Mercy Rule

Propaganda films are nothing new. Film has been used as a tool to promote/push ideals on an unsuspecting public practically since the birth of cinema. Whether they be made to warn against the "horrors" of marijuana (Reefer Madness) gain support for the Nazi party (Triumph Of The Will) or serve the Christian agenda (God's Not Dead) movies are a constant tool for those who wish to not only change the way YOU think, but the way EVERYONE thinks. More often than not, they serve as laughable excuses for films that could only serve to inspire the simplest of simpletons to change their way of thinking, or, as is most often the case, to preach to the choir. The fact that there are those who will change their entire mode of thinking based on any of these films is both disheartening and frightening.

Mercy Rule is a 2014 "film" starring Kirk Cameron (Saving Christmas, Fireproof) and directed by Darren Doane (Who also directed Saving Christmas) The plot concerns the manager of a Waste Disposal site who finds himself in hot water when an environmental lobbyist approaches him, threatening to shut him down to to environmental concerns. What you may find odd about this premise is the decision to cast Cameron as the manager of the dump, and not the lobbyist. Surely, there's no way they could be making him out to be the good guy, right? Mercy Rule is bloated, inane, and above all, morally reprehensible. It portrays Cameron's garbage king as a decent family man who's simply trying to provide for his family. What's a little irreversible damage to the environment when he's just trying to feed his family, right? And shame on that nasty, evil environmental lobbyist trying to shut him down. If he shuts him down, he's shutting down America!! The movie's ideals are so ass-backwards that I genuinely felt uncomfortable while watching it. It has production values that would make something like Disney's Cadet Kelly look like The Godfather, and performances that are about as convincing as a Junior High play. The film also suffers greatly from it's length. It painfully stretches itself to two hours, with sequences involving the lead character's son playing baseball in slow motion set to irritating and repetitive dub step music. These sequences made for painful viewing, as they gave the impression that the filmmakers had no concept of editing, timing, or even film-making.

What bothers me most, however, is the film's message. The movie enforces this conceit that environmental journalists, lobbyists and activists are un-American, unscrupulous communists who try to put good, hard-working people out of a job. But the filmmaker's obvious capitalist, right-wing politics make every single frame a chore to get through. Barely a moment passes when we don't see the "Protagonists" either spending money or enjoying their luxurious, expensive home. The strong ideals mixed with the absence of any artistic merit whatsoever make viewing this film all the more difficult. What is equally troublesome is Kirk Cameron's introduction at the beginning of the film, in which he states that he was trying to make "A good, clean and wholesome film with good values that the whole family can enjoy." (Paraphrasing) Knowing Cameron's reputation as a religious zealot, I was expecting Christian propaganda not unlike Left Behind, Fireproof, or the already oft-mentioned Saving Christmas. What I ended up getting, was unexpected, and possibly even worse.

This movie is among the most heinous form of torture I can think of. You watch in horror as it stretches itself paper-thin, right before your eyes. If anyone's mode of thinking was truly changed by this film, I simultaneously scream in anger and weep in distress. The only change it had on my way of thinking was it made me hate movies for two hours. I got my love back shortly enough after. But if it were up to me in that time frame, I would have had the entire history of cinema erased in a heartbeat.

This was touted as a Christian family movie, having been made by a prominent actor who has starred in successful Christian movies in the past. My wife and I decided to watch it with the greatest anticipation of a good hour or two well spent. To our amazement, there was hardly any mention of God or of God's word at all in the movie. The content and themes were as secular as it can get. What has the lead character's craving for nicotine, and the tattoos on the arms and palms of the baseball coach have to do with Christianity? We are still bewildered as to what this movie is trying to achieve and what morals it is trying to promote. This is certainly one of the most disappointing movies that we have ever watched.

As a Christian, I'm often a little disappointed by some films that come out labeled as such. Usually the writing is sub-standard and the cast has a handful of people who can act surrounded by folks who have yet to refine the skill.

"Mercy Rule" isn't just a good Christian movie, it's a quality movie in general. Kirk Cameron plays the role of John Miller, a business owner, husband, and father of two. Like any decent American boy, his son, Cody is obsessed with baseball. While the elder Miller sees his business under attack by an environmental lobbyist who is trying to regulate the business into the government control, the younger Miller is fighting to see more playing time on the ball field.

In supporting roles, Tim Hawkins plays Miller's hilarious goof-ball brother, and Bas Rutten is Cody's odd baseball coach. Both bring humor to an otherwise stressful time in the family's life.

While it's entirely plausible that a local government makes a play to take over a recycling center for political reasons, the lobbyist's character is a bit over the top.

If you're looking for a family movie, even one that isn't too preachy, this is a great choice. It's funny, clean, and teaches the importance of family and not giving up. Some of these other reviews here are clearly people angry about Christianity and famous Christians. While they are entitled to their opinion, I doubt they have watched the movie. Right now it's available on Netflix, and it's worth checking out.

Everybody has a miss from time to time and this is one for Kirk Cameron. Really disliked this chopped up, weird movie. What the heck is up with all the strange camera angles and slow motion? I don't need to watch someone fry bacon and make pancakes in slow motion. And the creepy softball coach? Is he mentally sound? Not someone who would have ever been my kids coach! Even those cute kid roles I could not get behind. This is not a fun family movie. It is boring, long & drawn out, political and stinky. I think I watched the whole movie with a look of disgust on my face. What were they thinking??

Realistic people come to a film like this with sane expectations. It's low budget and it was made with the stated purpose of simply being an enjoyable film for families to watch together. In that, it succeeded.

This is, to keep it real, a movie made for Christian families, or at least for families with some sense of faith and God. It's not an evangelistic movie but is certainly one written from the Biblical world view.

The music was a bit much at times. It reminded me of Ron Howard's 1991 movie, "Backdraft" where a very good soundtrack by Hans Zimmer was overused and left me a bit worn out mentally.

And there are other things that I would have "tweeked" if Kirk Cameron would have had the decency to call and ask me before he wrapped up production. (Some of you reading this may need to be told that I am being sarcastic here.)

But compared to the incredibly immoral and filthy garbage that families have to weed through in order to find decent family viewing, this movie was a very nice piece of work. My wife doesn't like movies, but she found this to be more than just tolerable and we heard her LOL several times. That was worth the price of admission for me right there.

It's just a simple movie about persevering through trials. But I liked all of the low-paid actors (again, keeping things real) and I believe they made you love or hate the characters they played, accordingly.

One thing I was VERY happy NOT to see was some spoiled brat kid that needed smacked (it seems like nearly every "family movie" has that obnoxious teenager in it and this one did not, thankfully).

I would recommend this for family viewing. Absolutely. Other thoughts:

1. Not enough Tim Hawkins. That guy is just plain hilarious.

2. Another happy ending? I want to see a "family movie" where the family loses it's business, loses their home and still remains faithful.

3. One of the best overall casts in a low-budget Christian movie since the 2002 Rich Christiano film titled, "Time Changer".

4. Great video production. As mentioned, the music was a bit much at times (except the drastic change at the end when the little league title game is over, which was a nice change).

5. A lot of people simply hate Kirk Cameron for expressing his beliefs and convictions. But I like Kirk. And I think that will have a lot to do with whether a person likes or dislikes this film.

So, watch it and enjoy.