Faith-based films have seen a marked improvement over the years, and "The Resurrection of Gavin Stone" is no exception.
The movie is all about washed-up former child star Gavin Stone (Brett Dalton), who is forced to do community service at a local megachurch. He pretends to be a Christian so he can play the role of Jesus Christ in the church's annual Passion Play, but his pretension gets the better of him as God teaches him what true Christianity is all about.
The film has been dubbed as an "inspirational comedy about faith and forgiveness." Even though faith and comedy don't seem to go together, Katie Walsh from Tribune News Service has given the movie her thumb's up.
She said many Christian-themed movies have stayed "in the lane of remarkable true stories or biblical adaptations," such as "Risen" and "Miracles From Heaven." But "The Resurrection of Gavin Stone" offers fresh, new material.
Because of this, the movie, which is directed by Dallas Jenkins, "will be a breath of fresh air for Christian audiences – it represents what modern Christian life actually looks like, with a sense of irreverence and a knowing point of view," Walsh wrote.
Walsh added that the movie isn't a laugh-out-loud comedy, but it's considerably lighter than other faith-based films. The film is brave enough to poke fun at cultural stereotypes, including its own. Much of the light-hearted moments come whenever Gavin is faking his Christianity and offering overly enthusiastic exclamations of "blessings" at Sunday services.
Meanwhile, Cary Darling of the Star-Telegram raved about the cast's ability to touch audiences' hearts, all the while making them comfortable enough to laugh.
"Faith-based films have a tough line to walk. A heavy hand with the message can leave them preaching to the converted, but too little faith might anger those most likely to part with their money to see them," she said. "The gently comedic 'The Resurrection of Gavin Stone' does a fine job of nimbly negotiating this tightrope."
"The Resurrection of Gavin Stone" was released on Jan. 20, 2017.
