The Second Chance
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Movie Reviews of The Second Chance
Movie Review: THE SECOND CHANCE is not a perfect film, but it tries and it has guts
Summary: 3 Stars
When youre a Christian boy, whos outlook is a little skewed friends can be pretty hard to come by. In those moments of loneliness, when the television cant fill your time. You sometimes turn to the voices that make so much sense. For me it was Michael W. Smith and Steve Taylor. Smith I discovered when I was 10. His album Go West Young Man wore out my cassette player. I knew every word and sang every song, Id even put on silly little concerts in my room. The simple lyrics touched me, encouraged me, and I also found that at Bible camp if you can learn all those Michael W. Smith songs the girls will pay attention to you. My early teens were shaped by these lyrics and forever changed my world view.
But alas we grow up, my Christian tapes were thrown into a drawer and Nine Inch Nails and Nirvana became the music I rocked out too. I really started doubting if any of this religion stuff was worth a hill of beans and then Christmas 1994 came and I opened a brightly colored package that had an unusual video in it. It was Steve Taylors concept video called "NOW THE TRUTH CAN BE TOLD" it introduced me to a man who was one part Lenny Bruce, One part the Clash, and three parts John the Baptist. Steve Taylor was the one man I wanted to be like, the one man whose music answered questions and convicted me. I tell you I never would have survived my teenage years without him and weve never even met.
Then I grew up I got into Christian Radio and I have had an opportunity to meet many of the stars in the genre. Ive eaten lunch with Greg Long, had Bart Millard sign a banana I sold on Ebay, and Im on hugging terms with Steven Curtis Chapman. But when I got to meet Michael W. Smith at Radio City Music Hall, all I could say over and over again was it was an honor to meet you as my knees shook. I had become a thirteen year boy again. Dont ask me about what happened when I sat five feet away from Steve Taylor at a lunch sponsored by the film Im about to review. I was stuck in some pointless icebreaker exercise and I thought it would be rude to jump up and cause a scene, also I was shaking so much I dont know what I would have said if I met him anyway. So alas I havent gotten to talk to him yet. But one day I may be able too and that would be awesome.
All this to say I have been eagerly awaiting THE SECOND CHANCE. A film that was written and directed by Taylor and starring Smith. Imagine my two childhood heroes making a film together. It was too much for me to bear. Unfortunately my job pulled me away from the New Jersey premiere so I borrowed the DVD screener from work and watched it with my wife as the New York Metropolitan area got hit with 2 feet of snow.
THE SECOND CHANCE follows Ethan Jenkins (Michael W. Smith) a suburban pastor whose life is just getting comfortable. He had a successful recording career that ended in rehab, and has since taken the associate pastor gig at The Rock, his fathers mega-church deep in the heart of suburbia. When Ethans methods get in the way of the church boards plans he is sent to The Second Chance Community Church. Its a small inner city church Ethans father started when Ethan was a child and hes there to learn and observe. Second Chance is in the middle of the inner city and is presided over by Pastor Jake (Jeff Carr), a former pro basketball player who is trying to save his community from the plight of gangs and drugs. Its an uphill battle and he sees Ethan as just another suburban do-gooder that will leave when the going gets tough. Can these men work together? Will Ethan stick with Pastor Jake? Or will other insidious plans cause a rift in the hood?
THE SECOND CHANCE is a film with very lofty goals. Its a film that reveals one of the biggest problems that is plaguing the Christian Church in America: racial and class seperation. There is a problem with terms like "Black Church" and "White Church." and "Rich Church" and "Poor Church." Theyre false. There is only one church and we all should be invited. Ethan and Jake are two souls caught in the middle. Ethan is out of his comfort zone at Second Chance and Jake is tired of the Suburban church throwing money at his neighborhood problems and not helping out. Does the Second Chance film succeed in opening our eyes to the problems in our own backyard? It does.
Director Taylor fills his film with rich colorful characters. But at times his actors cant get into them. For instance I particularly loved the sassy women playing the choir leader. She has such a small role and yet she fills it with color and realism. Other performers just arent as skilled and the dialogues they have sound like dialogue and not real life conversations.
As for the two leads, Smith and Carr give competent performances. Both are first time film actors and against the odds grow into their characters. There are a few moments early on that felt a little wooden but as the film progresses I bought their relationship, and them as the characters.
The major flaw with the film is the long winded first act. The script dumps a lot of plot conflict on the story and the long walk around the hood confused me a little. But then there is this scene with Smith, a small child, and a paper plate. WOW! Taylor and Smith nail it. This was a small moment in a lot of disjointed clutter that was perfect. I hoped for more honest moments like that and they definitely came. If you are a Christian and are not moved by the foot washing scene that comes later in the film Id doubt your faith (oh Im just kidding).
I also liked that the film had a good natured sense of humor. There were moments when I saw Taylors wit and good natured ribbing poking out. Trust me you wont look at prayer and a lottery ticket the same way again.
But how will this admittedly "Christian Film" play to the unchurched masses? I dont really know. It feels more like an exhortation to the Christian Community and I wonder how someone on the outside would be able to follow it. That is not a negative. If this film gets the Christian community to enter into a discussion about how to fix a great divide between the rich and poor, between the Black Church and the White Church, then I applaud it. But it is also a good look into what goes on inside the Christian community and may cause those who dont quite understand to ask questions and there is nothing wrong with dialogue.
