User reviews

It was the first movie I saw that felt exactly like reading a book, which to me is a great thing if the book is interesting and well narrated. The flow of the movie is perfect, it's funny, the cinematography is top notch and it was very well acted. I liked the narrator, C. S. Lewis himsefl, played by Max McClean, being inside the story and being filmed as a travelling shot. The text is engaging and delivered with expression, if you care to follow the change of mind of a man's position before the belief in God, pay attention to what's being said and you will pick up well constructed arguments against materialism that I see myself using to explain my beliefs to others, because this movie achieves that kind of clarity. It's like watching moments of epiphany, without the fireworks of other lives and stories of people that converted to something spiritual. Christianity is not oversold and it's actually not the main theme of the movie. This is about C. S. Lewis spiritual journey and it fits many beliefs and religions, it's just a personal path, but one that can be universal if people want to read it like that. Some critics here say it's too slow, too short or boring but I think if it was longer than one hour it would ruin its effect. Didn't feel neither boring and certainly not slow, the story is always told with movement and the entire movie flows very smoothly, never getting stuck or dragging. I already think that I will share this movie with some friends, hope more people do that too.

A biographical , in persona kind of philosophiucal and rather decent eloquent presentation of the persona and author of british heritage c.s.lewis.

A smashing , almost solo acted version of the caracter himself, makes this one of the most beautiful portraits made for many many years.

The grumpy old man is highly impressed and therefore recommends.

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.

Ill start with the film and end with why I feel I was a bit cheated by this production.

C. S. Lewis the atheist finds solace within Christianity a faith of which I admire a lot.

The film depicts his changing thought process based in the Christian ideals and how he applies this to his writing.

I grew up reading all his books many times except one which I read once but I'll come to that later.

As a film and production its a TV movie much in the style of a BBC production so not cheap American plastic but not expertly done either.

Its a thoughtful film about the life and the mind of C. S. Lewis so it meanders along with nice backdrops and if your a fan of the books it creates a nice back drop or back story to the man behind the books.

The acting is so so, the score is average.

The story misses out so much though, the story is written from a purely Christian perspective. Even when they try and present this delicately its still heavy handed.

Basically it tells us how he got to the stage of him writing these classic and brilliant children's stories which are basically biblical in nature.

Its all black and white, he is an atheist and has struggles, he takes on Christianity he reads and learns and writes and produces classic books.

What we don't see is his true dark side or the dark side he is escaping from, his manic depression, his anxiety and many other psychological issues he dealt with.

The biggest flaw for me is the film does not continue through his writing career,from that joyous high of discovery and writing his earlier books to the very dark place he ended up in.

This brings me onto the aforementioned point earlier, by the time C. S. Lewis wrote The Last Battle he had succumbed to the same problems he started with. Along his journey of faith and enlightenment he lost that faith and slowly created worlds that became more brutal, more cynical and less based on faith.

This culminates in The Last Battle, the book I have only read once and never want to go back to. It was a book about his loss of hope his loss of faith and the end of everything.

A true C. S. Lewis film/biography would choose to explore all of this rather than just take the happy enlightenment.

If a Christian based production could pull that off and explain it and give us hope and a way of dealing with that then this would be a triumph.

Instead we are presented with a fairly slow endorphin high that fails to take into account his slow and morose endorphin low.

I still reread all his books every few years but like this film that I won't watch again. I will never reread The Last Battle, Ill leave that as a memory of a 14 yr old and pretend it never happened. If only.....

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!

THE MOST RELUCTANT CONVERT - 2021

Tagline: The Untold Story Of C. S. Lewis

Note - This movie wasn't given an MPAA rating, but it is definitely suitable for all audiences.

This is the dramatic retelling of the true story of C. S. Lewis from his youth to his unlikely conversion to Christianity. It covers his traumatic childhood facing his mother's death at an earlier age, his distant father, his experience in The Great War, his friendship with J. R. R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson and more.

First off this movie just covers a ton of stuff I never knew about C. S. Lewis and its 93 minute running time left me wanting to find out more. I mean millions have read and been both moved and entertained by C. S. Lewis who is essentially a crossover legend for both Christian and secular fans of fantasy and theology. His books are both wildly entertaining and challenging without exception. So to see something like this that deals completely with his early life and really doesn't broach his writing excellence at all was pretty fascinating.

If you read my reviews a lot you know I don't just go running to bibliographies with open arms. I actually run from them a lot like C. S. Lewis did the concept of anything outside the material world. I for one am fairly skeptical of most "faith based" films. Sadly the production and quality acting in one is about like trying to find a real needle in a stack of fake ones. I wish this wasn't the case because the messages are almost always mind-blowing or at the very least inspiring. This is not to say there are not a handful of newer productions and even some older ones that seem to fly well above the production subfloor. This is one of those films.

