Every year, movies and series are released, and cast members show off their talents. Writers and directors showcase their creativity. Films and series are separated into roughly three groups: the truly talented, the potentially great, and the others. At Box Office Revolution, we believe it is our prerogative to annually recognize those entertainment creators and players who have the ability to bring revolution to Christian entertainment.
Writer(s): Jon Erwin, Andrew Erwin, Jon Gunn, Scott LeRette, Susy Flory
Director(s): Jon Erwin, Andrew Erwin, Jon Gunn
Producer(s): Jon Erwin, Andrew Erwin, Jerilyn Esquibel, Kevin Downes, Peter Facinelli, Meredith Wieck, Chelsea Kujawa
Starring: Zachary Levi, Jacob Laval, Meghann Fahy, Peter Facinelli, Drew Powell, Pilot Bunch, Patricia Heaton
Plot Synopsis: “The Unbreakable Boy” centers on a teenager with autism who also has a rare brittle bone disease. Described as “told in the charmingly unpredictable voice” of the teen, the film is billed as “a funny and inspiring true story of a young couple stumbling through parenthood, who find constant inspiration from the joy and optimism of their spectacularly unique son.” The film also is described as in “the spirit of ‘Wonder’ and ‘Peanut Butter Falcon,’ with a dash of ‘JoJo Rabbit.'” It will be based on the true story of Iowan Austin LeRette, whose father, Scott, candidly chronicled his son’s life, struggles and faith in God in the book “The Unbreakable Boy,” co-written with New York Times best-selling author Susy Flory.
Jeremy Camp didn’t grow up with much, but he always had the love of his family, which is why they supported him in his dream to pursue a music career. When he attended a Christian college to fulfill this goal, Jeremy unexpectedly met Melissa Henning, who he quickly fell in love with. However, as Jeremy and Melissa grew closer together, they embarked on a harrowing and arduous journey into the unknown as Melissa battled cancer. Through the twists and turns, they discovered that God is always present in the midst of suffering and that there’s always a purpose to pain.
Production Quality (3 points)
It’s no surprise that, after the success of I Can Only Imagine, the Erwin brothers and their team have crafted yet another perfect production. I Still Believe hits all the right notes in every aspect of production, including video quality, camera work, audio quality, sets, locations, and props. Many camera angles are creatively artistic, and the soundtrack is a huge plus as it enhances the audience experience in all portions of the film and seamlessly integrates Camp’s music without turning it into a product placement. Further, the editing professional handles a story that is obviously difficult to properly present due to its scope. In short, there is nothing negative to note in this section.
Plot and Storyline Quality (3 points)
The Erwin Brothers, along with Jon Gunn, have no doubt mastered the art of the biopic as they have wisely chosen to focus their movie-making efforts on adapting real life stories into feature films. Though I Still Believe is a slight departure from the traditional Erwin brand since it zeroes in on a very small collection of characters, there are still no concerns with this storytelling adjustment. This narrative may signal a new era of Erwin creations, but it’s still another installment in their history of reliably quality offerings. In many ways, I Still Believe is almost two different movies as the first and second halves are quite different in tone, but these talented screenwriters correctly applied their God-given skills to weave the source material into a life-changing plot that will resound with many viewers from diverse backgrounds. Based off of real people, the characters therein are very poignant and relatable via realistic and profound dialogue that brings the story to life. Musical montages are responsibly used and don’t encroach upon important conversations that build characters; similarly, creative overlays effectively aid the complex plot presentation. Further, there are clear themes that are used throughout the film and serve to tie the major points together. Essentially, there are no issues to note in this section either.
Acting Quality (2 points)
Once again, in I Still Believe, the Erwin collective proves that they take great care in their casting and acting coaching work. Even though some of the cast members don’t entirely represent the real people they are portraying (which is one of the movie’s only flaws), every performance is professional. Line delivery and emotional delivery are very good as the audience is able to easily experience the characters’ feelings. Though this is a relatively small cast compared to previous Erwin projects and could have been a bit more dynamic, it still shines nonetheless and rounds out another blockbuster hit for the brothers.
Conclusion
Jeremy Camp’s compelling backstory was absolutely worth bringing to the big screen and will no doubt lead to further success for Kingdom Story Company. Despite some slight acting missteps, many viewers will enjoy this film, and it’s likely to leave lasting impact on the Christian entertainment market. However, no matter what, we still highly recommend this film for all Christians and always look forward to future Erwin productions.
