A Week Away

Between the catchy songs, and the warmth of the characters, you get lost in the nostalgia. Great family movie and perfect for that young Christian in your life.

It is nice and refreshing for Netflix to drop a feel-good Christian movie on their streaming platform. Although the movie was predictable and some scenes and musical numbers a bit cringe-worthy, the overall message was about acceptance and God understanding people's struggles in life which was relatable to watch.

A Week Away is High School Musical meets Camp Rock with a little bit of faith thrown in. High School Musical fans will not be able to miss the Troy Bolton likeness of the Will Hawkins character. He's got the charm and talent that's perfect for this type of role. Rather than including original songs, the music is mostly Christian classics from the 1990s. This isn't a bad thing. I grew up with these songs so it was cool hearing them in a modern musical. One of the standout moments of the whole movie is the mashup of the songs Awesome God and the more recent hit, God Only Knows by For King and Country. This movie is a wholesome, feel-good experience. Is the lip-syncing great? No. Is it cheesy? Yes. But is it also lighthearted and fun? Absolutely. It captured a lot of the elements of church camp. There's lots of flirting, lots of competitive recreation, and of course, drama. The only noticeable thing missing from this church camp compared to the church camps I grew up attending, is the Bible study and worship sessions. The faith element is mostly kept in the background. While there are some deep questions that come up regarding God and the problem of suffering, this movie never tries to answer these questions. The story moves very quickly. With all the fun musical and dance numbers, there isn't a lot of time for character development. It's a simple story that isn't very ambitious, but it is likable. Teens should especially enjoy it.

What happens when you mix Camp Rock, High school musical with a little religion? A dramatic musical film for Christian teens.

It is about a rebellious boy who has the option of going to a camp or ending up in the reformatory.

Quality.

The songs although generic some others are interesting.

Not all performances are at the level.

At times the story can feel a bit lazy and meaningless, it falls into all the hackneyed camp movie stuff as well as teenage characters. You can even feel a romantic comedy.

The message he gives is clear: be yourself and give love. It is the basis of the film, in the end without love the world cannot.

About opportunities in life and trusting God.

It raises interesting questions about God and life, but many of them are not fully answered.

If you ever went to a religious camp, this movie will make you feel identified.

Sunday.

This is Camp Rock for the church crowd with a dash of High School Musical sprinkled in (the two leads will remind you of Troy and Gabriella). You'll especially love the movie if you were into Christian music in the late 80's and 90's (there are even a couple of artist cameos for you).

I am a Christian, but my eyes get sore watching Christian movies because I'm rolling them so hard. They're very typically over-earnest, heavy-handed, and usually far-right in sentiment. One Week Away is none of these things, and if you like Camp Rock you'll enjoy this movie too, whether you appreciate the churchy message or not. The themes are universal: love, redemption, belonging, and the characters play through the themes without being schlocky - or at least more schlocky than any teen musical. I like that Will asks the hard questions that Christians are often afraid to ask, and there's no ready answer for him.

There are many things to criticize - the acting is at times uneven and the music isn't for everyone (although the showstopper is the Awesome God/God Only Knows mashup - brilliant performance), but the movie was short and fun and a very pleasant trip down memory lane for me. Worth watching, and worth watching with the kids.