Mercy Rule

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.

I totally got lost on this movie more than once. I was hoping for it to be a good Christian film which glorifies God. Maybe I zoned out one too many times, but I don't ever recall them honoring God, seeking God, or praising God. Yes, it was clean & wholesome, but I was expecting something along the lines of other Christian films like Fireproof, Flywheel, Facing the Giants, Courageous, God's Not Dead, etc. I realize they are different companies and should be evaluated differently, but I was not a fan of this one at all. The story didn't really seem to be going anywhere and it kind of closed up in one sequence. I love baseball and some of the things in it bothered me as well..(like why he got mad he couldn't do anything in right field, yet never once backed up the first baseman? lol) In general, it got 3 stars because it is a movie based in faith and intentions were good, but I will probably never watch it again.

So this film is available on Netflix streaming and I wanted to see a Kirk Cameron movie. I know Cameron is a vocal Evangelical Christian and I was interested to see if this movie was religious based...

Anyway, its far worse than I could imagine. It's basically a rallying call against environmental regulation.

Kirk Cameron's son is on a little league team and he desperately wants to be the team's lockdown pitcher. That's the A plot, and it's more or less harmless.

But the B plot... oh man. Kirk Cameron's family runs a scrap business that's being investigated by the government for it's environmental practices. The way the portray this government "lobbyist" is something you'd see on Fox News. He's this slick, black suit wearing, elitist lawyer, who desperately wants to tear the family business down. Kirk Cameron even says in the film, "You're worse than a corporate raider, you're a civic raider!"

Disgusting anti-environmental propaganda.

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.

I don't know what to say. I have projectile vomiting due to the motion sickness inducing camera work, and I'm more than a little freaked out by the way Kirk Cameron tries to get his message across. Instead of painting a picture of hope and light, through which religious views should be relayed, Cameron draws from his own holier than now vision of himself, missing the point completely. From the beginning of the film there is a constant droning of horrible background music, uninspired camera angles which make even the baseball more boring than it is, as well as drowned out camera filters which have a slight vignette. This is not how you bring a message across. You can't combine scenes of a conversation with the added montage of a baseball game, single baseball game. Pardon my writing for being a little archaic today, this film has just angered me to no end. There is no continuity, there is no message here that anyone would want to hear, and I'm frankly insulted that I can't give it a 0. Kirk, take my advice, if you're looking to create a family film, you should create a film that is good for the entire family. It should be easy to swallow without going into too much detail, the message should be clear as well as fun to get to. The dramatic element should be heartfelt and genuine , not in your face and boring, coming through like a lecture on insurance premiums. I'm going to have an aneurysm, so I'm going to stop this review immediately. If you want a good religious message it's more fun just to go to church than to watch this movie. I'm done.