Forty-Seven Days with Jesus

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 really enjoyed this film. I was a bit surprised about the musical part with the Jesus part of the film. For the most part I did like that, except the part on the cross. The story with the family I loved! Yoshi, who I loved as Phillip in The Chosen, was very good as Joseph as he struggled between between spending time with his family and working during family time, and Catherine ( who I really like as Mary sister if Lazarus in The Chosen) did good playing his wife trying to be patient, yet frustrated he is spending too much time with work then spending the time with his family, especially his dying father. The rest of the cast were good as well. I loved the kids. Overall, It was a nice family movie as the children learned about The Last 47 Days of Jesus, Joseph that sometimes the hardest choices are the best choices.

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.

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.

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.