Plot Summary
Rich Mullins never fit in as a kid, especially when it came to his father’s lofty expectations for him. As a young boy, his father usually criticized him for not being the boy he wanted him to be since Rich much preferred the piano over the tractor. Thus, when Rich had a chance to strike out on his own, he took it and sought to express his artistry wherever he went. However, when his music became famous virtually overnight, he wasn’t able to handle the success. In the end, he had to discover Who God really is in order to free from the past.
Production Quality (2 points)
As a whole, this is a respectable, above-average production, starting with the artistic camera work that serves to enhance the overall experience. Although scenes are sometimes unnecessarily dark, as well as black and white, this isn’t too big of an issue since the video quality is overall clear. The audio quality is also a plus, and the soundtrack is okay even though it could have been better due to this film being about Rick Mullins. For the most part, the sets, locations, and props are well-constructed and well-utilized such that the story feels real. Further, there are a few awkward cuts, but the editing is overall fine considering the large amount of content covered in this movie. In the end, this is an acceptable production, especially for the time period, yet it could have done a little but more. Even still, it does enough to make the film enjoyable.
Plot and Storyline Quality (2 points)
The life of Rich Mullins was definitely worth portraying in the context of film, and you could say this film was made before I Can Only Imagine started a new trend of Christian artist biopics. Within Ragamuffin, there is an excellent exploration of real family of origin problems that exist in small town America as well as the emotional struggles of a performer while traveling on the road. Thus, the plot contains great life philosophies and an artistic look at things, yet it’s bogged down with early and intermediate narration that tells us things without showing them. Sometimes, expository dialogue is also used to save time due to the large amount of content that’s covered in this story, but there’s still a great exploration of relevant, authentic issues that many people struggle with. Hence, the characters are raw and good even if they could have been better without so much narration, exposition, and time jumps that only allow a cursory glance at elements that need more focus. Although some of the scenes could have been used better, Ragamuffin is still a believable journey of mental health, substance abuse, and relationship issues that come as a result of toxic family messages. There’s also an honest portrayal of church problems in the 1990s that confused a lot of Christians, and the good parts of the dialogue are very worthwhile. Near the end, there’s a collection of exquisite psychological sequences that make the entire film worth your time, but it would have been better to see substantial build-up to these. In the end, this is a great film because of the topic it’s based on; there are plenty of opportunities for improvement, but it’s still enjoyable as it is.
Acting Quality (2 points)
Like other portions of the movie, the acting of Ragamuffin could be a bit better than it is, mostly by being more dynamic and less static. There are some sequences of blank emotions, but on the whole, emotional experience is adequate. The lead actor takes on the role of Rich Mullins quite well, and other cast members assume their respective roles with ease. In summary, this film had a lot going for it that helped it rack up plenty of good marks, but there’s still more that could have been done here.
Conclusion
Basically, Ragamuffin is in desperate need of a remake because it was made before Christians were beginning to learn how to tell stories well in movies. It’s a face value, here-are-the-plain-facts approach to things, but modern Christian entertainment demands more. We can tell stories better than this; even so, Ragamuffin was ahead of its time for taking on an unpopular topic in Christianity in a time when everything was assumed to be fine, so for this reason alone, it’s worth your time. We’d like to see the creators of this film collaborate with a good team because they could do great things together.
Final Rating: 6 out of 10 points
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