The Most Reluctant Convert

This movie charts the early life of CS Lewis which he covers in his autobiography Surprised by Joy. I found it absolutely riveting to trace Lewis's journey from his early idyllic childhood, to his disillusion at his mother's death to become an atheist driven by rationalism. It is revealing then that his discovery of faith was not by some Damascus Road experience but by the application of his rationalism to the question of the existence of the Creator.

The movie charts this journey in the most entertaining fashion with Max McLean brilliantly leading the cast as the older Lewis. This has originally been a stage play but thankfully the producers have used all the advantages of cinematography here so the effect is brilliant. Do see this. I was gripped from beginning to end.

This is a wonderfully told story, but I would not watch it if you're expecting to be passively entertained. This is thought provoking movie.

The story moves rather slowly, but it shows insight to the conversion of C. S. Lewis. It's not told in such a way to convince people that Jesus is the Christ, but as a mater-of-fact approach. It's not a full biography of the man, but a portion of his life where he changed some of his beliefs and why.

It's a great story for anyone - regardless of their religious convictions. It is especially interesting if you like C. S. Lewis' writings. Whether it be the Screwtape Letters or the Chronicles of Narnia, if you like C. S. Lewis' writing, I think this movie will give you some insight to the mind of Mr. Lewis.

This is not a biography of C. S. Lewis but rather his way to conversion. At times monologue, at times play, the film creates a fitting atmosphere and manages to insert the viewer in the picture. The transition through the various phases of C. S. Lewis' life are smooth and at no point does one feel bored. On the contrary, one feels eased into the era and the story. His journey from nominal Christian to atheist to Christian is explained smartly and the philosophy, theology and intelligence involved never feel out of place. Indeed I have worn his shoes while watching this film. I've read a low rated review claiming Christians consider it a sin to leave a bad review. Not at all. Most Christian films, especially older ones are below par. There you have it. This one isn't. In fact I would watch this before Shadowlands (1993) and never feel out of pace. It is such quality.

My wife and I were part of a full house for the first showing at our theater. The movie was beyond our hopes and expectations. Acting is superb, costumes are perfect, music is just right. We loved the way they maintained the feel of the "one man show" while telling this amazing story of one of our favorite writers. Well done!

I am a fan of CS Lewis and of the Fellowship for Performing Arts. I have seen The Most Reluctant Convert on stage. It is an excellent stage play. The movie version is faithful to the stage production. But when utilizing a visual medium, I think the script could have been augmented to be less monologue and have more of an emotional connection through the interaction of the actors. I believe the other actors are probably excellent and I would love to have seen more. But otherwise the production quality was very high and Max McLean did a beautiful job reflecting CS Lewis' spiritual journey.