Forty-Seven Days with Jesus

If you love family stories that warm your heart and you love musicals and you love Chrisitan stories, this one is for you. Some people are saying they did not like the musical parts but I think you have to go into it knowing that this is definitely a unique productions. I do wish some would stop comparing it to the Chosen. It has nothing to do with the Chosen other than there are 2 Chosen actors in it.

FORTY-SEVEN DAYS WITH JESUS is a heartwarming Easter tale centered on the Burdon family, led by Joseph and Juliana (Yoshi Barrigas and Catherine Lidstone from THE CHOSEN).

When the Burdons attend a reunion at Poppa and Nonna's ranch, they realize just how disconnected their family has become. Facing marital hiccups, teenaged angst and Poppa's health hurdles, the adults decide to share Poppa's enchanting 'Forty-Seven Days' story with the kids, transporting us back in time to see the miracles of Jesus' final 47 days on Earth.

Forty seven days with Jesus delivers a message to everyone, religious or not. It is a family friendly, feel good movie, that shares a story I think everyone can relate to in some way. A story of marital and family hardships followed by forgiveness and met with love the whole way through. Its soft approach makes it suitable for all ages. I am not a musical type of person but once I put that to the side and really just focused on the message , I started to appreciate it more. Although the message is suitable for all ages, it doesn't mean the message from the Bible is sugar coated. I believe it was portrayed genuinely and I appreciated the parts where it showed perfection ceases to exist in modern day and in the biblical times.

I was intrigued by the story set-up... the man, trying hard, the woman dissatisfied and unyielding at every little thing that she judged him about. How's this going to play out? I was taken aback that the story of the 47 days was done in pop musical style, and rode it out... My wife and I enjoyed watching it on a Sunday afternoon, and had a little conversation about it... who's right, who's wrong, who's side are you on? Any movie that promotes a discussion for understanding has some inspiration to it.

The actors were beautiful, the lines delivered with skill, the characters were all relatable when you account for the need of a story structure. Not preachy, a little predictable, but the message was clear, and showed what is possible when people come from a heart of love and are willing to put away the selfisness of copping and maintaining an attitude.

I'm willing to bet that many of the actors and crew are friends in real life, who decided to create a project together with a lasting positive message to share. Their skill, experience, and training showed up in every scene. Well-made and a welcome discovery on a cloudy Sunday.

I really wanted to like this film. I'm a HUGE fan of "The Chosen" and have enjoyed recent "Christian-themed" movies like "Jesus Revolution", "The Shift and "His Only Son". I also like Yoshi Barrigas, who played the disciple Phillip for 2 seasons of "The Chosen". Alas, I wish he'd just stayed with "The Chosen". The plot of this film was more formulaic than even the corniest Hallmark Christmas movies, the dialog was wooden, and I'm sorry, but the musical numbers were really insufferable (and I love and have seen the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar" more times than I can count). Barrigas did the best he could with a fairly annoying character, but yikes. It's been a long time since I have been THIS disappointed in a film.

This movie was so much fun! The singing and dancing, the costumes, the sets, and of course the acting were all so entertaining. I think this film is a great way to introduce the Gospel to people. It delivers truth and encourages viewers to seek Jesus in their lives. The portrayal of Jesus and his miracles was heartwarming. The Burdon family was lovable, relatable, and real (and hilarious!) Finding a work/life balance is such a difficult thing, and this movie portrayed that issue in a realistic yet hopeful way. Finding parallels between the Gospel and modern day issues showed that the story of Jesus is just as important today as it was 2,000 years ago. This was a wonderful movie!