All Saints

I loved John Corbett's portrayal of Chris Stevens in the 1990s TV series Northern Exposure, so I decided to see what else he's been in and came across the 2017 movie All Saints. It had a decent imdb rating and was available on a channel I get, so I watched it not expecting much. Well, I really enjoyed it and the presence of Barry Corbin (Corbett's Northern Exposure co-star) was an added treat. Their relationship in All Saints was reminiscent of their Northern Exposure relationship, so that was fun. Corbett's sermons as Pastor Michael Spurlock were also strikingly similar in tone to Chris Stevens's on air musings on Cicely, Alaska's radio station.

All Saints is a sweet, uplifting, wholesome movie anyone can enjoy.

While inspirational, this movie is also very real in depicting the awkward and unpredictable messiness of life while trying to follow God. Some of the casting is really strong. It may push us a little toward out-of-the-box thinking. I will try to see it again partly because it was thought provoking and also because there were a few scenes I couldn't understand what was said. It is not necessarily Christian, but more spiritual. As far as reviews go, it's humorous to see how a spiritual movie predictably ends up averaging 6 stars when only 7% of viewers rated it 6 stars. Since 40% rated it 10 stars and 20% rated it 1 star there's a much higher chance (60%) you will be in one of the totally love/totally hate it groups.

Overall the film is very enjoyable, and will be more so for those that are religious, even more so, for those with Christian backgrounds. It panders tho those audiences, but anybody with good sense can find something pure and inspiring from the film's story.

It starts off rocky, with poor editing and confusing scenarios, however as the plot develops and we learn more about the characters, it seems to pick itself back up and progress more smoothly. The film is rather plain in and of itself, but does a great job bringing an ordinary and believable true story to life, while delivering a strong message about community and faith.

Nothing truly stands out as extremely amazing about the film, but neither is there anything horrible. What the film does very well, is bringing a true story to the screen. It is quite real, believable, and does not exaggerate miracles. It is simply what it is, nothing overly grandeur, even using real people from the story to play themselves, because why not? The story is about them, and a humble tale to help inspire those who watch it.

Through its flaws, it's well put together and quite enjoyable. It's essentially a feel-good completely family friendly story, a film Hallmark movies pretend to be.

Everything I was seeing told me to expect another feel good preachy movie. Where folks have an obstacle and overcome it with faith.

It was so much more than that and a great and inspiring message for all of humanity. There indeed obstacles, many major ones. How those obstacles are faced and overcome and how they change people and their community was worth the watch and even worthy of a movie ticket in my opinion.

If you have not seen it please do.

I was pleasantly surprised by the strong acting and professional quality of this film. "All Saints" depicts the struggle of a fledgling pastor to revive a nearly-defunct church, while trying to meet the needs of a wave of refugees from war-torn Burma. While many faith- based films focus on miraculous conversions and battles with the secular, this film dealt with the more prevalent problems many congregations experience. Shrinking membership and aging populations, as well as the financial struggles of maintaining buildings--these are the painful reality for many faith communities. Poised for dissolution, the All Saints Episcopal church is about to be sold off, and the members scattered. Rather than go along with the sale, the people band together--old and new--to try to save the church through growing produce. The story is powerful, and the filmmakers have mixed professional actors and actual congregation members in the cast. This, and the use of the actual church and grounds for the filming location, brings a strong authentic feel to the film. Audiences will resonate with both the dilemma--and the solutions found by the main characters. Kudos to all for a relevant and uplifting film!