I loved how this thing was put together and the storytelling method was extremely engaging. It was almost like having C. S. Lewis telling you all this and you are standing right there with him in the movie. Max McLean plays the elder version of C. S. Lewis like someone who has been in Hollywood for decades. His performance is superb and unforgettable. Turns out he has only done a small batch of faith based films, but wow. I would love to see more of McLean's productions. Just his acting alone is worth seeing this movie, but the width and breadth of the script is rich and thought provoking in regards to value, purpose, and pondering your own place in the universe as anything you will see on screen in the next decade or more. I also really liked Nicholas Ralph as kind of the "college age" C. S. Lewis, but he wasn't as funny as the elder C. S. Lewis who did all the narration, often along-side the other versions of himself, but never interacting. Eddie Ray Martin is also very solid as the younger C. S. Lewis in the film. Tom Glenister is brilliant as J. R. R. Tolkien and gets more screen time than David Shields who played Hugo Dyson. David Shields has been acting for a while and was even in an episode of "Doctor Who". I should also note that Amy Alexander (who plays C. S. Lewis's mom) stands out in this but her time on screen is extremely brief.

Execution wise and in regards to the pacing, this movie is near perfect. I really didn't feel there were any lulls and the injections of humor at just the right time helped lighten up some of the struggles we see Lewis face in this film. If you have never seen the stage play, all I can say is expect the unexpected. I can't say enough how much I love this thing and how it brought out the very real challenges of meticulously and fervently combating the obvious truth of Jesus Christ and the ultimate acceptance that the I AM is the I AM.

My only critique of this thing is that I wanted a longer movie. I really just wanted to know more. Actually I do have a second thing to point out, we also get a bit of a "making of" this movie before the movie. I felt that was oddly placed. If you want to tell us how you made it and what went into it, do that afterwards. I can't wait to get the DVD or BLU RAY of this thing. It's something I see myself watching often.

Overall this is a very powerful film aimed at everyone. It is full of inspiration and honesty and I can't give it anything less than a 10 out of 10.

I see many movies and I try to rate them fairly and honestly. I've helped with the making of movies, so I know the incredible effort put in by everyone involved, so giving a movie a low rating is painful.

Production values are good, but for a period piece, the budge apparently didn't allow attention to detail (like Yale locks on doors that were modern.. and even a non-existent lock that the foley artist added a click and keys to (though the actor had no keys in his hand and the door clearly had the deadbolt lock removed. When the details become apparent and obvious.. taking the viewer out of the story, it's a problem.

The style of production was interesting, and the crew deserves a lot of credit for putting together an well edited piece, but the most important aspect of ANY store IS the story. And this just dragged on and on. It's extremely rare that I ever doze off during a moving, but this one did it to me! After an hour of watching this, I finally gave up and paid to see something else.

The trouble with IMDB ratings is I often wonder if the reviews are done by production crew, family, friends, and relatives to falsely raise the number. This is showing a 7 star rating as I write this.. and there is simply NO WAY the rating isn't being skewed by bogus reviews. It's NOT "the greatest thing ever".. nor "inspirational and astounding". It's a very dry story telling of a kid who gave up on God, then found God, then became a successful writer. It was apparently produced by a religious company who sat on a slide announcing who their founder is and their address for the first 30 seconds to minute of the movie.. then 15 minutes telling us how they made the movie (before the movie ever starts).

Nope. Not worth watching.. not a great nor inspirational movie (though some movies like the kid who fell through ice or the musician who would die of cancer positively were beautifully told, this movie is NOT interesting or entertaining).

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.

This movie presents a rant of an ageing writer of his path to Christianity, clearly showing the lack of being able to think for himself, but rather relying on what others have written or spoken. The character assumes that what has been said to him or what he has been read, must be true because he cannot muster enough independent thinking to find flaw in the statements made, and he is not able to figure out for himself what life is all about.

The movie probably does explain why he was able to write the Narnia books, as clearly he does not see any requirement for anything to be able to be logical and reasonable.

This movie will take the world by storm if it gets out. Christian movies usually don't get much play. Passion of Christ showed that to be a big mistake. If churches come out it will succeed. C. S. Lewis was an atheist at the start of his journey. I had no idea. I read the Closet series and loved it as a kid. It influenced my life. His discussions with other brilliant minds of the time both Christian and not are legendary. Great movie and great man!

Saw this movie on opening night and was floored by the writing and acting. MaxMcLean was mesmerizing and the movie was so well done. Worth seeing again and again to see there is so much more to CS Lewis than one thought.

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.

So main actor worked hard for what is a difficult film: a philosophical treatise.

Unfortunately, though I love CS Lewis' writing, the philosophical trajectory is naive. To be honest, it paints CS Lewis as a lonely child from a wealthy background, who read alot. It's just simply that the philosophical developed seems quite shallow... Possibly because critical thinking in many social sciences and classics is itself quite superficial. But anyway, I believe there are much more formidable reasons for being Christian which aren't touched by the thoughts presented. Anyway, it seemed a good attempt but fundamentally wasn't gripping or satisfying. I guess I felt disappointed because I'm a ruthlessly logical person who also believes in God. Could the film have been done better? Not sure, it's a challenge to have one person giving a philosophical monologue with a background of his life (which the older CS Lewis walked in and out of).

