Small Group [2020] (Movie Review)

Plot Summary

R. Scott Cooper is a struggling documentary film maker, but he gets a big break when an investor pays him to move his family to Georgia and go undercover as a local church member. While in disguise, Scott is supposed to record everything he sees using a special pair of glasses. However, halfway through the assignment, Scott and his wife begin to change their minds about the scheme as things in the small group aren’t what they thought. Will they have the courage to do what’s right before it’s too late?

Production Quality (2.5 points)

As a 2020 production, Small Group‘s is nearly flawless. Video quality, audio quality, and camera work are all on point. The sets, locations, and props are well-funded and well-utilized. There are no lighting problems, and the soundtrack is acceptable. The only thing keeping this section from being perfect is the poor editing, but this is likely a byproduct of a bloated plot. Hence, this section receives a high score.

Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)

Despite a somewhat forced premise, this narrative has a surprising amount of potential, starting with the mostly realistic portrayals of people in churches. Some comedic scenes are actually funny due to pretty good dialogue, and the writers raise a lot of legitimate points about institutionalized churches. Nonetheless, the storylines struggles with being more than just a collection of funny sequences that are strung together without specific focus. The ‘villain’ is a total strawman, and certain things happen because the plot requires them to, causing the characters to be swept away in the circumstances and hitting on all the expected points. Although there are too many characters and subplots to adequately focus on in one film, some scenes occur for no reason at all except to fill time. Trying to do everything at once causes the narrative to leave behind a lot of unfinished ideas; it feels more like a series than a movie as some elements come completely out of left field and don’t fit with the overall purpose (if there is one). The sheer amount of content in this story is overwhelming for the audience, and some humor is just ridiculously obnoxious. However, though the ending sequence is rushed and tends to magically fix its problems via unrealistic coincidences, the conclusion is better than the beginning if you make it there. Therefore, this sliver of potential, in addition to pretty good characters, keeps this section from being zero.

Acting Quality (2.5 points)

Much like its production, Small Group‘s acting is actually quite good. Though some cast members tend to have overdone lines and emotions, all performances get better as they go. As a whole, this section exhibits a lot of professionalism and rounds out a big mixed bag.

Conclusion

This screenplay’s central problem is that it can’t decide if it’s about hidden problems within the American church, quirks of American churchgoers, ministries and corruption in Central America, and people doing silly stuff together. Surprisingly, despite the jumbled plot, there’s actually hope for Small Group…in series form. There’s simply too much going on here to make a less-than-two-hour film. Had a series been made instead of a movie, this idea would have had more room to authentically develop. As it is, based on its heavy marketing push, Small Group unfortunately feels like another Christian entertainment cash grab.

Final Rating: 5.5 out of 10 points

October 6, 2020 by Box Office Revolutionary Categories: Comedy, Drama, Inspirational, International, Movie ReviewsTags: 2020, 5.5 points, Alexandra Ficken, Alysabeth Vititoe, Caleb Hoffmann, Cameron Boling, Chad Audino, Christos Hines, CJ Hipp, Claudia Hardeman, Clay Chappell, Comedy, Copelyn Chastain, Cuylor Leverett, Dale Wheatley, Dannette Flint, Derrick Gilliam, Drama, Emily Dunlop, GathrFilms, Griffin Hood, Guadalupe Soto Montoya, Inspirational, International, Jacki Whiting, James Cole, Joel Gregory, John Gurley, John Patus, José Mariano Díaz Duarte, Judah Hobbs, Kasandra Bandfield, Kevon Cronin, Krystle Cobran, Laura Healy, Limesoda Films, Liza Jaine, Luis Alberto Sánchez Meneses, Luis Mario Orellana, Lydia Sloan, Manuel Fajardo, Marilyn Chung, Matt Chastain, Matt Mercurio, Matthew McGee, Michael Healy, Nathan Hardeman, Nelson Bonilla, Ocean Avenue Entertainment, Otto Rene Orellana, Paul Lalonde, Phillip Blume, Rachel Sorensen, Rebeca Robles, Robert Riechel Jr., Rocky Smith, Russ Tanner, Sterling Hurst, Tia Nikolopoulas, Valerie Sue Love, Vic Doss, Wesley Walters 3 Comments

Beyond the Farthest Star (Movie Review)

Plot Summary

Anne Wells hates that her family has been forced to move to a podunk Texas town. Her father is a pastor who demands perfection from his family, and she hates him for it. Anne always does her best to get into trouble and to do whatever she wants because she wants to know if God really cares about her and what the actual purpose of life is. She escapes into her music, and her father escapes into his work as he runs from the ghosts of his past. When their family is faced with several life-changing decisions, which way will they go?

