Audience Member
For a movie that telegraphs its ending almost from the first lines, this movie is TOTALLY unexpected. A Christian rock star who takes the "rock star" much more seriously than the "Christian" winds up losing everything he has - and DOESN'T get it back at the end. It's not a candy-coated ending, but it smacks of reality. To live the oh-so-perfect Christian-movie ending would be unhealthy for all involved, so the characters choose a wiser route. It's a strategy that more Christians need to be aware of. As the character named "Prof" says in the movie, "You can pull out the nails, but you've still got to deal with the holes."
This is an indie movie, and it feels like an indie movie. Not like a BAD indie movie... just like a film shot on a small budget with a lot of imagination and love. That said, it does not look cheaply done; it's well-executed technically. The acting is surprisingly good, especially considering that the three male leads (Kevin Max, Kerry Livgren, and Jeff Deyo) are not professional actors but are actual Christian rock stars. Each of them is totally believable in his role. The music video segments look great, even though as a non-movie-musical-fan I do think they can tend to distract from the story a little bit. I wasn't that enthusiastic about them, but admittedly, they fit the story and they fit the movie genre, so I can't complain too much.
A great deal of thought was put into the story. I do think the first half (the rock star spirals down into a mess of his own making) feels a little bit trite, kind of "already seen this movie" -ish, but once Johnny (the rock star, played by Max) hits rock bottom (or at least he thinks he has), suddenly the whole film begins to feel more real. Or maybe it's just that Johnny is coming back to reality, so his whole world begins to come into focus. There are lots of twists and turns along the way; for example, there is a conversation between Johnny C. and a pastor, who turns out to be a more important person to Johnny than we think, and who reveals some secrets about himself that partially explain Johnny's behavior. The conversation starts out seeming like a counseling session, but winds up being something completely different. There is someone who starts out seeming like a weird background character, a hobo complete with stolen shopping cart and duct-taped bug zapper, who winds up being central to Johnny's realization that he needs to make a serious change.
So there are a lot of surprises, and the biggest surprise may be this: although there is a scene where the message of Christian salvation is discussed, there is no "Johnny at the altar" scene. In fact, we never specifically see Johnny have a traditional "salvation experience", even when the closing credits roll. It's left ambiguous, and maybe that's because we never actually do know the condition of someone's heart. Even someone who publicly proclaims the Faith, like a pastor or a Christian rock star. So how can we really know what's in Johnny C.'s heart? We can't! But we can see the fruit of it by watching his actions, and his actions at the end imply that he truly has experienced a real change.
Life is ambiguous sometimes, and so is this movie. If you like films that have satisfying endings but do not feel the need to wrap up all of the threads (Johnny actually mentions some of the dangling plot lines in his narration at the end), this one is for you. If you would be devastated to find out that Christian rock stars are sometimes a mess in their personal lives, maybe this movie isn't for you... or maybe it is. Because rock stars of any stripe are still human beings, and they can hurt others and they can make mistakes. That's what this movie is about: when you've hurt others and messed everything up, there's still Jesus. He might not make everything perfect in one fell swoop, but He will be there with you through the process of healing what you've hurt and fixing what you've broken.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/20/23
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Audience Member
Of course being the diehard dc Talk fan I am, I wanted to check this out. It's not the worst Christian movie out there, but outside of Kevin Max performance as the top of the world Christian Rock star, to down in the dumps he has fallen from Grace, everyone else hasn't acted a day in their life. Outside of the homeless man he was good, I tolerated everyone. KMax does a really good and believable job. And considering he is the "underdog" in dc Talk this role fits, and he probably actually went threw this stuff. The ending alone made this movie for me, cause its real and not a "Hollywood Happy Ending". KMax has 2 bad scenes, other than that he carries this flick with no issues like its second nature.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/12/23
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Audience Member
This is a good movie.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/16/23
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Audience Member
be a christian film no excuse a bad production
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
02/02/23
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Audience Member
Warning! The following sections include possible spoilers!
Story: 5/5
We've all seen the movies where the protagonist simply starts down the right path, and all goes well for him/her, right? Well, this is not one of those films. Though Johnny C. finds God, things don't immediately work out perfectly by the time the credits roll...but that's the beauty of this flick. As a morality play, this one works really well.
Production Values: 4.5/5
The acting is good, though not always great. Kevin Max and Jeff Deyo are musicians, not actors, but they still do moderately well nonetheless. Some of the secondary characters, such as Johnny's wife, Tara, and Popeye, the homeless guy Johnny meets, are played by experienced actors, and it shows. Where the film really shines is the music; when you have one member each of dc Talk, Sonicflood, and Kansas as your leads, you know you're in for a sonic feast. Kevin Max also has a wonderful narrating voice; seriously, he should consider doing an audiobook. (Are you reading this, Mr. Max?) Unfortunately, the poorly done subtitles that seem to plague all Pure Flix DVDs are present here, too.
Special Features: 4/5
Along with a few previews, there are three great music videos and a commentary track. The one problem is "Unmasking the Characters," which features good cast interviews, but isn't as in-depth as they make it sound, and suffers from an opening sequence that is repeated four times in less than nine minutes.
Moral Content: 3.5/5
You may have a young dc Talk or Kevin Max fan in your house, but this film isn't for little children. Drug use is implied, and a "baggie" of pills is shown. There is also discussion of Johnny "sleeping around" and "mentally undressing that woman," though he is never seen in bed with anyone. Johnny gets beat up in one scene, and is left with a bruise on his face. Drinking and smoking gets slight screen time. All that may sound sinful--and it is--but the film vilifies it as just that. Still, that may be a bit much for young kids. Elsewhere, unkind terms such as "stupid fool" and "suck" are used.
Conclusion: As a longtime fan of both dc Talk and K-Max, this movie was a dream come true for me. I was devastated when I found out that dcT's Free at Last: The Movie was nothing more than a documentary, and I've always thought Mr. Max's album The Imposter, which came out a few years before this same-titled film, had some songs that would work great on a movie soundtrack. So, to have K-Max starring in a real movie, featuring his own music, is awesome. Unfortunately, some people will either ignore this film, or avoid it because Mr. Max is in it; I once heard a friend describe him as "the guy from dc Talk who never really did anything." Well, with this film, Kevin Max is back, and he did something that neither Tait nor TobyMac have done yet. (T-Mac's film credits are limited to soundtrack contributions and that dcT documentary, and Tait's are the same...minus the former.) The Imposter is a great movie with a wonderful story; what I wonder is: Does Johnny's turn-and-repent mirror what really happened in K-Max's life? The world may never know.
Score: 4.75/5
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/26/23
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Audience Member
Only 2 people had any kind of good acting skills.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
01/29/23
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