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Nell Minow

Beliefnet

Its portrayal of patience, kindness, and forgiveness as the life-changing forces of Christianity for those who give as well as those who receive are undeniably touching.

Rated: B

May 3, 2010

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

With a healthy dose of both laughter and tears, The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry is easily destined to be one of 2010's highlights of Christian cinema.

Rated: 3.0/4.0

Sep 22, 2020

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Philip Martin

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Unapologetically evangelical Christian movie from brothers Rich and Dave Christiano stars Gavin Mac-Leod as the titular septuagenarian who has a positive influence on a trio of 12-year-old boys

Rated: 85/100

May 8, 2010

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Tom M

An excellent movie to connect with, and feel, the immense love that God has for us all. HE created us for relationship, with HIM and each other and this movie shows what that relationship should look like. Don't miss either.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/09/23

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Audience Member

It was a nice heart-warming faith based movie from a true story in the 1970's.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

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Audience Member

Dustin, Albert, and Mark are twelve-year-old friends spending their summer together in a small town in 1970. Dustin has a crush on Tanya and gets his friends to help him figure out a way to get her attention. He is way too shy to even talk to her. Dustin's friend Albert thinks it's a bad idea anyway, since Nick, the local bully, likes Tanya also. When the three friends are having pizza together, Nick makes his presence known by stealing a slice for himself. There's nothing they can do since Nick is much bigger and has his friend to back him up. Dustin mows lawns to earn spending money and is asked by a cheerful senior citizen, Jonathan Sperry, if he would be interested in mowing his lawn. Dustin is delighted to get the new business and becomes quick friends with Mr. Sperry. During their time together Mr. Sperry begins talking to Dustin about Jesus. Soon, Albert and Mark join Dustin in Bible study with Mr. Sperry. One day, after Bible study, Mr. Sperry tells Dustin he'd like him to start mowing the lawn of the senior gentleman across the street, Mr. Barnes. He tells Dustin not to let Mr. Barnes know who's paying him to do the work. Mr. Barnes is not happy about the situation but allows Dustin to do the work. The Bible study with Mr. Sperry grows to twelve boys; and to return the favor Dustin, Albert and Mark take Mr. Sperry out for pizza. The boys have told Mr. Sperry about the bully, Nick, and he makes an appearance during the pizza outing. Nick is rude to Mr. Sperry and then gets a big shock when Mr. Sperry tells him he used to know Nick's father who was a Godly man. Nick is clearly impacted hearing the news of his now deceased father. Nick ends up visiting Mr. Sperry to hear more about his father and over time accepts Jesus as his Lord and Savior and seeks forgiveness from those he has harmed. With Mr. Sperry's help, Nick becomes friends with Dustin, Albert, and Mark. Dustin finally gets the courage to deliver a note to Tanya, but rather than asking her out in the note he instead tells her about Jesus. When Mr. Sperry dies unexpectedly, Dustin is devastated. His mother tries to console him but it's no use. Then, out of nowhere, Mr. Barnes shows up at Dustin's house and tells him he will start paying him to mow his lawn and that he knows Mr. Sperry was the one who paid him before. Mr. Barnes also tells Dustin that he has started reading his Bible as Dustin suggested. Dustin's mother is touched by Mr. Barnes appearance and shares with Dustin that Mr. Barnes was the drunk driver that caused the death of Mr. Sperry's wife. Dustin is amazed that Mr. Sperry was paying him to mow Mr. Barne's lawn. As Dustin contemplates the life of Mr. Sperry, he realizes the way to honor him is to continue the Bible study group. Dustin gets the twelve boys back together and begins teaching them exactly the way Mr. Sperry did starting with the early lesson the newer boys never heard. "The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry," is a nostalgic look back at a simpler time in a small town setting that leaves plenty of room for close relationships. The story moves along at a slow comfortable pace with just enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. This is a beautifully produced film with good acting and a nice musical score. There are several touching moments filled with real emotion created by well-developed characters. I think this story would play well to pre-teens but may be a little too simplistic for older teens. In either case, it may help to have some discussion about what life was like in 1970 before watching. Overall, this is an enjoyable story that will play well with a family that appreciates a story about Christian faith.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

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Audience Member

A bit heavy handed on the religious aspect, but overall I really liked it. I thought the acting was very good. I actually watched it twice in 2 days. I watched by myself then put it on for my Mom to watch and wound up watching the whole movie again!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

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Audience Member

It was sort of a cute movie a little boring.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Audience Member

1/2 star is too generous. Preachy, boring, poorly acted... don't waste your time.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

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Rich Christiano

Director

Gavin MacLeod

Jonathan Sperry

Jansen Panettiere

Dustin

Robert Guillaume

Mr. Barnes

Frankie Ryan Manriquez

Albert

Allen Isaacson

Mark

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Synopsis

An old man (Gavin MacLeod) mentors three boys (Jansen Panettiere) in the ways of the Lord.

Director: Rich Christiano
Screenwriter: Dave Christiano, Rich Christiano
Distributor: Five and Two Pictures
Production Co: Christiano Film Group
Rating: PG (Mild Thematic Elements)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 18, 2009, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.4M
Runtime: 1h 36m
Sound Mix: Stereo

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