Chasing Grace

About Chasing Grace

A tragic accident threatens to destroy a pastor’s family and sets into motion a complex betrayal between two brothers, while exposing secrets no one wants to face.

Pastor Jonathan Matheson lives in a world of black and white, yet finds a way to navigate the “grey in-between” to work to his advantage, while facing one of the most tragic moments of his life. Set in small-town America and woven inside a tale of redemption, “Chasing Grace” is a story of how one family takes on the burden of guilt in order to make sense of their loss. While pointing the finger of blame at his brother, Pastor Jonathan also chooses to hide from the truth while trying to escape his own personal demons. “Chasing Grace” is loosely based upon true events and provides a powerful story about the redeeming power of forgiveness.

Mom Maven’s Thoughts

I do my best to support the Christian movie industry. There are so many unsavory movies being made that I feel, as Christians, it is our duty to support the people who are making movies with a Christian worldview. Unfortunately, some movies just aren’t that good, and “Chasing Grace” is one of them. This movie has no rating but it should be PG-13 for violence, drinking, smoking and mature subject matter.

The biggest problem with “Chasing Grace” is there are too many issues to deal with in the Matheson family. At its core “Chasing Grace” is a film about forgiveness but that message is lost in the alcoholism, fighting, lying, family secrets, death, depression, police misconduct, and more. The story line is very convoluted with too much drama happening but nothing really moving the story forward. We were bored and my husband wanted to turn it off halfway through but I told him we couldn’t because it was for a review. “Chasing Grace” had potential but it totally missed the mark by bringing in too many different issues the movie has no focus and the message of forgiveness is lost amidst the chaos. When the forgiveness does come in, it comes too easily with no one being held accountable for their actions. I found it funny that the alcoholics just promised not to drink anymore and then everything was ok again. That is not how recovery works and it is a slap in the face to everyone who has dealt with an addiction to think that making one promise makes everything better.

Chasing Grace is available from Amazon if you want to check it out for yourself. Have you seen this movie? I’d love to know your thoughts and if you agree with our review.

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About Heaven is For Real

From the international bestseller, and with an impressive Hollywood creative team and cast, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL–the spellbinding story of 4-year-old Colton Burpo’s trip to Heaven . . . and back–comes to theaters April 16, 2014.

Based on the #1 New York Times best-selling book of the same name, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL brings to the screen the true story of a small-town father who must find the courage and conviction to share his son’s extraordinary, life-changing experience with the world.

Academy Award® nominee and Emmy® winner Greg Kinnear (AS GOOD AS IT GETS, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, WE WERE SOLDIERS) stars as Todd Burpo.

“What appealed to me most at the end of the day is that Randy (director and co-writer Randall Wallace) had tackled this very human story and the eternal question everyone has about what comes after,” said Kinnear. “Whatever your feelings on the afterlife–even in your current life, right here, right now–there is this beauty all around you that’s been nicely captured for this film through the eyes of a little boy. If you don’t have any personal inspiration, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL will give you some.”

Mom Maven’s Thoughts

The story is interesting but rather slow-moving. I appreciated the fact that Pastor Burpo struggled to believe what his son was telling him. We, as Christians say we believe everything in the Bible but when push comes to shove many don’t have the foundation to stand strong in all that God’s Word tells us. We are human and thus we are fallible our faith is not yet perfected. The best part of this movie was its 5 yo star, Connor Corum. I don’t think anyone could have played this role more convincingly, except maybe Colton Burpo himself. Young Connor truly became his character and he was amazing to watch. Unfortunately, the adult characters in the movie felt too thin and underdeveloped. Where Connor shined the “all star cast” faded.

I am impressed that this is a Christian themed movie produced and directed for Christians by a non-Christians. I think Hollywood is seeing that there is not just room in the space, but Christians are demanding movies that are clean and wholesome. I have had the privilege of screening 4 Christian films so far this year and for me, two were phenomenal, one was mediocre and this one wasn’t great. tay tuned because the best one so far arrived in theaters in May!

In a nutshell, save your money and wait for “Heaven is For Real” to arrive at your local Redbox or streaming service. If you have seen the movie and would like to share your thoughts about it with me, I’d love to chat with you. Leave me a comment below.

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