Reviews

I saw Rich Mullins three times in concert. I read every interview and watched everything I could on him and by him. I've known for the past 22 years that he wasn't perfect, that his relationship with his father was not good for most of his life, that he had a "dark" side to his nature, his soul. And I knew his heart had been badly broken by a woman long ago and that he never found another that he was interested in. I considered myself as prepared as anyone could be when I went in to see the movie.

When I saw the trailer I thought that the scenes didn't depict the impish, whimsical depth that Rich always showed. I hoped that I would see more of the giddy nature Rich always had in concert, the hopefulness he always shared in his songs and in his interviews. Instead what I saw was scene after scene of an angry, tortured man who never was happy. Ever, except for once when he was dating a girl in college. I wasn't shocked that he'd gotten into drinking or smoking--he implied as much in his music if you listened. But I lost track of the times the movie showed him waking up next to beer bottles, or falling over drunk. And the depiction of his father surprised me not so much by how cruel he was (was he really that cruel?) but because Rich's own brother is a producer for this film.

I felt betrayed and disappointed that although a film has to pick a "thread," a focus, this director--who by his own words sees Rich as his "hero," --chose to focus on such anger and despair for almost the whole two and a half hours. In my opinion it is quite possible to illustrate brokenness without having the protagonist be in a constant state of negativity. Rich Mullins was a non-conformist but the way the director/writer had it played he was a jerk about it. As I've already said I know he wasn't perfect by any stretch, but I do not, cannot believe he was a constant jerk.

I agree with the statement that it was acted well, and Michael Koch certainly held his own. But whether it was his or director David Leo Schultz' doing, the delivery of even the "fun" parts with Rich and the talking he did during his concerts was done without the humor and whimsy that was quintessential to Rich Mullins.

I also agree with the previous poster, it dragged in the middle in the very place it should have been exciting--the take off of his career.

The upshot was Brennan Manning's influence in Rich's life. But as the previous poster stated, if you want to read Rich's biography and interviews, and watch him on Youtube you'll get a far better picture of who Rich Mullins really was.

Overall, worth seeing if you are a fan of the series. However, there are a lot of weaknesses in the movie.

Mr. Big does something before the wedding, right before, that seems completely weak and out of character for Mr. Big. It seemed downright wimpy for any man! And much of the movie is based on his lack of judgment prior to the wedding, therefore, in my view the movie unravels right there.

Moving forward, even if it was a plausible character action on his part, it seems evident to me that most of the other actors are rusty in their own characters. I think Miranda and Samantha still seemed in the zone, but Carrie, Charlotte, Steve, and even Anthony seemed to me to be slightly off. I kept trying to figure out if it was just seeing them on the big screen, but I think it was more than that; Charlotte seemed more outgoing and expressive than in the series, Carrie seemed to actually know herself less, Anthony wasn't as punchy, and Steve seemed to be sick. It just didn't feel right.

Jennifer Hudson definitely feels token. But for a newly introduced character who had to make her mark in one fell swoop, I think it was the best she/they could do. I didn't feel the chemistry between her character and Carrie, however. The movie tries to make it an important piece of the pie in the plot but it felt devoid of depth.

I like how they tie up the story lines and as a fan, I am glad they made this movie. It is hit and miss but worth viewing.