THE SECOND CHANCE is not a perfect film, but it tries and it has guts. Moreover its watchable and more importantly honest. I liked it an applaud all involved. Now everyone go to Amazon.com and clean them out of Chagall Guevara CDs, this was Taylors early 90's rock band. Trust me its the greatest album ever
Movie Review: Not one I'd show in the church sanctuary.
Summary: 3 Stars
This movie was pretty good but I had a couple of problems with it. I don't know if I could truly say this was a Christian movie because it had curses in it. Maybe it shows how far the church has gotten away from its roots. One of the main characters in the film is a preacher who has a problem with swearing. I mean he even does it in the pulpit. I know we all have our shortcomings, but I don't see how a Christian movie can have a cursing preacher because a preacher is supposed to be a trained orator. If you have a problem with cursing - especially when you're in the pulpit, then you have no business being licensed to preach. It may convey the message that in certain situations, using foul language and physical violence to solve problems is ok. But the weapons of our warfare are not carnal.
The cursing is not really excessive and I have seen other movies with Christian overtones such as "The Apostle" or "The Fighting Temptations" that had cursing in them and I didn't have a problem with them because that's what one would expect. But this is supposed to be a Christian movie and should be judged by higher standards.
The other problem I had with the movie was that it had about 3 or 4 unresolved issues. I think it should have been about a half hour longer so we could know what happened with certain characters, but that was left to our imaginations. And right at a very important point in the movie, it just ended. It almost seems like the producer ran out of money and didn't finish the movie but they put it out anyway.
Other than that, the movie was good. The acting was good and it didn't have that low budget Christian movie feel to it. It brought out some important issues concerning racism, church operations and politics, and classism that are so prevalent in today's Christian church. I didn't look at the clock once during the movie so I guess I can say that it wasn't boring at all.
I guess this movie would be ok to show to your Christian friends at home because it does bring out some good valid points, but please, not in the sanctuary.
Movie Review: Well intentioned low key Christian drama
Summary: 3 Stars
In execution this movie tries in turns to be edgy (gang turf issues! Prostitutes needing help!) and hip (Michael W Smith sings!) but the underlying message is actually quite low key, as is the acting.
Michael W Smith plays the son of a highly successful pastor, being groomed to take over a large affluent church, with its large international outreach program. He helps the pastor of their sister church, called Second Chance, which is where his father started - it is in the slums, with outreaches to the poor and needy, the prostitutes and gang victims. He is admonished for giving the pastor of the poor church a chance to speak his mind on live television, and as discipline, is sent to the Second Chance church for a time, to observe and report. Naturally, in doing so, he starts to gain a realization of his distance from real life and genuine outreach, and becomes a better person..
Some of the efforts at getting a message across are a bit clumsy - Michael Smith has his fancy BMW damaged and trades it in for a small cheap car and is happier as a result. However, some of the underlying themes of where church politics can lead are prescient and worth raising. Should affluent churches from wealthy neighbourhoods really invest so heavily in African outreach, when poverty and destitution are creating huge problems on their doorstep?
In answering these questions, the movie comes across a little one sided and heavy handed, but the point is well made, if lacking punch in the finale.
A worthy effort and well shot and acted. Michael W Smith won't win any Oscars and still looks happiest when singing rather than acting, but the end result is well worth a view, and good family entertainment. In fact, it occurs to me, that with the interesting milieu of characters, this would have made a better TV series!
Movie Review: Social Comentary
Summary: 3 Stars
This movie explores today's racial and economic divides in religious settings. In today's Politically correct world we like to think they do not exist, but they do. This movie has an underlying theme of reconciliation. You cannot solve problems by just throwing money at them. You need to be involved in order to understand one another and grow. Thereby being able to use whatever strengths you have to aid your community.
The storyline shows a pastor of a large suburban mega church and a pastor who preaches to gang members, teen mothers and drug addicts, are suddenly thrown together in a tough neighborhood and forced to work together. Both pastors, as well as other characters in this movie, go through significant changes as they over come their prejudices and learn from one another. These Pastors also have to overcome character flaws that you do not expect to find in a Pastor.
Both pastors, along with the founding pastor, in the movie end up growing from this experience and seem to remember that they needed to follow Christ's plan and not their own. They end up doing the right thing instead of working for the money. In essence giving everyone a second chance. A bold movie for a first time director to attempt to show what some modern day churches and communities are facing.
Movie Review: Better than I thought it would be
Summary: 3 Stars
I only bought this movie because I got it at a bargain price. Much to my surprise, I really liked it. I do object to the profanity in it; mild by today's standards, but then again, Christians are not to follow "today's" standards but God's; the Bible, not "realism"-- Especially pastors. I hope this does not become a trend in Christian films. Also, I would have liked a gospel presentation of some sort to have been worked into the film.
That said, I do think the film was well acted and had a good message; even MWS was believable. MWS plays a white yuppie preacher's kid who goes to an inner city black church "to observe". Both the black pastor and the white yuppie have stereotyped notions about each other and race relations within the church. These barriers eventually break down somewhat and both come to a better understanding of "the other side". The white yuppie learns that money is not always enough and the black pastor realized that not all whites are the enemy. A related subplot is mega church's emphasis on money over people--how far do we go?
I would have given it 5 stars if not for the cussing and lack of a clear gospel message.