If you're not interested in CS Lewis, you'll hate this film. If you do, you may find it provides a passing interest.

Very well made movie with a fun flow. I must admit I am a huge fan of Jack's, but the movie did him and his life honorably, and evoked much of the same joy, smirks, and epiphanies as his writings. Highly recommend and likely one I will buy to keep on the shelf and revisit.

What can one say about the autobiography effort of CS Lewis. A single word of a single syllable comes to mind. Dull. Like a butter knife this film has no point and no edge.

If your idea of a good Christian film is a stodgy old man lecturing you with such a voluminous and stilted vocabulary one would think he ate a thesaurus. Only to read it back to you after passing it in fragments. Then this is your film.

The most reluctant convert is a most regrettable waste of time. A c+lecture on and by CS Lewis that managed to capture on film the theatrical equivalent of Valium. Wanting to Engage in this monotonous expirence should be met with the most reluctance.

As CS Lewis himself says in the film during a near death reflection on his life " it wasn't even interesting."

You can tell when people are trying to make a movie to make box office money. You can also tell when the people who made the movie love the topic. The people who made the story love C. S Lewis. You can tell by their dedication to details, by how it reflects in their writing and voice, and by the quality.

This is not a story about Narnia. This is a story about how C. S. Lewis became the man you have heard of who wrote some of the greatest stories of our time.

C. S. Lewis is certainly worthy of a great film. I applaud all involved in this production for showing us the man and his thoughts. His deep thoughts and his relevant thoughts. He takes us from his early joyful childhood memories to his latter adult years. All the while the film is completely engaging. The dialogue is rich and filled with insights and meaning. Take the time and listen to what is said and you can enjoy this great film also.

This feature movie is a top notch production, well acted, filmed and cut. The score accentuates scenes emotionally very well, without getting the front stage. The scenery is gorgeous, so there is a lot of visual appeal.

The mood is a bit melancholic and the story telling breaks a few rules in an unexpected way. The main character strolls in and out of his own memories and in the beginning and the end of the movie, literally in and out of the movie set.

Should you take your kids to it? Maybe. There is not much violence, although there war scenes. The word sex is mentioned a few times, but nothing more than that. I was more concerned with little ones being bored of the monologue, but unlike the one man stage play, the visuals keep the story very interesting, but still at slow pace.

In conclusion.... I think the closing conclusion drawn by the main character brings the whole thing together very well, if not triumphant.

Bravo!

I felt this film needed more Star Power. Kirk Cameron or Kevin Sorbo could have really made this Christian Tail Wag! Slow Story, but isn't every road to Jesus Christ Our Lord & Savior? Fiction Can be Similar Fact, that is what we have here.

If you thought God is Not Dead 4 was good, then look know further. This will go down as one of the best films in the past 2 months.

If you love joining flocks of sheep and grazing away at the word of Yaweh, then you will be pleasantly surprised and filled with Glory.

As CS Lewis' biggest fan I think my opinion counts for something, and I absolutely loved this movie. I've also seen the play it's based on (twice) and thought the filmmakers did a wonderful job transforming it for the screen. The cinematography is beautiful, the acting is great, and everything is very faithful to Lewis and his world. It was fun seeing Tolkien and The Great Knock portrayed on film, and I loved seeing Oxford and the Kilns. If you're a fan of Lewis' fiction but don't know much about his personal life, this is a fantastic introduction; and if you've read Surprised By Joy twice (which I have), you'll still find it delightfully surprising and informative. My only criticism is that I would have liked a little more dramatization instead of so much monologuing, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and thought it was an incredibly well-made film. It feels like an intimate conversation with Jack himself, and Max McLean brings him to life so beautifully, what's not to love?

This was just some chap, constantly monotoning into screen about his life. Film is you being told about C. S. Lewis autobiography, not film based upon his autobiography.

Only gave show about 20mins as value life, altho was scrolling internet whilst movie on in background as attention just not held in any way.

Sorry not my thing, probably great acting so unfair but 1 star as watched cheese mould which consider more interesting than this.

I knew bits of the C. S. Lewis conversion story, and a good bit of his biography. I'd read him, about him and about The Inklings, his intellectual cronies including Tolkien. Watch it anyway, it is a new experience. Compelling and told with humor, humility and love. Watched this movie with my father and we were completely and totally engaged the entire film. We favorably view movies which can hold our attention without mind-wandering. This one operated as a "conversion" event for me, leading to mind wandering after viewing, one of those life changing films because so memorable. Am even reading George MaCDonald now, and don't know how I had overlooked his work.

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.

C. S. Lewis has been a significant influence in my own spiritual formation. As someone who shared a childhood akin to his which left me hating God, I was also a hard sell on Christianity. Lewis' writings gave me the freedom to ask hard questions - and how to search properly for the answers, think in unique ways and chase after non-fiction written with spice, imagination and thoroughness. Having said all this, walking with Lewis on his journey in this film was a gift. The cast's stellar performance, the rhythm of his recollections, traveling in the actual locations - it was a gift beyond hoping for.