will say the associated scenes with this paper plate demonstrate that sometimes the seemingly small things in life can have a huge impact.

Ethan's acceptance into this different culture is slow. It's a painful learning curve but to his credit, Ethan continues forward. There are failures and victories. In one scene we see how music can serve as a wonderful bridge between personal and cultural differences. Acceptance involves doing, not just words or money.

As the movie progresses, power, money, and politics threaten Second Chance's existence. Ethan experiences another defining moment of life that will further serve to "call him home." Another defining moment for several characters comes during a foot-washing scene.

One of the most powerful scenes involves Jake's speech near the end of the film. jeff carr absolutely nails it with passion, emotion, and sheer believability. Michael W. Smith's musical score for this scene using his instrumental song "The Last Hallelujah" is perfection.

The movie could have ended several different ways. According to the commentary information, there was considerable discussion on how the film should end. The ending that was finally chosen worked for me. Its message was clear and thought provoking.

Michael W. Smith did the musical scoring for many of the scenes as well as performing and co-writing the track "All in the Serve". Michael also performed all of his own piano and singing scenes and seemed right at home doing so.

The film was directed by Steve Taylor, his first feature length directing job. Prior to The Second Chance, he made several short films and music videos. Considering this and the fact that The Second Chance was a small budget film, he did an incredible job.

The commentary track in the DVD's special features section provided some interesting insights to the behind the scenes trials and tribulations that went into creating this movie. Steve Taylor, Michael W. Smith, and jeff carr recounted the obstacles that had to be overcome and how some of the casting assignments came to be. A significant amount of local talent was used. The film was shot entirely on location around Nashville.

Henry Haggard, who played Sonny, the challenged Second Chance Community Church custodian, could not have been cast better. Shirley Cody, playing Miss Burdoe, the choir leader, was simply outstanding. The chemistry between her and Michael was obvious. Jamal, the drug dealer played by Robert Fitzgerald, brought his street character to believable and authentic life. J. Don Ferguson, as Jerimiah Jenkins, did a memorable job that included his character's humble transformation.

The film succeeds in tackling tough contemporary issues in a compelling and entertaining way. If you want to experience a great film that was created on a small budget by people who regarded it as a true labor of love, see this movie! The movie's message is one of hope, reconciliation, humility, tolerance, forgiveness, and understanding … something the world needs now more than ever.

I had the opportunity to watch a preview of the movie, The Second Chance. Set in a large Southern city, the film portrays the racial tensions between a predominately white, affluent church with that of a black and financially struggling congregation that they have supported for many years. The movie does a good job of character and plot development with very credible acting from Michael W. Smith and the other lead actors. The film realistically portrays today's inner city environment which causes its content to receive a PG-13 rating. I believe that this movie contains a valuable and enjoyable message for today's Church. It is a moving story of renewal, forgiveness and Christian love.

Michael W. Smith does a great job in his film debut with the new film "The Second Chance". Smith plays an associate pastor named Ethan, who leads quite a comfortable life under the sheltering wing of his father's suburban mega-church, The Rock. Jeff Carr, plays Jake Sanders, an inner-city preacher at the older and more urban church, Second Chance Community Church. While the two come from different walks of life, they share the same faith, which ultimately leads them to help each other. It's only when the two unite to work together that they realize they have truly done the Lord's work. This is a great movie with a great and inspiring story about the diversities that are evident in a lot of today's churches. Although a Christian movie in most respects, the film is PG-13 so I would advise parents to use discretion when taking an children under 13. There is some language, drug use and some violence. Great film overall, check it out Feburary 17th!

I was reading a lot of comments on this movie and was surprised to read that most people agreed with this film. The problem with our churches has nothing to do with white vs. black or mega churches vs. small churches. The problem with our churches is the lack of Jesus.I know there are a lot of churches that view church as a business or social club, but those churches are not just white. The movie is right to exhort us to get out into the community and not just throw money, but to make it a racial issue I think is wrong. We need to have the heart of Jesus and whether you are a Jew or a Gentile Christ died on the cross for all our sake. I realize the point of the movie was to tear down racial bearers in the church but I think that it's both sides, most people don't want to get there hands dirty no matter what race or walk of life they are. I think the movie missed out on the real issue, and by the way there are churches out there where ex-prostitutes, ex-drug addicts, ex-homosexuals, white, black, Mexican, rich, poor, work together in the unity of Christ, being Jesus' hands and feet. I go to one and let me tell you, it is a beautiful thing when people from all walks of life have one thing in common and thats being saved from the wrath of God which we all deserve through Christ Jesus our Savior. Lets leave racial issues out of the church and just preach Jesus!

I was pretty a little disappointed in this movie. I read some of the reviews and I don't agree. I don't think Michael W. Smith did such a great acting job. His singing was great but his acting just average. I thought his character was believable because unfortunately many people who grow up in the big church world are pretty clueless about life outside of theirs, and think that a wad of money will make everything better. I think actually most people are like that. I was also disappointed with the character of the black pastor, always angry and distrusting. . He could have been cynical for all he had to deal with but I thought that was too stereotypical. I was surprised at some of the language, but for PG-13 it wasn't bad. Over all it was a decent movie, better than a lot of the trash that's put out today. I hope Christian producers continue to look for better scripts and better actors.