User Reviews

A few of my fellow writers have covered this movie's plot elements so I will stick to some of the cuff remarks...

1. This is entertaining - but not for the reasons you'd think. It's cheesy but somehow still watchable.

2. Tamra, Daniel's love interest has to be about thirty. The Christian girl that Dan ignores is way cuter.

3. Muriel stole his shirt from Mr. Spock. Also, if my guardian angel looks like Muriel I'm going to have to apply for a transfer.

4. Okay... so apparently... Dan is responsible for his parents' divorce! What kind of horrible guilt trip is that?! Muriel says that it was Dan's prayers that kept his parents together. I just thought that was absolutely ridiculous. Listen, I can pray for my parents as much as I want but the only way they'll stay together is if they decide they're going to do it.

5. I'll echo the atheist's comments on how this movie portrays non-Christians. Apparently they're all slovenly bullies.

6. For something positive - David White is a decent actor. He gives the movie a little bit of credibility, even if he is the only one. He pretty much holds this film together on his own.

David A.R. White who was the big teen star of Christian oriented films starred in this Nineties version of It's A Wonderful Life. As the George Bailey of the piece, White plays Dan Burgess whose Christian lifestyle has caused him to miss a whole lot of the more fun aspects of high school life or so he thinks.

His Clarence visits him and gives him a day in which he sees what life would have been like had he not become a believer and head of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in high school. It's not quite what he expected.

The message is more forced and more theologically formal in Second Glance, but it still contains the universal truth that Henry Travers spoke in It's A Wonderful Life, that it is indeed strange how one life can impact on so many and an awful hole is left you take a good someone out of the mix.

George Bailey was a late thirty something with a wife and four kids and dealing with some real issues, economic and social as well personal in It's A Wonderful Life. Young Dan Burgess is dealing with a lot of teen angst, but his problems aren't any less real. And in his teen life he's had an impact like George Bailey, more than he realizes.

Except for young Mr. White, the acting in the rest of the cast is pretty lame and some of the situations are a bit forced. But Frank Capra had some of the best players around in his film and a top flight script. David A.R. White actually in this film does come across as you might have envisioned a teenage Jimmy Stewart.

White is a talented player and probably could have a career in mainstream films. I suppose it's a credit to his convictions that he's chosen to stick with religious films.

I do wonder how Mr. White might deal with a Gay/Straight Alliance forming at his school. I guess no one wanted to tackle that issue.

But the late Frank Capra was still alive when Second Glance came out and since he didn't sue anyone for plagiarism, I guess he saw the work as a sincere if flawed form of flattery.

As a Christian and 40-year veteran of the entertainment business, I'm well aware that up until recently, explicitly "Christian" movies were all "message" and little or no "medium." The Kendrick brothers, among others, are changing all that, but plenty of examples remain.

Like this one. Great message, but it's hard to overcome a generally weak cast and simplistic characterizations. Plus, the "Jesus, man!" tag has become something of a meme, and not for evangelical reasons either. LOL.

But the overreactions and misinterpretations from some on this message board are even lamer. Imagine, for instance, this "naomiwashburn" person trying to review "It's a Wonderful Life" (upon which this movie clearly was based, something that seems obvious to everyone but her). Solipsism isn't cute, nor is it witty. It's just sad.

You will laugh, but for all the wrong reasons. This movie is horribly written, produced, and poorly acted. If I could give it negative stars, I would. The entire production of this movie just seems completely phoned in.

The only favorable reviews you will see are from the "Yay Jesus" crowd. Personally, I am not interested in watching a movie for salvation, I am watching it for entertainment, which this film fails horribly at delivering.

If you want to watch a movie simply to laugh at how bad it is, this is the one for you.

Hey Scotty, Jesus man!

This movie has an epic ending, but this is nothing more than religious propaganda. Seriously, like it tells you that if you give up the path of God, you will be gifted with beautiful women, sex, drugs, heavy metal, and all sort. I don't know who created this but if you were trying to keep people into your religious group, you should probably not have focused on the good aspects of life. Should have been about going to jail or something, not meeting beautiful women and having a blast.

