It was a powerful song by country singer/ songwriter, Rascal Flatts. Now, it’s the next faith-based movie that is bringing audiences to tears with the simple message about the importance of keeping the faith when all else seems lost.
Directed by the same person responsible for the God’s Not Dead trilogy, this is the next powerful religious film that will have the heartfelt viewers in tears as they watch the struggle of a widowed young woman trying to pull herself together after her husband is killed in Afghanistan. Now she is left to care for her young daughter while trying to show a good faith impression when all she has seems to disappear; but, can she find the strength to pull herself together, when she seems to lose everything?
At one hour and fifty-four minutes, God Bless The Broken Road contains elements of the God’s Not Dead films with the very predictable climax where Amber Hill finds herself standing back outside the church at her wits end asking God why he took her husband. The film as whole doesn’t have a whole lot of big name actors, but that being said, the ones that were cast do an exceptional job in living out their roles: from True Blood’s Lindsay Pulsipher, who does an exceptional job as we see a transformation from the beginning of the movie where she and her daughter are expecting her husband home, to that of losing all faith and hope when she discovers he is killed in battle. Pulsipher captures the emotional pull of a woman suffering deeply and leaves not a person in the audience without a slight tear; especially as she finds herself trying to move on when unexpected race car driver, Cody Jackson, (Andrew W. Walker) comes into the picture, instantly smitten by the widowed waitress.
Walker himself also does a exceptional transformation as he comes on the scene as just a driver who seeks to get back in the winning seat again after struggling in several crashes. Through the coaching of racing legend Joe Carter (Gary Grubbs), who volunteers him to start go-cart club at the local church, he eventually learns there is more to life than racing, especially when he shows interest in Amber’s young daughter, Bree (Mackenzie Moss). Subsequently, Moss is another young actor who is instantly becoming one to watch, as with each movie she is in, we see her growing and maturing in her acting. She has a knack for engaging with her adult co-stars in such a way that it’ll be interesting to see her blossom as a young actress. She is definitely on her way, carrying even deeper emotional side with her having to be the strong child, holding onto her faith when her mother seems to lose it. It’ll be interesting to see just how she matures in future projects.
God Bless the Broken Road contains various musical selections, including the titular song, which going into the film, one might have felt disappointed had the song not have been included. The musical director actually hinted at the song when Amber dropped her daughter off at church, getting back in the car, she plays it on the radio as a way of showing even though she seemed to lose faith, that the faith was still there in a slight way. The song, by country band Rascal Flatts, drives home the feeling of a broken family being held together by faith alone, which is an essence that the film captures well.
Even though some scenes might seem predictable to the trained eye, it’s a film that is original in the way the director put it together. It also combines the notion of faith and military obligation in such a way that will have the audience captivated by the storyline from the first scene to the final epic comeback.
Verdict: 3 out of 5
God Bless The Broken Road is a film for all ages, though it’s rating is PG, it’s a feel-good movie that will have you captivated by the story, music and message of just how faith can restore everything. While it’s not going to be an instant hit for the nonbeliever, one can say to give it a chance, because it might surprise you with a story that can reach even one that doesn’t want to believe in a certain faith. Unlike God’s Not Dead, the film can reach a wider audience with the military storyline as a way of bringing them the message of keeping the faith, regardless of what one might believe. Though the film isn’t getting nearly the amount of publicity as its predecessor faith base films, none the less it’s still one to consider seeing in a theater near you.
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