Producer(s): Jon Erwin, Andrew Erwin, Kurt Warner, Brenda Warner, Mark Ciardi, Kevin Downes
Starring: Zachary Levi, Anna Paquin, Dennis Quaid, Virginia Madsen, Ser’Darius Blain, Adam Baldwin, Bruce McGill, Danny Vinson, Chance Kelly, Hayden Zaller
Plot Synopsis: This film tells the true story of how Kurt Warner went from a grocery store employee to becoming a star NFL quarterback. The plot is based on Warner’s memoir, All Things Possible: My Story of Faith, Football and the First Miracle Season.
Writer(s): Ben Smallbone, Luke Smallbone, Joel Smallbone, Richard Ramsey
Director(s): Ben Smallbone, Luke Smallbone, Joel Smallbone
Producer(s): Kevin Downes, Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin, Luke Smallbone
Starring: Joel Smallbone, Moriah Peters Smallbone, Josh Smallbone?
Plot Synopsis: A period musical accompanied by an original soundtrack that focuses on three Christmases during the Civil War. The film will depict two brothers fighting on opposite sides in the Civil War.
Plot Synopsis: This film is the first in a trilogy aiming to create a new cinematic universe of Bible stories. The first installment follows the growth of the early church after the Resurrection of Christ.
Producer(s): Kevin Downes, Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin, Greg Laurie
Starring: Jim Gaffigan, Joel Courtney
Plot Synopsis: This film tells the true story of a national spiritual awakening in the early 1970’s and its origins within a community of teenaged hippies in Southern California. The story follows the early life of nationally known pastor Greg Laurie.
Every year, movies and series are released, and cast members show off their talents. Writers and directors showcase their creativity. Films and series are separated into roughly three groups: the truly talented, the potentially great, and the others. At Box Office Revolution, we believe it is our prerogative to annually recognize those entertainment creators and players who have the ability to bring revolution to Christian entertainment.
Bart Millard always loved to sing, but he grew up in a broken home. His mother left while he was young, and his father beat him and told him he would never amount to much. When Bart failed high school football due to injuries, he and his father spent as little time around each other as possible. Out of this, Bart began singing in high school plays and was told that he had a special talent for the stage. This led Bart to pursue a career in Christian music, but life on the road was hard. When he was forced to make a pivotal decision at a crossroads in his career, Bart was finally faced with having to go back to reconcile with the person he came to hate the most: his father.
Production Quality (3 points)
What else can be said about the talent of the Erwin Brothers at this point? They have clearly mastered production quality, especially when it comes to historical epics. The attention to detail in I Can Only Imagine is exquisite. Video quality, camera work, and audio quality are flawless. With Brent McCorkle involved, the soundtrack is always going to be a hit. Sets, locations, and props in I Can Only Imagine are excellent and demonstrate wonderful historical authenticity. This content-packed epic is edited nearly to perfection. In short, it’s rare to have a perfect production, but the Erwin Brothers are still schooling the industry in how it’s done.
Plot and Storyline Quality (3 points)
Naturally following their epic film Woodlawn, the Erwin Brothers seem to have found a niche in biopics. The story of Bart Millard is one that is absolutely worth being told, especially since so many people are familiar with MercyMe and their original breakout hit single, which is the title of this film. What some audiences may not expect is the profound and timely message this film has to offer. This film is more than just another inspirational film to grab cash from a willing audience. In typical Erwin fashion, I Can Only Imagine is the film the western church needs now. Besides this, the characters are very realistic, authentic, and easy to access via believable dialogue and back stories. Each character is flawed and gray rather than black and white. There are really no errors to point out here as the Erwins have masterfully captured another poignant true story in the context of film.
Acting Quality (3 points)
The Masters of Casting did their homework once again in crafting a cast that was true-to-life to the real people behind the story. Each actor and actress is cast appropriately and assume their roles very well. Costuming is excellent and correct for the time period. Dennis Quaid likely posts one of the performances of the year as a very complex three-part role. In the end, there are little to no errors to raise about this film, which has become the norm of the Erwin brand.
Conclusion
I Can Only Imagine receives an x-factor point for presenting an extremely important issue in a realistic way. Audiences will flock to this film on the basis of its title recognition alone, but many will receive a message they least expected, yet one that the church as a whole desperately needs. Many, many Christians and those associated with the church are running from parts of their lives that are broken and are not always their fault because they do not know how to deal with them. I Can Only Imagine brings this paradigm to front and center at a time when the message of redemption for broken families needs to be heard. Also, in keeping with their perfect record, the Erwins have notched another one on the Hall of Fame and have possibly taken the top spot of Christian film.