Production Quality (2.5 points)

It’s clear that this film has a professional production that was given a lot of care and effort, which is evidenced by good video and audio qualities, as well as skilled camera work. Sets, locations, and props are well-constructed and well-utilized, even if there are a few unnecessarily dark scenes. Further, the soundtrack is highly effective and engaging. The only drawback to point out here is some choppy editing, but this is also due to the large amount of story content. As a whole, this is a very respectable production.

Plot and Storyline Quality (1.5 points)

As Beyond the Farthest Star is based on good source material, it demonstrates a very profound understanding of the real problems facing real people, especially the struggles of people whose personalities are not appreciated by the church. This plot has an exquisite use of flashbacks to develop character motive and backstory, and the content of the flashbacks is extremely believable. Through the flashbacks and dialogue, there are excellent efforts to develop the characters and to develop the interactions between teenagers and adults. However, this plot is almost schizophrenic with its presentation because one minute, the dialogue is great, only to have it undermined with an out-of-left-field scene that makes no sense. There is a strange lack of understanding of certain aspects of reality, such as the acquiring of confidential documents. There is also a highly unnecessary religious freedom\persecution subplot to contend with that wastes tons of time and puts a damper on everything. Further, there is narration present throughout the story in the form of journaling, and sometimes it is tolerable because of its philosophical nature, but other times, it gets in the way and takes up valuable time. Thus, even though there is a large amount of content in this complex storyline, not every scene is used very well as some are unnecessary and contain some edgy content. Even still, there is tons of potential in this plot and in the people who wrote it because it’s not afraid to expose hidden ministry problems and to use unashamed small town satire. The message therein is excellent and very worthwhile, but there are too many dramatic scenes with no break, and the cheesy ending tends to fix everything, even if the climax scene is effective. Basically, Beyond the Farthest Star is a giant mixed bag of potential, some of which panned out, so it’s likely worth your time.

Acting Quality (2.5 points)

For the most part, the acting of this film is sharp and adept as each cast member appears to comfortably assume their respective character roles. Emotions are believable, and line delivery is on point. There are only a few minor issues throughout that pertain to some overdone drama and seriousness, but this section rounds out a very respectable film.

Conclusion

Movies like Beyond the Farthest Star are both engaging and difficult to watch because it’s clear that there is a massive amount of potential with this type of idea. A movie about rebels from Christian families combined with hidden ministry problems is exactly what we need now, but there is too much confusion in this film that holds it back from reaching its highest possibilities. Even so, this movie is worth a watch this holiday season, and it bodes well for any future projects from this creative team.

Final Rating: 6.5 out of 10 points

December 22, 2018December 30, 2018 by Box Office Revolutionary Categories: Christmas, Drama, Inspirational, Movie Reviews, SuspenseTags: 2015, 6.5 points, Advocate Pictures, Andrew Librizzi, Andrew Prine, Andrew Sensenig, B. Scott Senechal, Barry Corbin, Benjamin Dane, Bill Jenkins, Bodie Thoene, Brooke Peoples, Caden Gibson, Carolyn Hodge, Cherami Leigh, Christmas, Damon Criswell, Emily Stuhler, Gail Cronauer, Garrett Schenck, GathrFilms, Inspirational, Inspired Family Entertainment, Jaren Lewison, Jodie Moore, John McIntosh, Jordan Walker Ross, LeeAnne Locken, Lou Beatty Jr., Mike Farris, Pathlight Entertainment, Paul Schnee, Renee O'Connor, Sally Helppie, Sandy Baumann, Selma Pinkard, Shane Shuma, Shawn Roe, Stephanie Dunnam, Todd Terry, Tyler Corie, William McNamara 2 Comments