Sadly Over-hyped

One of my all time favorites.

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

I am definetely going to read the book. I am shocked at the low rating...i have not been so deeply inspired and drawn into a movie lately...the movie has so much real emotion...the actors were fantastic.wow! The message is powerful, the setting and acting is a raw and pure...inspirational and well done.

A story with a theme about how a couple found love, purpose and a way to stop racism by helping the disenfranchised. Essentially, the stereotypical far-fetched ideas are that faith can ease racial tensions, build trust among people divided by social differences, and cure prejudice by coming together. The film starts slowly with scenes of rich people's palatial homes, swanky art gallery soirées, clichéd voiceovers as backstory - all failing to produce any kind of empathy about a marital breakdown. The viewer isn't given anything to feel for the characters and it serves to extinguish any intrigue for what might follow. But, eventually the story centres on a homeless man who is offered compassion by a warm-hearted woman and his husband. Unfortunately, it feels laboured in the way it is edited and all we have is a lovely, life-affirming, uplifting message delivered in a heavy-handed, overly-sweeteened manner. The soundtrack is out of kilter, varying from ponderous simple melody incidentals to Christian rock which don't fit the scenes. The final act does goes up a register thanks to Djimon Hounsou and his touching character and his speech of heartfelt sincerity near the end. The overall production is uneven. No matter how admirable the real story is, it is self-congratulatory and sickly sweet like many a Hallmark movie.

The acting is passable, it's nice to see a grown up Renee playing a grown woman. The story itself would have been interesting had it not been for the ever increasing god squad agenda. I should by now recognise it seems Greg K only does god movies but I was fooled into missing it given other cast. I find it remarkable the religious types are ok with this not so subtle pushing of their god agenda but god forbid a gay coupke kiss on a screen. I was disappointed by this movie because of this entire aspect which really makes this a fairy tale not a drama. If you want to make god agenda movies, at least be upfront about it so as not to waste the effort of those who aren't interested in your particular lifestyle choice.

The signature manifestation of a cheap production is having prolonged opening aerial scenes of a car driving on a roadway usually in a foresty setting followed by scenes viewing upward toward trees rustling in the wind. Dead giveaway. But, moving on to the substance (script), basically it was a fantastical sweetened good converts bad into good storyline. A bit stereotyped (i.e. dramatized & admitted so in credits) of a black angry homeless person w/racially abusive growing up experiences within a cotton plantation setting and the always present white slave owners. However, to the rescue is an upper middle class white couple volunteering, where else, soup kitchen (a misnomer as food fare has improved the past decades especially w/donations at food banks). A sort of Union Gospel shelter to the rescue. Acting was overdramatic in both directions overly aggressive and overly submissive, but got the point across. Zellweger could convert Satin w/the calm sweetness of her voice alone. Not overly preachy, and had the potential to be so. The helping the homeless cause in America is valuable, but relative to the billion people worldwide who live daily w/debilitating disease, no medical care, hunger, poor/no sanitation, no potable H2O, little/no shelter, rape, abuse, very short life spans, murders based on religion or gender - it pales.