Donovan has always loved her dream job as the owner of a local coffee shop, but she fears that her mortgage is about to cause her dream to end prematurely. What’s worse is a hotshot playwright comes to town and starts off completely on the wrong foot with her, all the while Donovan’s sister is trying to get her to run back to the boyfriend who left Donovan for a big time Chicago job. Will Donovan be able to sort out all the confusion in time to save her dreams?
Production Quality (2.5 points)
Up Entertainment has perfected the Hallmark model of putting out a consistent amount of films with fairly professional production quality in each one. Video quality, camera work, and audio quality are all what they should be. The soundtrack is a bit too generic, however, which fits this genre to a T. What also typically comes with this sort of made for television movie is relatively good sets, locations, and props, yet some minor editing issues that plague it, all in the name of making the runtime trim. All of these typical elements are present in Coffee Shop, making it seem like it was made on an assembly line. Overall, though the production is great, there are plenty of other predictable elements to point.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
Though this story is trying a bit harder than most made for TV romantic comedies, Coffee Shop is still an extremely typical story about a jilted girlfriend who has to save her ______ and then both her old boyfriend and a new well-groomed man whom she doesn’t like at first but grows to like show up in the small town she lives in with other quirky characters. Though some of the characters demonstrate attempts to be creative, probably mostly the influence of the Erwin brothers, there are just too many predictable elements for this section to warrant any more points. The entire plot follows a predictable progression and the end can be seen from the beginning. In the end, it’s hard to see the justification for yet another one of these sorts of films.
Acting Quality (3 points)
Despite all of other issues, the Erwin brothers still do their thing and win out when it comes to casting and acting coaching. There are virtually no errors in this section as line delivery is on point and emotions are very natural. UP and Hallmark should consider hiring the Erwins as permanent casting help.
Conclusion
We realize the machine of cable television demands certain movies that fit into certain molds, so perhaps there is really no solution to this problem until cable is no longer relied upon as a source of entertainment revenue. Creative Christian film makers need a better outlet for their films so that they can showcase their talent outside of the confines of a revenue-seeking machine. Perhaps one day we will see more of these sorts of films on streaming services such as PureFlix.
Every year, movies are released and cast members show off their talents. Writers and directors showcase their creativity. Films are separated into roughly three groups: the truly talented, the potentially great, and the others. At Box Office Revolution, we believe it is our prerogative to annually recognize those movie makers and players who have the ability to bring revolution to Christian entertainment.
Runners-up: War Room, Old-Fashioned, Beyond the Mask
Staff Choice Actor of the Year: Caleb Castille (Woodlawn)
Runners-up: T. C. Stallings (War Room), Sean Astin (Woodlawn), Andrew Cheney (Beyond the Mask), Rik Swartzwelder (Old-Fashioned), Nic Bishop (Woodlawn)
Staff Choice Actress of the Year: Priscilla Shirer (War Room)
Runners-up: Karen Abercrombie (War Room), Kara Killmer (Beyond the Mask), Elizabeth Roberts (Old-Fashioned)
Staff Choice Directors of the Year: Andrew Erwin\Jon Erwin (Woodlawn)
Runners-up: Chad Burns (Beyond the Mask), Rik Swartzwelder (Old-Fashioned), Alex Kendrick (War Room)
Staff Choice Writers of the Year: Paul McCusker\Stephen Kendrick\Brennon Smith\Aaron Burns\Chad Burns (Beyond the Mask)
Runners-up: Rik Swartzwelder (Old-Fashioned), Jon Erwin\Todd Geralds\Quinton Peeples\Mark Schlabach (Woodlawn), Alex Kendrick\Stephen Kendrick (War Room)
Staff Choice Soundtrack of the Year: Woodlawn
Runners-up: War Room, Old-Fashioned, Beyond the Mask
Coach Tandy Geralds only believes in what he sees in front of him. All he sees is a broken high school in Alabama forced to integrate two racial groups who desperately do not want to associate with each. Coach Geralds, also the assistant principle, is overworked, is unpopular with the school board, and is failing as a husband and father. His players are frustrated with integration and racial tensions flare easily. Tony Nathan, an underappreciated African-American athlete, is among them, yet he has been raised to treat people, regardless of skin color, the way Christ treated them. Everything changes for the team one day when Hank, an itinerant and seemingly offbeat sports chaplain, convinces Coach Geralds to let him talk to the team. At the end of his rope, Tandy reluctantly agrees. What ensues from there is a miracle that transforms the football team, the high school, and the city. One thing leads to another in a miracle season for the Woodlawn Colonels, but everything grinds to a halt one day when they are faced with adversity after adversity. But in the grand scheme of things, each character learns in one way or another that there is one Way, one Truth, and one Life—Jesus.
