Faith Based

Even the premise of the film isn't that original but I wanted to give it a shot, since Jason Alexander was in it and could be a fun movie to laugh along for an hour or so.

What a giant let down. I did chuckle a few times at the beginning, but gradually it turns out none of the jokes are landing, none of the characters are well established, and you find yourself not rooting for anybody in the film because nobody has a developed character.

I get that the film is low budget, but the plot didn't need to be this ham-fisted and devoid of any interest whatsoever. There are better student films on a lower budget than this.

As someone who has endured all three of the God's Not Dead Trilogy, I can assure you that this film does not suck. It has well-written dialogue (only took a point off for some of the more cornier lines), interesting and fun characters, REAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF SAID CHARACTERS, a famous guest star that isn't Kirk Cameron, and so much more! If you're a big fan of satire, but with a purpose, Please do yourself a favor and watch this!

NOT funny. Then why did it look funny in the trailer? Because the idea for the story was kinda funny.

The bad: the 2 leading actors are bland. Way below average. AND they do not have any comical skills whatsoever.

More bad: a nice trailer can be made out of anything worthless, so it goes to show, but a really funny movie is hard work and you need a GREAT WRITER and GREAT ACTORS as a bare minimum. This movie lacked both.

Completely forgettable...

Plot had potential but didn't deliver. Seems like it was filmed in a few days without much thought.

I want to dispel a seemingly common belief about this film: this film is NOT about dogging on people of faith, or Christianity. Instead, it exists as a satirical commentary on people who exploit the faith of others for financial gain, which admittedly, has the potential to be a huge problem for the faith in general. Arguably, if the critique is listened to, it could ultimately serve the church well. Christians are hungry for wholesome media, and this is continually exploited by money-driven production companies who care more about the bottom line than quality/production value, and have no incentive to deliver a great product because there's not really any alternative for people who are looking for faith-based media.

Luke and Tanner's characters' imperfections serve the story line well and make an otherwise absurd undertaking feel oddly relatable, in a way almost reminiscent of the way The Good Place's four central humans. Tanner is an id-driven player who finds meaningful connection as he learns to serve something bigger than himself. Luke struggles to find acceptance in places where he feels like an outsider and learns the importance of being honest and following through on promises, and making keepable promises in the first place.

They really, truly nail the church parts. Parts of the film took me immediately back too my religious days over a decade ago, but in a good way; the feelings it brought back bordered on a pleasant nostalgia and I didn't feel antagonized for formerly having that belief system.

The movie is comical, and light/easy watching. A great film to watch while chilling out after work. The execution and production value is exceptional when you consider how low the budget was; the only truly "bad" parts are the parts that are supposed to be bad.

My one criticism is that of the tangential love story in it: I wish that it had been a bit more fleshed out. Tanner's love interest almost feels like whatever the conservative Christian/evangelical answer to a manic pixie dream girl is in some ways. We don't really learn about her much at all, but she seems responsible for a large portion of Tanner's character development. I wish we could have seen more of that relationship grow and the timeline around it felt a little clouded.

Overall, it's a solid film with an interesting premise. Can't wait to see what Tanner, Luke, and Lone Suspect do in the future.