The Life of Me

I do believe this is a first: I'm doing a movie review!

(I don't really see why that's significant, but... Oh well.)

I just saw the movie "War Room" in theaters. As you know, I'm Catholic (Christian), and I try to practice my faith as much as I can, but I also am perfectly aware of the fact that Christian entertainment has a habit of being corny. Christian music is kind of childish a lot of the time--though I've found multiple really good Christian artists (Matt Maher, For King and Country, Hillsong United, All Sons and Daughters)--and Christian movies tend to have Christians playing actors playing Christians, rather than simply actors playing Christians, which results in poorly delivered lame lines. Also, it's usually hard to find ways to apply Christian movies' themes in real-life situations. A lot are completely based off of saving marriages, and I'm single, so... "Fireproof" was a movie about a guy who uses a book that taught him how to treat his wife well, but how could I ever find a use for that?

"War Room" was different. While there were still some cheesy lines in there, it was a very well-made Christian movie! First of all, Clara (an old lady who is one of the main characters) is awesome! I hope to be like her when I'm 70 years old. She's just so cute and amusing! She's also really holy, and the actress does a phenomenal job in showing this. She inspired me.

I spent the entire movie wondering where I could put a "war room" in my house. Unfortunately, I could think of no such place. I have no walk-in closets, and every inch of space in my bedroom is taken up, and... Yeah. It's just not happening. But that doesn't mean I can't pray! So I was perfectly able to use the ideas and tips they had in the movie to improve my prayer life. 

The acting was pretty well done. I mean, I've seen better, but I've definitely seen much worse as well. Even the little girl, Danielle, did well. Her facial expressions really added to the film, as she watched her parents fight and talked to her mom about how un-loved she felt. (I was crying during that scene!) Elizabeth's and Tony's actors were pretty good. I was very pleased!

To be honest, though, some of the lines just weren't written well. This happens a lot in Christian movies. Christians really don't say "Jesus" in every sentence--but there's nothing wrong with it. It just... I feel like when the person is acting, and not really feeling what they're saying, and saying it from the heart, it loses its genuineness, and becomes fake.

Also, the movie had too many endings. It dragged on a bit. Something happened, I'm getting ready to leave, but no, it's not done yet. This has to happen. Okay, now they're done. Wait, nope, you're wrong, there's still this new little story. My butt hurts... Oh, this sounds like an ending. Are they--no, we need to finish that tiny, insignificant story we added earlier. Okay, you done now? Uh, yep, I think so. Wait, sorry, one more thing... It's true, my butt was hurting by the end of the show.

But, despite a few flaws, it was a really good movie, and you should see it, especially if you're feeling a little lost, or need help remembering to forgive someone. It's a really beautiful, inspirational story.

-Sue Donimm