Production Quality (3 points)
The Erwin team went all out for this blockbuster production that was designed to reach outside of the Christian movie circles. The camera work is phenomenal, ranging from difficult football scenes to character canvasing. As an epic, the story covers a lot of time, but the editing is seamless. It is very difficult to make an epic without being too long or without letting important plot elements fall by the wayside. The editing team walked this tightrope flawlessly. The inclusion of alternate and historical footage throughout the movie is an artistic flair that was pulled off nicely. This is not a cheap production, and it shows.
Plot and Storyline Quality (3 points)
As previously mentioned, epic plots are very hard to craft. Too long, and the audience is lost. Too quick, and no points are driven home. Too often in potential epics, character development is discarded and scenes are wasted. Neither of these mistakes occurred in Woodlawn. Despite the large amount of plot and character content in this movie, nothing is missing. The dialogue is concise yet profound. There are no wasted scenes. As a side note, Box Office Revolution maintains that movies based on real events are among some of the best on the market. Nothing could be more true regarding Woodlawn. The plot twists and turns just as real life does and the historical characters are adapted well.
Acting Quality (3 points)
BOR has long called the Erwin brothers the Masters of Casting. There has never been a character in their movies that was not cast in the absolutely appropriate role. Veterans Sean Astin, Nic Bishop, Sherri Shepherd, and Jon Voight are excellent in their roles, along with newcomers Caleb Castille and Joy Brunson. All actors are coached well.
Conclusion
BOR can find no flaws in Woodlawn. It also can be awarded the x-factor point for delivering an important topic packaged in a masterful epic. The Erwin brothers have reached the pinnacle of their career, and there is no turning back now. The Christian movie industry is at their fingertips, and BOR expects nothing less than the best.
Hannah Lawson grew up a fairly normal girl with some slightly unusual health issues, but she adjusted fairly well and had an enjoyable albeit sheltered family life. However, everything changes when she has another onslaught of health issues while performing a college play. This only exposes her silent struggle with depression and a secret her parents have kept from her all her life—that they adopted her as an infant because she is the survivor of a failed abortion. This revelation leads Hannah to confide in her childhood friend Jason, which prompts him to help her find her birth mother, who might live six hours away from her. Against the advice of her overprotective father, Hannah embarks on a spring break trip with Jason and his friends in order to discover her origins. However, a fight with Jason’s girlfriend causes Hannah to strike out on her own, prompting Jason to follow her. Together, they not only discover Hannah’s past, but also the feelings they have kept hidden from each other.
Production Quality (2.5 points)
For a pilot movie, the production of October Baby is top notch. The camera work, including angles and shots, is exquisite with an artistic flair. This is not a cheap production. Filming is not contained to buildings, and outside scenes are not cheaply produced. Lighting and video quality are very professional. The soundtrack is excellent and enhances the movie; audio quality is exquisite. The only caveat here is that some scenes seem too long; some editing might have been prudent. But besides this, October Baby is very refreshing.
Plot and Storyline Quality (2.5 points)
October Baby has a simple linear plot, but it is a deep plot. The Erwin Brothers did everything they possibly could to do the best with what they had. There are some slight plot twists that are not overstated. The characters are well-developed through believable dialogue and are very authentic. There is even dry humor that is pulled off well and is not cheesy. The plot is not entirely about forcing the pro-life message, but it still offers a poignant true-to-life expose on the importance of valuing all human life. This is a truly meaningful plot that could convince someone to become pro-life.
Acting Quality (3 points)
Casting is perhaps a special talent of the Erwin Brothers. Every actor is cast perfectly with their part. The less experienced actors are as well coached as the more experienced actors. In the opinion of Box Office Revolution, this is the best movie John Schneider has ever acted in, and it can be credited to the expertise of the Erwin Brothers. The story behind Shari Rigby’s casting is a divine appointment.
Conclusion
October Baby receives an extra point for having an x-factor of dealing with the sensitive issue of abortion in a superb manner. Issues like this can come off as too pushy or preachy, but not so with the Erwin brothers. Instead, the issue is woven throughout the plot through believable characters. This movie’s only weakness is some scenes that appeared to last longer than they should have. The production is excellent, as is the acting. In short, October Baby is the Erwin brothers’ huge entrance into the Christian movie scene—signaling even better things to come.
Box Office Revolution 