I just read via the internet that over the Labor Day weekend, a faith-based film called War Room, took home the top spot among movie goers. It just so happens my wife, Terri and her sister, Linda went and saw the movie Saturday evening in Maple Grove. We were the first ones in the gigantic theater and took our seats (as usual) in the last row at the top, just under where the projector sits.
By the time the film started, I remember I remarked to Terri that “wow, there are a lot of people here for this movie”.
I hadn’t heard much about the movie other than I knew it was a movie by the Kendrick brothers — the same guys who have put out the faith-based movies Facing the Giants, Fireproof and Courageous. Their goal is to blend engaging stories with doctrinal integrity — something that is gravely missing from today’s mainstream films and TV shows.
I have to admit, War Room comes across as a little preachy and almost feels like a sequel to Fireproof, where a man tries to save his marriage by praying for his wife and her dissatisfaction.
In War Room, the roles are reversed as the wife utilizes the power of prayer to change her marriage. She is mentored by an old woman who teaches her to stop fighting and start praying.
Of course, the one caught in the middle of the “warring”— as always — is the child. The little girl who plays Danielle, the parents’ 10 year old daughter, did an incredible job of portraying a child who longs for her parents' love and attention … and yearns for them to stop yelling at each other.
There’s a heart-wrenching scene where the mom sees the withdrawal of her daughter and reminds Danielle that she loves her. The little girl doubts her sincerity and tells her mom she believes she loves her “a little bit.”
Mom is taken aback but her daughter Danielle tests her mom as tears roll down her cheeks.
“Then tell me, what’s my team name?” she asks her mom. “What are our colors? What new trick did I learn? What award did I learn last week?”
The mother is dazed. She is clueless. All she can tell her daughter is she is sorry as they hug and cry.
The situation with Danielle’s dad is even worse. He is work-driven, selfish, a philanderer and disinterested in being married or having a family. The neglect and unacceptance can be read all over the little girl’s face throughout the movie.
But, in another powerful scene later on in the movie, things change for the better (as expected) and (without spoiling the movie) the girl escapes her dark place and like a morning glory, unravels into full bloom. It’s poignant and alluring.
War Room took in over $27.9 million over the four-day Labor Day weekend. Not bad for a movie produced for around $3.5 million. According to exit polling at theaters, 75% of the audience said they would definitely recommend the movie.
However, not all War Room viewers had good things to say, including the world’s most recognized film critic, Roger Ebert.
“The film wants to evangelize by preaching an ideology that requires its followers to view the world in black-and-white terms,” he said. “Grappling with the gray areas in life is seen as a sign of weakness, while acting in one’s own best interest is nothing more than a sinful exercise in selfish pride.”
Maybe the movie isn’t the epic movie he or others were expecting. When I entered the theater, I wasn’t expecting a movie that was going to challenge the likes of Gone With The Wind or Casablanca — I was simply expecting to see a nice film that told a good story and touched my heart.
War Room did just that.