So all in all, if you do not want to be gifted with beautiful women, than continue to follow the path of God. That is the message in the thing (I can't call it a movie because it is not even 60 minutes).

Although I'm not one to stand for Christian and religious movies, this movie doesn't do a bad job of trying to be a little edgy. The last line is a classic, that line alone deserves like a million stars but the rest isn't great.

Pros: There are none. Cons: This movie.

10/10 cringe.

Watching this film is getting stabbed in the head.

This movie is apparently intended for a young, evangelical Christian audience as a teaching tool. For that I give it a 7 out of 10 point vote. It's a decent movie to show a youth group, but I don't think it will be very well received beyond that. For any other audience, I'd rate it lots lower.

The reviewers that saw "It's a Wonderful Life" in this were right on, though I didn't think of that until they mentioned it. I was more reminded of a "Chick Tract", those little 3" by 5" gospel comic books. If Jack Chick ever made a movie out of one of his tracts, it would probably look a lot like "Second Glance." It has a strong Christian message about the power of prayer and the influence each of us has on earth, but it is somewhat hampered by Christian stereotypes. The Christians are all very nice, somewhat passive, and squeaky clean, while all of the non-Christians seem to be bad people.

Muriel the angel plays a major part, and he is the corniest, cheesiest character in the film. He is the most unlikeable angel I have ever seen in any movie, and the biggest negative. I don't know if the directors intended for his personality to come off so badly, or if he just struck me that way. (I admit that he reminded me of someone I know.) Dan's love for a very worldly girl who is not at all his type drives the plot in this movie. Why he ever fell for her in the first place is the one question that I wish had been answered.

But the movie does display positive Christian values, and your youth group will be entertained as they view something wholesome with a good lesson.

This film is about a teen who is struggling with his social status in school. He is a "Good Christian" and feels that he is missing out on all the fun in high school. So he wishes he had never become one. After getting his wish and trying a worldly lifestyle he realizes that his quality of life has been dramatically diminished and wants to go back to being the person that he was. Good family-oriented film with a positive message of being proud of who you are even if you're not the most popular.

Way too many Christian films become centered around the fear of the Judgment, and as a result come across as condescending and indeliberately cheesy. "Second Glance" gets it right. This is a near perfect evangelical tool; it deals with the real reason why so many young people want nothing to do with Christianity. It assures viewers that one must give up their sin--not their fun--to succeed in the Christian lifestyle. "Second Glance" even works as a piece of film-making. The filmmakers obviously were working on a very low budget, but they managed to write a script dynamic enough to divert viewers' attention from this obvious fact. This film brought me to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and thanks to Christian stations everywhere which show it, it surely has impacted more people than just me.

More up to date and significant than previous movies. Parents should be more cool.Its way too obvious. Clearly B actors.

Dan Burgess is a nice guy. He happens to be a Christian. Dan can't get a date with a girl and thinks that all of his friends are having all of the fun. He is constantly being bothered by non-believers and being made fun of.

Dan prays one night, and wishes he was never a believer in Jesus.

His prayer is answered for one day. Things get hairy from there. An angel appears to Dan and explains his prayer is granted.

So, all of the impact that Dan has had on starting a Christian club.

He be-friends Scot Parks and making a difference, is erased for one day.

Dan's eyes are opened. His life really did make a difference.

This is excellent for its type and David A.R. White carries it. I like the little touches such as the gardening lady that Daniel says hi to, and the stuff at the party....also the strange looking window outside the English teacher's room. The "Boll" character is forced comedy and that's the charm of it. Muriel is a good character and his little speech at the very end is well done. This is a good film to watch because of the early 90s nostalgia and good message. The person who gave that scathing review above takes stuff too seriously. This is always quality time watching this movie. I watch it annually and I'm not afraid to admit it.