Hippies and religion collide with more faith than depth.
I imagine the religious crowd buying tickets to see “Jesus Revolution,” and why wouldn’t they? I may not that religious, but I still thank Jesus for giving me the faith and family I need, especially with my autistic condition. I don’t want to bore you with my intro, but I have to say it. When I came across a religious group that saw “Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist,” I told them I gave my grandfather (rest his soul) a neckless that said “Jesus is My Ticket to Heaven” in his casket. If I end up in a conversation with the next group of people seeing “Jesus Revolution,” I’ll tell them I’m doing my best to make sure my crucifix doesn’t flip upside down. That I can make sure the devil can’t get in control of that.
It sounds crazy with what I’m talking about, but I refuse to be possessed by anything evil. There are some things I need to work on with myself, but I can overcome whatever obstacle life has to offer me.
This is the part where you say: “We came for you’re review, not your life story.”
And this is where I say: “Sorry.” and “Here we go.”
Is “Jesus Revolution” a masterpiece? No, because it doesn’t have the kind of character development it deserves and there are hallucination scenes that bored me to death. But it is a pretty good film that has a lot of faith and a lot of sincerely touching moments.
It’s based on a true story, which began between the 60s and 70s, about a revolution of hippies who gather together to hear and embrace the words of Jesus Christ. They were referred to as “Jesus Freaks” or “Jesus People,” but all they wanted to do was try and bring peace and love to the world.
The movie begins with Pastor Chuck Smith (Kelsey Grammar), who tells his teenage daughter (Ally Ioannides) to bring home a hippie that the Lord knows. He wasn’t serious, but she still bring him home Lonnie Frisbee (Jonathan Roumie), who looks like Jesus, and belies himself to be a “seeing prophet.” Despite all the roadblocks that would be placed in front of them, the pastor welcomes Lonnie into his home and his church, and they would eventually expand what would soon become a movement.
The character development, as I’ve mentioned, is a hit & miss with most of the misses coming from the cliches and the hits coming from the performances. Joel Courtney (“Super 8”) plays Greg Laurie, whose alcoholic mother (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) is always moping in bed. For a short while, he becomes a hippie on drugs, and after a near-death experience, he hears Lonnie’s words of wisdom, and enters in his community. And he is also in a relationship with Cathe (Anna Grace Barlow), who also acknowledges the movement.
“Jesus Revolution,” directed by Jon Erwin and Brent McCorkle, is a faith-based drama that doesn’t achieve big goals in the story, but it does achieve some good work from the actors (especially Grammer and Courtney), its spirit, and choice of music. And “Jesus is Just Alright With Me” by The Doobie Brothers plays during the film.
Besides I choose this over “God’s Not Dead,” which had a cold heart compared to this. Seeing that film was a nightmare, but while I was bored with the formulas, I was still interested in how this movie would pay off. I’ll take my chances, and they’re pretty good. Thank you, Lord.
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