Soul on Fire

The story is indeed touching, but it may not be the right choice if you're looking for a film to strengthen your family's Christian faith. The main character drinks excessively from beginning to end, portraying it as something normal, which sets a poor example. Aside from a couple of brief moments and one or two Christian songs, the film makes very little reference to God.

Additionally, the characters' motivations and connections are left quite vague, making it hard to fully engage with their actions. The film also lacks quality in some fundamental areas, such as special effects, editing (with several disjointed scenes), and overall storytelling progression.

In my opinion, it's more suited for a quiet night at home with your spouse rather than a family outing to the cinema, as I unfortunately chose.

9 year old John O'Leary sets himself and his family home on fire. He isn't given much of a chance after burning 100% of his body. This is a biopic. I've never heard of John O'Leary. It's a fine inspirational story, but it is also very by-the-book. He's a young boy and that elicits a lot of sympathy. The fire generates emotions by the siblings. I do like some of the recovery. I don't know Jack Buck. It may be helpful to give him a better introduction. The more compelling part is actually the romance. This is fine.

Joel Courtney who played the burn victim, John O' Leary played his part very well as did young James McCracken who played young John. William H Macy performed a very believable Cardinals play by play announcer. John Corbett was very good as Dennis O'Leary, John's father.

This is definitely a tear jerker so bring plenty of tissues. It was nice seeing John O' Leary in the movie and please make sure you stick around after the movie for plenty of pictures of the actual O'Leary family as the years went by.

Soul on Fire follows a young man who survives a devastating childhood fire that burns 95% of his body and must learn to see his own worth beyond the scars.

Joel Courtney delivers a grounded performance as the lead, and I thought Masey McLain (Beth) and DeVon Franklin (the nurse) really helped carry the film with their humble, heartfelt portrayals. I also have to give credit to the makeup and prosthetics team - the recreation of burn injuries was incredibly realistic and handled with great care. Normally, I wouldn't even think about makeup work, but in this film, it stood out in the best way.

The message about self-acceptance and finding worth despite pain was beautiful, but some of the main cast's performances didn't quite land. I also expected a stronger spiritual thread; going in, I'd heard this was a "faith-filled" movie, but God was only mentioned a couple of times.

***DISCLAIMER***: During the showing I attended, the audio and visual didn't sync properly for the first 25 minutes - it felt like watching a dubbed movie. Even after talking with the theater manager, it only improved slightly. The issue continued on and off throughout the film, which definitely pulled me out of the experience.

Overall, Soul on Fire shines brightest when it focuses on compassion and courage. It's a film with its heart in the right place, even if its execution struggles to keep up.

I really enjoy Christian films although it always gets me how I am usually the only one in the theatre. This movie about the courage of John O'Leary who suffered an almost total body burn and yet overcame to become an amazing inspiration to all who have suffered. Joel Courtney is wonderful as O'Leary and he captures his spirit, faith and courage. William Macy also does a great job as sportscaster Jack Buck who befriended O'Leary. Anyone who has ever suffered in their life should see this amazing film and realize that you can go on and that there is always a tomorrow. Two thumbs up and I hope EVERYBODY gets a chance to see this film.