THE SECRETS OF JONATHAN SPERRY

THE SECRETS OF JONATHAN SPERRY - 2008

RATED - PG for mild thematic elements. VERY family friendly.

RATINGS - 4 Amazon (5/5), 5,036 Netflix (3.7/5), 89 IMDB (6.1/10).

STARRING - Gavin MacLeod (The Love Boat) as Jonathan Sperry, Jansen Panettiere as Dustin.  Directed by Rich Christiano.

THEMES - Spirituality, relationships.

STORY - First of all, I love films where faith plays an important role in the story and where it fits into the movie but is not necessarily the center of the narrative. The latter tend to come across as sermons disguised as movies or books or whatever.  This film has too much of that.  The only thing missing was the altar call and I don't say that to be overly critical.  For being set in 1970 it still comes across as too much like Leave It To Beaver. The 'good' kids seems a little too good and the 'bad' dude seems a little too good, also.  In not wanting to offend the 'church' audience they sanitize it to the point it doesn't seem real.  The bullies I remember used language that offended and other gestures that conveyed less than holy thoughts.  Even good kids didn't always have it together or behave appropriately all the time. While the acting is pretty decent and it has warm fuzzies, it just doesn't come across as a realistic portrayal of the way life happens even to those whose faith is a priority in their life.  Is it a waste of time?  No, it has its merits and there are several meaningful lessons to be considered by viewers. Many will be inspired by the message of the film. There is nothing wrong with the movie, it's just that I would love to see people of faith concentrate on developing great stories where faith fits naturally into the story instead of developing a message and trying to fit it into a movie.  There is a difference and the difference is between a realisic portrayal of life and what we would like to imagine life to be like. This is a film that has a message but ultimately it will probably 'preach to the choir'. 

LINKS - IMDB/TRAILER